Introducing the lambradoodle (tm) sheep: miniature, curly coated, friendly, weed gobbling floofs!

 Introducing: the Lambradoodle (TM) Sheep

What has soft curly hair, a friendly smile, gentle demeanor all wrapped up in a colorful, mini-floof package?  The lambradoodle (TM).  Nope… that isn’t a typo… it’s a sheep. And this mini sheep just may be the most amazingly fun and friendly weed-eater you never knew you couldn’t live without!

Sheep are amazing property tenders.  They are easier to keep contained than goats, give you wool that you can craft, spin or use as water retaining soil amendment; all while nibbling down and turning it into outstanding fertilizer.

Miniature sheep breeds are hugely popular for folks wanting a pet with a purpose. 
Among the small sheep breeds, pure-bred olde English babydoll Southdown sheep averaging around 24 inches at the shoulder are the BIG winners in the mini sheep world.  Traditionally white or chocolate, rare black and white babydolls are intensely sought after.

That is until the Valais blacknose sheep broke the internet!  Not a true mini and sporting large curling horns, these curly coated gentle sheep are moving to America. 

A bit on the big side, with a coarse wool suitable more for rug making than yarn, pure registered Valais blacknose sheep are now available in the US via frozen semen doners from across the pond inseminating “breed up” ewes of large breed sheep… and a few babydolls.

The valais/babydoll 50/50 cross is in three words: so, so adorable.  Valais sheep are extremely friendly and make great pets.  Downsizing them with the babydoll is a great combination.  You get a smaller sheep with a bit less floof that is, for the most part, hornless although sometimes small scurs or horns do develop but not to the extent that a pure Valais’s horns grow.    

On a small camel dairy in Ramona California, Nancy and Gil Riegler introduced a 50/50 valais/babydoll ram they named Ozwald to their spotted babydoll sheep harlequin/babydoll cross sheep. 
The results are beautiful, small, friendly floofy colorful sheep.  Not quite a babydoll and certainly not a Valais, these lambs are something NEW. 

“We took what is being called the worlds cutest sheep (the valais) and what is called the smiling sheep (the babydoll, in particular, the rarer spotted babydoll) and are making something new.  It reminds me of the first person to breed the labradoodle.  These sheep are lambradoodles (TM)!” giggles Nancy while cuddling one of the two-week-old black and white splashed lambs not much bigger than a labradoodle puppy.

These spotted, curly-coated and friendly miniature sheep are big on puppy dog personality.  Like a dog, They can enjoy a long lifespan upwards of 12 to 15 years.  They require small amount of hay and very little vet care outside of worming and vaccinations depending on your area.  Like a dog, they do require grooming or in their case, shearing.  The Riegler’s sheer their sheep twice annually and will only sell a lamb once a potential buyer can show they have secured a means to take care of their new pet’s woolly growth.  

Nancy explains their position on sheering, “wool is a wonderful insulator for cold weather.  That is what it was developed for.   Wool sheep do not shed so to keep a sheep in full wool in a warm climate is uncomfortable for them.  Securing a means of regular sheering is part of the commitment.”

Training them to walk on a leash and even do tricks or behaviors like standing on a pedestal, waving hello, bowing, turning in a circle, etc is easy and fun.
For more information on these friendly, fun miniature sheep, visit us at www.lambradoodles.com