Old English Goldendoodles are a designer breed that is a three-way cross between an Old English Sheepdog and a Goldendoodle (Golden Retriever/Poodle.) We believe this cross improves on the standard goldendoodle cross's temperament. Our dogs whelp in our home initially, raised around a family and are well socialized, including exposure to a person with special needs. Our puppies are exposed to a cat as well as all the other livestock listed on this page. We also believe this cross improves on health of century old breeds - the Old English Sheep dog was recognized by the AKC in 1888, the Poodle in 1887, and the Golden Retriever in 1925.
Old English Goldendoodles are the only breed we are focused on. Our dogs are not whelped in a kennel but in the home and are constantly around people. When you buy a puppy from us, they have never lived in a kennel and are the only litter of puppies we have at any given time. We keep one sire and one dam for breeding and breed them once per year in the spring.
Old English Sheepdog's are known for their incredible temperament and human centric behavior. Our sire, Timber, is by far and away our favorite dog we have owned. Old English Sheepdog Dog Breed Information
Golden Retriever's are known for their intelligence and companionship. The Standard Poodle, despite its groomed appearance, has traditionally been a water loving hunting dog with high energy and high intelligence. Recently, the Standard Poodle has been cross bred to create the Goldendoodle which has been very popular and resulted in a number of other poodle/doodle crosses. Golden Retriever Dog Breed Information Poodle Dog Breed Information
Our interest in this particular hybrid/designer dogs is two fold. One, is that based on our experience with livestock all pure-bred animals have at least some degree of inbreeding and thus genetic depression at this point resulting in genetic and congenital issues like a dysplastic hip or predilection to cancer. The litters can be smaller and the puppies can fail to thrive, whereas hybrid animals have what is called hybrid vigor. Two is that Old English Sheepdogs are our favorite breed from a personality standpoint, and we have owned and been around many. I grew up in a family that were avid pheasant hunters, and we bred English Springer Spaniels and Pointers. Like those dogs, Poodles can exhibit a similar level of energy and neuroticism and we believe that by crossing with the Sheepdog we improve temperament while maintaining the Doodle look and coat manageability. We love our Doodle, but there are many online detractors who dislike anything that isn't pure bred and AKC registered; however, from our perspective, hybrid dogs can exhibit superior traits for human companionship and reduced vet bills and heartache over the life of the pet as long as the cross is done with intention and purpose - you need to have a specific reason and goal for the breeding. We breed specifically for temperament and secondarily look - we like dogs with rounded heads and shorter rounded snouts in these breeds. Lastly, we breed these dogs for their uniqueness and improved health and vigor. We assist Oak with bottle-feeding to ensure solid puppies and spare no expense when it comes to feed and supplementation - we use premium food, premium supplements, and expect a premium outcome.
Like the Old English Sheepdog, the Old English Sheepdoodle puppy will start off with a high percentage of black, with white spots getting larger and coming in over time. As they lose their puppy coat most of the black typically turns varying shades of gray and they get whiter. In some cases, they will get some brown from the Doodle. All black or white Sheepdogs are rare, and tri color crosses are uncommon. Your puppy's coloration will change over time as it grows, which is normal.
Our puppies will be vaccinated, de-wormed, and will come with a 2-year health guarantee against genetic illnesses so long as they are spayed/neutered and never exposed to Ivermectin - Old English Sheepdogs are known to be sensitive to Ivermectin and exposure can kill them. We can have them microchipped for a fee if requested. Our contract also stipulates that our puppies are never rehomed, surrendered, or rescued without our knowledge. In the event that you are unable to care for your new dog we require that he or she be returned to us to be rehomed. We are responsible and ethical breeders and insist that our dogs only go to qualified prospective owners who intend to keep them forever. If you have to rehome a dog, and have a prospective home in mind, we require that the prospective owners fill out an application with us. No transfer of ownership shall take place without our express written permission.
If you are interested in our puppies, please email us for an application. We take deposits through our website and all puppy's individual pictures will be updated periodically, and more can be sent on request. The remainder can be paid via credit card invoice, or check. Check payments result in a 3% discount. Payment must be received 14 days prior to taking possession of the puppy. Do not pay a deposit until you have contacted us about the application.
We do allow limited farm visits if you want to see the puppies; however, we have biosecurity protocols in place with the livestock at this time. This policy is temporary and hopefully will not be in place next year as we do enjoy visitors, and kids love to see the farm animals. If possible, it is advised to visit in person to choose a puppy, but we can also send pictures and videos. We are very close to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg and there are hundreds of lodging accommodations nearby from camping to 4-star hotels.
