Newfiedoodle vs Newfypoo? What’s in a Name?

You’ve probably noticed that we tend to use Newfiedoodle and Newfypoo interchangeably on this site. Either are completely acceptable names for a Newfoundland / Poodle hybrid. But for those of you who are curious about the Newfiedoodle vs. Newfypoo Nomenclature debate, we thought we’d go into a little more detail.

Other possible names such as Newdle, Newfiedoo, Newfoundlandpoo, Newfoundlandoodle, and Poofoundland have gained little to no traction–in many cases because they’re just too hard to say.

We chose www.Newfiedoodles.com as our domain name, and we definitely prefer the term “Newfiedoodle” to “Newfypoo.” Here’s why prefer Newfiedoodle:

• Newfiedoodle is a better name than Newfypoo because almost all poodle crosses larger than 25 pounds are called “doodles.”
  • Goldendoodles, Labradoodles, Aussiedoodles, Irishdoodles, Sheepadoodles, Pyredoodles, Saint Berdoodles, Springerdoodles, and Standard Schnoodles are all larger dogs. I could give many additional examples of medium to large dogs that are called “doodles.” 
  • By contrast, smaller poodle mixes are called “poos.” For example the cockapoo, yorkipoo, cavapoo, bich-poo, terri-poo, chi-poo, Chinese crested-poo, corgipoo, doxipoo, papi-poo, Jack-a-poo, and malti-poo are all small dogs.
  • As another example, some breeders refer to miniature Aussiedoodles as Aussiepoos because minis are smaller than standard Aussiedoodles.
  • In current terminology, two of the only exceptions I know of to the above rule are Cairndoodles (which are small dogs) and Newfypoos (which are large dogs).
• I personally prefer the “doodle” nomenclature in general as opposed to “poo.” “Doodle” has a hint of elegance or even comic charm, whereas the term “poo” has less desirable connotations. Maybe I’m biased, but to me I’d rather call my dog a Newfiedoodle than a Newfypoo.

With strong reasons arguing for the Newfiedoodle name over the Newfypoo name, you may wonder why several breeders still refer to this hybrid as a Newfypoo instead of a Newfiedoodle. To understand the Newfypoo name, you need to know a little bit of the history of poodle crosses, specifically the Newfypoo and the Labradoodle.

From my research, the best I can tell (it’s been difficult to confirm this), Newfypoos were one of the earliest “designer dogs”–poodle mix hybrids. Newfoundlands are gentle giants, and for families wanting a non-shedding gentle giant the Newfypoo was a perfect cross.

From my research Cockapoos were likely the very first poodle mix in the 1950’s, and all of the other breeds that followed initially used the “poo” terminology. Because Newfoundlands were one of the early crosses, they were called Newfypoos. Nobody was using “doodle terminology yet.” All that changed when Labradoodles became popular beginning in 1988.

In 1988 Wally Conron, a breeder in Australia, intentionally crossed a poodle with a Labrador Retriever in an effort to produce a hypoallergenic guide dog. Labradoodles were a huge success and became increasingly popular. Since Labradoodles hit the scene, many other larger dogs have been crossed with poodles (Golden Retrievers, Old English Sheepdogs, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Giant Schnauzers, Saint Bernards, and Irish Setters are the best examples). Each of these crosses have used the “doodle” nomenclature, which sounds much better than “poo.” Springerdoodles are a great example of a medium sized dog to also adopt the “doodle” terminology.

The Labradoodle made such an outstanding pet that it quickly became the most popular of all poodle mix designer dogs (Labradoodles have now probably been eclipsed by Goldendoodles as the most popular doodles). Since the Labradoodles arrival in 1988 and the increasing popularity of Labradoodles, all the more recent poodle mixes (i.e. Goldendoodles, Bernedoodles, Sheepadoodles) have used the more desirable “doodle” terminology instead of the earlier “poo.”

Our observation is that breeders who had become entrenched in Newfypoo terminology, continued to use that term, even though it broke the nomenclature terminology (of using “poo” for small breeds and “doodle” for large breeds). It seems to us that younger families consistently ask for “Newfiedoodles” and middle aged to elderly families inquire if we have another litter of “Newfypoos” available.

My guess is that people who have grown up familiar with Labradoodles (for instance most people 40 and under), instinctively think that the Newfoundland / Poodle cross should be called a Newfiedoodle. Whereas, families who were already familiar with the Newfypoo terminology tend to continue to use it. After all, they say it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

At Newfiedoodles.com our prediction is that in coming years, more and more breeders will use the term Newfiedoodle, and Newfypoo terminology will slowly become a term of the past. We could of course be wrong–perhaps Newfypoo terminology will win the day and the Newfiedoodle nomenclature will not gain the traction we think that it is currently gaining. In Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare famously wrote, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Ultimately, whether you use our preferred name “Newfiedoodle” or the older name “Newfypoo,” we’re happy to say that a Newfiedoodle by any other name is still an outstanding dog.

For some reason when the term Newfiedoodle is used, it is almost always spelled with an “ie,” but when Newfypoo is used, breeders use the “y” instead of the “ie.” It is rare to see the names spelled Newfydoodle or Newfiepoo. I’m not entirely sure why; maybe I should consult with a grammarian.

Although there is disagreement whether these pups should be called Newfiedoodles or Newfypoos; there seems to be nearly unanimous consent that if you’re using doodle terminology, it should be Newfiedoodle (with the “ie”) and if you’re using poo terminology, it should be Newfypoo (with the “y”).