The Poodle is one of the most popular dog breeds used in the development of mixed breed dogs in the designed dog breed era. One of the unlikeliest of pairings is with the rare Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. But it definitely works, producing one of the most adorable mixed dogs.
The Whoodle is a mixed breed dog developed from the Poodle and the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. More often than not, medium-sized or miniature Poodles are used in this mix as they are the closest in terms of size and build to the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier dog.
If you are interested in getting yourself a Whoodle pooch, or you already have one, here is all you need to know about this rare mix. This includes everything from how to identify a Whoodle and what to expect from their personalities to how best to take care of them for a happy and healthy doggy.
What Is A Whoodle Dog?
A Whoodle is a mixed breed dog developed from breeding between a Poodle and a Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier. How big a Whoodle gets depends mainly on the type of Poodle used. Standard Poodles produce larger Whoodles than mixes made using miniature or toy Whoodles.
Here is a bit more on what physical traits define a Whoodle, including their weight and size ranges.
Size And Weight
If a Moyen Poodle or Miniature Poodle is used in the breed mix with the Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier, the resulting Whoodle will likely fall in a weight range of 20 to 45 lbs.
Larger Wheaten Terriers mixed with standard-sized Poodles will inevitably produce larger Whoodles.
In terms of height, the Whoodle averages 12 to 20 inches, again, depending on the size of the parent dog breeds.
Coat Type And Color
More often than not, Whoodles will have a dense, long, and silky coat. The fur may either be straight or wavy. This coat is very similar to what the Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier has. It is only on rare occasions that the Whoodle will take after the Poodle’s tightly coiled fur.
The colors of a Whoodle vary and include black, brown, red, apricot, silver, or cream shades, which may or may not be spotted.
Skull And Facial Features
When it comes to the skull features and facial features, Whoodles will usually take after both their Wheaten and Poodle parents as the two breeds have very similar features.
The difference comes in the ears, where the Whoodle may either have droopy ears that are large like the Poodle’s or smaller like the Wheaten Terrier’s.
How Long Do Whoodles Live?
Whoodles have a lifespan of 12 to 15 years. This is more or less what you would expect from a generally healthy medium-sized dog breed.
The fact that Whoodles are mixed eliminates a lot of health issues that the Poodle and Soft-coated Wheaten Terriers face as individual breeds. However, this does not mean that the Whoodle is completely disease-free.
Here are some of the common health issues that Whoodles deal with.
Ear Infection
Ear infections in Whoodles are particularly common in doggies that take after the ear structure and coat type of their Poodle parents. They may have hair growing into their ears which harbors moisture, dirt, and germs.
The best way to prevent this is through regular grooming to keep the ears clean.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy
Progressive Retinal Atrophy is a condition that is marked by degeneration of the retina in the Whoodle’s eye.
This affects both eyes simultaneously and is unfortunately irreversible. It is an inherited disease, and the Whoodle is only likely to get it if both the Poodle and Wheaten are carriers of the recessive mutated gene.
Hip And Elbow Dysplasia
Whoodles are prone to developing abnormal growth development of the hip and elbow joints. This condition is known as joint dysplasia and predisposes the Whoodle to complications like arthritis later due to instability of the joint.
Obesity
Whoodles straddle the line between being lazy and being energetic and active. Without adequate stimulation, they can very easily settle into a sedentary lifestyle which puts them at risk of developing obesity.
How To Take Care Of Whoodle Dogs?
Whoodles are great dogs for first time owners as they are very easy to take care of. You just need to understand what they need, and come up with both a schedule and a care plan that works for you and your pooch.
Here are some of the most important aspects of the care of a Whoodle and how to get the job done right.
Get The Whoodle On A High-Quality Diet
A healthy diet is crucial for the well-being of a Whoodle. Most of their health issues, including obesity and joint problems, can be prevented or managed with a healthy and appropriately balanced diet.
We recommend Pet Plate for customized meal plans designed to suit your Whoodle’s very specific health needs. The best part is that they use high-quality ingredients that are frozen while fresh for chemical-free preservation.
Add Multivitamin Supplements To The Mix
Supplements are another important part of good care of a Whoodle dog. This is because nutrients like vitamins and compounds like chondroitin and glucosamine that they need may not be present or adequate in even the best of diets.
Supplements allow you to cover this deficit, ensuring that your dog gets everything that they need to truly thrive.
Establish A Regular Exercise Routine
If left to their own devices, Whoodles can be very lazy dogs. It is up to you to come up with an exercise routine and fill it with activities that will actually get your Whoodle excited for playtime every day.
Ideally, daily exercises for up to 1 to 2 hours should be enough to keep a Whoodle healthy and happy. However, if your dog has joint problems, you may want to work with exercise sessions lasting 30 to 45 minutes long instead.
Are Whoodles Good Family Dogs? Temperaments Of Whoodle Dogs
Whoodles are great family dogs, especially for homes with young children. The social doggies are particularly gentle with young children that they often end up treating them like their own puppies.
Here are a few more temperament traits you should prepare for yourself if you are considering getting a Whoodle.
Confident And Strong-Willed
Whoodles are the furthest thing from shy you will find in a dog breed. However, they are not aggressive despite being so strong and confident.
Friendly
A well-socialized Whoodle is the type of dog that will get along with everyone, including strangers. However, they need to be socialized from an early age.
Energetic
Whoodles are hyper dogs and require owners that can keep up with their energy. Ironically, despite being so energetic, Whoodles are known to sometimes be lazy, which contributes to their high incidences of obesity.
Quiet
Despite being such an eager and enthusiastic dog, the Whoodle mixed breed is a very quiet dog. They rarely bark unless they are very excited or overstimulated.
Attention-Seekers
Whoodles thrive on attention and companionship. That is one of the reasons why they are so happy as family pets in homes where there is always someone to give them attention and love.
This also means that Whoodles do not like to be left alone for too long. However, with training and companionship from another pet, your Whoodle should be able to tolerate a few hours without you.
Intelligent
Whoodles are fairly smart dogs which makes them relatively easy to train. However, they can be a bit stubborn and easily distracted, so be sure to keep the sessions short and have plenty of reward treats.
How Do You Groom A Whoodle? Grooming Tips For Whoodle Dogs
One of the best things about a Whoodle is the fact that they are hypoallergenic. This happens whether the dog takes after the Poodle’s coat or that of the Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier. This is because both the purebred parents also have hypoallergenic coats.
So if you want a family pet or a companion pooch for a home where one or more people are allergic to dogs, the Whoodle would be a perfect fit.
Despite the minimally shedding coat, Whoodles still need a lot of intentional grooming care. Here are 3 of the most important care tips specific to Whoodles, in addition to basics like dental hygiene and clipping their nails.
Brush The Whoodle Every Day
If the Whoodle gets the Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier’s silky, long coat, you may have to brush their fur every day. This is not so much to minimize shedding as it is to help prevent matting of the long fur.
The Furminator Undercoat Tool would be perfect for the job and has a convenient self-cleaning design for easy maintenance.
Wash The Whoodle Every 4 To 8 Weeks
Depending on the Whoodle’s coat type and activity level, you can wash the pooch once every 4 to 8 weeks.
The most important thing here is to ensure that you use high-quality grooming products. We recommend the Seamus Cherry Blossom Whitening Dog Shampoo, which not only helps to highlight the dog’s beautiful shade but also deodorizes with a pleasant cherry blossom fragrance.
Trim The Whoodle’s Coat Every 8 To 12 Weeks
This helps prevent the coat from growing too long for the Whoodle to comfortably navigate life. Feathering around and inside the ear is especially important to be trimmed regularly and looked after since the negligence of this area often leads to ear infections.
Related Questions
How Much Do Whoodles Cost? Whoodles cost between $650 and $1,500. The biggest determining factor is the availability of the somewhat rare Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier wherever it is you plan on purchasing the Whoodle. The type and lineage of the Poodle used in the mix may also determine how much you end up paying. Whoodles bred from premium Poodle bloodlines or from the Standard Poodle breeds tend to be more expensive.
How Long Do Mini Whoodles Live? Mini Whoodles can live for 12 to 15 years. This is also the same range expected for regular Whoodles. However, the smaller miniature Whoodles are more likely to reach and exceed the upper average range limit of 15 years. Smaller Whoodles are typically healthier and less likely to get into a violent confrontation which is why they tend to live longer.
Can Whoodles Swim? Whoodles can swim and are, more often than not, huge fans of the water. This is most likely due to their waterfowl dog roots through their Poodle lineage. However, there are some Whoodles, just like many Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers, that absolutely cannot stand the water. These Whoodles will need a lot of training and convincing to enjoy swimming.
