Best dog food for an Aussiedoodle
An Aussiedoodle is a cross between an Australian Shepherd and a Poodle, and the two things that matter most when choosing food are the size band your particular dog falls into and the fact that a poodle-type coat tends to show a skin or coat problem earlier and more visibly than a short, dense coat does.
Feeding a Aussiedoodle
A medium breed
An adult Aussiedoodle typically weighs 11–32 kg, so a healthy Aussiedoodle eats a moderate amount compared with other breeds. Every feeding guide on a bag is written per kilo of body weight, not per breed — start there, then adjust to the dog in front of you.
Life stage
A medium breed is usually done growing at ~12 months, which is roughly when a puppy food has finished its job. With a typical lifespan of 11–14 years, there is a long adult stretch in the middle; switch to a senior food when your vet thinks it is worth it rather than on a birthday.
A high-energy dog eats like one
Aussiedoodles sit at the top end for energy, and a dog working through a couple of hours of real exercise a day burns through the feeding guide faster than a dog on a short stroll. Feed to the dog's condition, not to the middle of the range on the bag.
How much should a Aussiedoodle weigh?
Adult 11–32 kgfully grown at ~12 months
| Age | Stage | Typical weight | Of adult size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks | Just home | 1.7–4.9 kg | 15% |
| 3 months | Young puppy | 2.8–8 kg | 25% |
| 6 months | Growing fast | 5.5–16 kg | 50% |
| ~12 months | Fully grown | 11–32 kg | 100% |
A guide, from the same rule of thumb our puppy growth predictor uses — each age is that share of the way to maturity for a medium breed. Puppies grow fastest early, so a real puppy usually sits a little above the middle rows. Weigh yours and ask your vet if the number worries you.
Complete dog foods that suit a Aussiedoodle
Complete foods from our range, matched to a Aussiedoodle's size band and what the breed typically needs. Stock levels and delivery dates are live on each product.
Simpsons Dog Sensitive Lamb Potato
A grain-free lamb and potato dry food for dogs with sensitive skin or digestion
From£17.05
Forthglade Cold Pressed Natural Turkey
Cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs from 2 months, soft enough to mix with water for young pups
£45.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Salmon
Cold-pressed grain-free dry food for dogs, built on fresh and dried salmon
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Duck
Cold-pressed grain-free duck food with fruit and botanicals, in two bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Chicken
Cold-pressed grain-free chicken food with fruit and botanicals, in three bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Turkey
A lightly baked complete dry food, 50% turkey, for adult dogs of any breed
From£12.49
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Chicken
A grain-free complete dry food for adult dogs, lightly baked and built on 50% chicken
From£12.49
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Turkey
Grain-free cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs, gentle on sensitive stomachs
£69.69
Forthglade British Classics Chicken Family Lunch
Complete Forthglade wet dog food with 75% chicken in a 395G tray
£2.45
Harringtons Puppy Turkey & Rice
Complete turkey puppy food with 30% protein and feeding bands by adult weight
£6.49
Harringtons Just 6 Dry Dog Food Lamb
Grain-free lamb dry dog food in 2KG and 12KG sizes, with size-specific formulas
From£13.99
Burns Puppy Original Lamb & Rice
Complete Burns lamb and rice puppy food in a 2KG bag for up to 12 months
£14.99
Size varies more than the name suggests
Aussiedoodles are bred from Miniature, Toy and standard Poodles, so a fully grown adult can range from around 6kg to well over 25kg depending on the parents. A food portioned for a medium-sized adult dog will overfeed a mini Aussiedoodle and underfeed a standard-sized one, so the pack's feeding guide should be matched to your dog's actual adult weight rather than to what the breed name implies.
During growth, a puppy-specific food supports the different energy and mineral needs of a growing dog more closely than an adult recipe scaled down by eye. Once your dog reaches its adult size, which happens faster in smaller lines than larger ones, moving to an adult recipe matched to that size is the more sensible switch.
The coat is often the first place a food shows
A poodle-type coat that is curly or wavy tends to make dryness, dullness or excess shedding more visible than it would be on a short-coated dog, simply because the texture changes noticeably when the skin underneath it is unhappy. A recipe with a decent oil content and a named animal fat rather than a vague blend is a reasonable starting point if coat condition is something you are watching.
Some Aussiedoodles inherit a sensitive stomach from either parent breed, and a single-protein or limited-ingredient recipe is a sensible way to narrow down what is actually causing loose stools or itching, introduced gradually rather than as a sudden switch.
Wet, dry, or a mix
Dry food is the more practical everyday choice for most owners on cost and storage grounds, and works fine as the sole diet for an Aussiedoodle of any size. A wet food topper mixed through a dry ration is a reasonable way to add moisture and interest without unbalancing a complete diet, as long as the wet portion stays a minority of the overall meal.
Whatever you choose, any switch between foods is best done gradually over about a week, mixing in more of the new food each day, which gives a sensitive stomach time to adjust rather than reacting to a sudden change.
Common questions
- Do Aussiedoodles need grain-free food?
- Not automatically. Grain-free is worth trying if a dog shows a specific sensitivity, but plenty of Aussiedoodles do perfectly well on a standard recipe with rice or another grain as the carbohydrate base. Choose based on how your own dog does on a food rather than assuming grain-free is the safer default.
- How do I know what size adult my Aussiedoodle will be?
- It depends on whether the Poodle parent was Toy, Miniature or standard, and there is a real range even within one litter. Your breeder should be able to give you an estimate based on the parents, and your vet can help track growth against a sensible curve as your puppy develops.
- Is a single-protein food better for a doodle's coat?
- It is a reasonable option if your dog has shown any sign of a food sensitivity affecting their skin or coat, since it narrows down what they are eating. For a dog with no history of sensitivity, a standard multi-protein recipe with good oil content is just as suitable.
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Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.