Dog breeds are now a Middle Class indicator?

[Brightonbabe5]

Or at least in my dcs school (private). We thought it was bad in September with all the new puppies on the school run... Mostly the same breeds poodle crosses (cockapoos, labradoodles) bichon friese crosses (cavachons, cavapoos etc)... Insta tells me Christmas has brought a whole new pack of fluffy things.
I said this during the lockdown that these particular breeds are now a status symbol & the new MC accessory. Although DH claims a land-rover is also needed to transport the fluffy dog. Friends agree they are also as these breeds tend to be non shed & hypoallergenic...
DC also want one in the worst way😢 We're refusing based on the fact that we don't want a dog type that's considered a status symbol in our area & they cost a bloody fortune.... They are irrestible though with gorgeous temperaments but out of our range unfortunately

Why so much judgement over the choice of dogs?

If people like them and they suit their homes what’s the problem? If they can afford them and care for them and have researched where they are from, why they need to look down on them.

All dogs are expensive at the moment, labs, spaniels, pugs, doodle types. They have all gone up in price.
The puppy farm argument is the same for all breeds but it’s just the doodle types that are mentioned.
The rescue centre line that is trotted out on here regularly is miss guided. I’ve been in contact with centres and they won’t let you register with children under 12.

It’s pure snobbery

But what’s the difference between a poodle and the crosses? Poodles can be cut to look exactly like a poodle cross, their genetics are known, the temperament can be judged by the lineage etc, the puppies won’t have a mix of two breeds to confuse matters.

There is no reason to get a cross that isn’t already a poodle trait. I don’t understand why they need to be crossed?

Those breeds are all a bit nouveau riche really. Solid upper middle class breeds are gun dogs- if you have land you get a dog that is useful to you on the land.

Staffies are very much back in favour with the middle classes and posher folk here. Lots of rescues have been given loving homes which is fantastic.
Many people do seem to have clicked that too many of these new designer breeds are farmed and have started to rethink what they want in a family pet.

Genuinely posh people buy their dogs from proper breeders who show the dogs and breed responsibly. They don’t buy crosses which weren’t bred by a professional and don’t have show winning parents. Personally I’ve always had Shih Tzus, which have become annoyingly trendy and lower class in recent years, but when I first started keeping them in the 1980s they were very exclusive and you never saw them.

No they're definitely not a middle class indicator.

I live in one of the most poverty stricken boroughs in London, hardly any MC people here and yet every other dog I pass in the park seem to be those breeds.

Unfortunately they're just a fashion trend at the moment but certainly nothing to do with class.

Of course they are. All the -apoos are wannabee lower middle class types or insecurely MC. Not thick but not that bright or imaginative mainstreamers who like to follow trends and are a little bit sheep-like and woolly in their thinking, like their dogs, and don't question things or think outside the box too much.

I would start with going on to a few sites that asks questions to see what sort of breed would suit your family/house. You might find a breed on there that is less known but perfect for you. And you could then look for a decent breeder planning puppies. Decent breeders are not charging ridiculous prices as they do it to improve the breed not make money

@Brightonbabe5

Totally agree it's horrible & wanky to get a breed to keep up with the joneses... Am I the only one who's noticed the trend? We have applied to local rescues & our application was rejected as dc were too young (need to be over 8) Also as we would be first time dog owners... We were told they prefer dogs to go to homes with experience unless they were young puppies which are very hard to come by but we're on a waiting file 🤞

Keep your eyes open for local rehoming listings. Our local social media and papers are starting to get lots of the lockdown puppies people rushed into getting.

All 4 to 7 months old with sob stories of moving, allergies and lack of time. Stupid people!

Anyway just make sure puppy is vaccinated and they will give you documents, take to a vet straight away to get scanned to make sure it is not a stolen dog and you can't go wrong. They probably have house and lead trained it for you. A pup this age will have less potential problems than a older rescue dog.

I never buy new. It is rescue or rehome all the way for us

@Tulipshoots

A very common puppy farm casualty and I can’t help judging people who spend ridiculous amounts of money on them.

This 100%!

There is no reason to get a cross that isn’t already a poodle trait. I don’t understand why they need to be crossed?

This is what i don’t understand. Poodles are fab little dogs and no need to cross them at all.

I honestly think it’s poodle snobbery over some idea of a crufts style shaved face and pompoms. The old eastenders tough guy dennis with the big fancy girly dog trope.

People also seem to think crossing then somehow magically enhances their coat non shedding powers. Engage brain- it’s the opposite. If it’s that important to you get the poodle and guarantee the coat type.

These kind of dogs do certainly seem to be having a moment. I don’t agree with them - they’re being bred so irresponsibly and there’s no regulation at all - at least with KC registered dogs, there are rules as to how many litters and how often the mum dog can have, there’s none of that with these cross breeds.

I know quite a few people that have them, temperaments are as mixed as with any other dogs but they do seem to have a lot in commmon - difficult to toilet train, anxious, and health issues.

It's much better to get a mongrel.

Some dogs are bred to look pretty and it's so cruel when eg their brains are too big for their heads and they have a lifetime of headaches.

I am everything but a dog lover, but some of those people who think they are need to reconsider their position.

I don't see them as middle class either - quite the opposite around here.

The truly posh (rather than rich) have Labradors, spaniels and terriers, the shiny new Range Rover owners have the designer crosses

@Mollyboom

Those breeds are all a bit nouveau riche really. Solid upper middle class breeds are gun dogs- if you have land you get a dog that is useful to you on the land.

Totally or the old classic breeds. Poos and doodles are new money. Dead common ain't it

Id say they arw fashionable at the moment
Dog breeds have up and downs. We have a basset hound they are very out of favour at the moment. Every walk we get
"You done see many of those these days" and
"My grandparents/parents (depending on age of commenter) had one of those"

From that I would suggest basset hounds were popular in the 70s right around when Columbo was a popular TV series and he had a basset hound.

Imo right now the popular dog breeds are any poo cross as mentioned in your op greyhounds and spaniels.

I find those dogs very nouveau riche. Established middle classes and upper classes mostly have gundog in my experience. From proper breeders - often working type ones rather than show types.

I agree with other posters the real wealthy families have proper working gun dogs the spaniels, retrievers, labs and pointers. Those are good solid breeds, beautiful animals.

we are rural it's either one of the above or a sausage dog! They seem very popular right now. I also meet a British bulldog pup who was adorable..

On Instagram I just see the poo dogs you mentioned or fence bulldogs, they seem to be the Instagram ones!

@Enko can we see him? I grew up in the 70s and there were two of them on my street. You also don't see old English sheepdogs around anymore those were 80s dogs.

We are working class here, as are many around here. We have a cockapoo like some neighbours. I wanted a medium sized dog that wouldnt malt. We love him to bits. We never find any dog hair nor smells from his coat. He is as cute as a button. Why waste your time labelling peoples classes and things associated with them? Are you scared that people will mock you, therefore you'll never be considered as upper class?! If you want something and can afford it then get it! I don't care if people judge me, life is too short to worry about people who do not matter. I'm happy.

Nah, the only truly 'smart' dog to have is a gun dog and then, only in the country. Black labs and springer spaniels will always be an upper-middle to upper class signifier and have been for decades. Of course, the truly smart have no need to signify their elevated status so you'll always have random outliers like mongrels and non gun dog breeds. Dogs have to come from breeders that the family have used and trusted for generations, or alternatively from a litter than some old family retainer has allowed their dog to have, in an ill-judged fashion.

That doesn't prevent, of course, the parvenus and plebs like us from emulating the smart set and getting ourselves a (smelly) black lab or spaniel. I live in a semi-rural village so lots of people a bit lower down the demographic have got gun dogs and they give them a lovely life, lots of country walks and runs, etc. (probably no pheasant retrieval though, unless I really don't know my friends well.)

The current trend for Expensive Mongrels (eg. cockapoos, cavapoos etc) is just that, and regardless of family income has been embraced right across the board. I think it's criminal how much puppies have been going for, particularly this year, and it can only encourage bad breeders and puppy farms and imported animals from really dubious sources.

Having said that, I love a cockapoo and really enjoy the ones that (virtually) all my friends have got in the last couple of years!

yeah theyre popular at the moment- not the same thing as status symbol though.

my area is full of puppies, i know a lot of couples and families who have wanted dogs for years and are - for the first time in their lives- working from home, so have decided to go for it now.

they all seem super happy.

I do see ‘adopt a mongrel’ used a lot but I’m not sure it’s always possible. We have two young DC (6 and 3) and are investigating adopting a dog next year. None of the pups at the local shelters/rescue centres are suitable for rehoming with young children, one of the websites even says in large text on the homepage that it’s not possible to adopt a dog from them if you have primary aged children.

Still not sure what we’ll do, happy to adopt a rescue mongrel in principle but it doesn’t look like it will be possible.

Totally.
So many social media posts (not private school but middle class south East england)

We have a whippet. He is four so I claim not subject to trends - but there are a LOT of whippets amongst a couple of very different subsections of society (working class rural, arty middle class, metropolitan alternative types)).

I like to think we transcend these but who does?

They always were - that's the very point of them and their focus over form rather than function.