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

I live in a rural area and know lots of horsey people. Most of us own dogs, and the popular breeds are Labs, working spaniels or any type of gundog, JRTs, other working terrier breeds and, of course, plenty of lurchers - the scruffier the better.

Definitely no fluffy lap dogs or trendy ‘designer’ cross-breeds.

Think there’ll be a huge shortage in doggy daycare next year or so when people’s lives get back to normal.

At our school (rural prep) only the footballers have cockapoos and the like

Big dogs are where it’s at, anything else is slightly sneered at 🙄

@Soutiner

Where I live, it’s mainly French Bull dogs! What does that say?

That the local vet has just ordered a new Range Rover....

Agree that proper posh is gun dogs. Preferably a pack of them, all working, all from the right breeding lines. The sort of dogs that aren't sold on the open market. Carted about in a battered old landy, to tick all the right boxes.

I have done a lot of research on small-medium family dogs suitable for an urban family, and to be honest, a cockapoo or cavapoo do seem like ideal dogs in theory - smart, easy to train, lower shedding and smell, for the latter in particular, possibility of the lovely sweet temperament without the horrendous heath problems - surely it’s worse to buy a purebred cavalier. My close relative has one and it’s lovely, although lived in the country and gets lots of walks and is rarely left alone, I know someone else who had a manic one but did leave it alone a lot. I won’t buy one though because of the difficulty in finding a reputable breeder. I’m leaning more towards a poodle or maybe a whippet - I love the look of longer haired dogs but thinking I really need to be more practical. Dogs have been bred to meet human needs for hundreds of years, now that dogs are kept in sometimes small house much more than in the past, it surely makes sense to have dogs that smell and shed less. So why not establish these crosses as proper breeds and try to encourage reputable breeders to improve health and temperament, theses crosses are clearly meeting a need? Of course country people are more likely to have labs and other gundogs, they have the space!

@Darklane

I have a different vulnerable native breed terrier, and she’s fantastic!

Only produced by breed enthusiasts, as you say, and I’m lucky to have her

Completely the opposite here! I live in the countryside and here you need to have a Labrador, Spaniel well a gun dog really. A fluffy bundle is a no no!

It's largely gun dogs down here us included. There's the odd dashie though. There's only one Frenchie on the school run. I think buying a puppy with inbuilt health issues that you can hear breathing a mile off is chav.

All poodle cross breed type creatures round here. The whole puppy thing has gone bonkers since march. I know several people who have them, they are almost uniformly highly annoying, bark all the time, jump up, no recall... They need far more exercise than they're getting. The dog breeding industry is horrible. If you want a dog, get a rescue.

Everything around private schools - from the car you drive to the breed of your dog - is about status and superiority. What a vacuous way to live a life.

There was an item on our local news this week about how dog theft has increased @ 260% during lockdown. It’s mostly breeds that go into these crosses or pups of the breeds themselves, from gardens or even on dog walks or cars being broken into to steal the dog not the car.
Any adults found to be neutered are then dumped, anywhere, intact ones kept to be bred from. Young puppies sold on.
All the responsible breeders that I know are just not breeding & haven’t been since lockdown & have closed waiting lists to anyone except people who were already on prior to this last year & they know really are genuine.They don’t want to rip people off by charging inflated prices but are very aware that unscrupulous people posing as good prospective owners, they can be really devious, could buy from them to sell on for much more money or breed irresponsibly from while too young & not checking suitable matches.

it surely makes sense to have dogs that smell and shed less. So why not establish these crosses as proper breeds

Because there are already a number of breeds that smell and shed less. Poodles, yorkies to start, and I’m fairly sure there are more.

Poo crosses are reinventing the wheel, the poodle does the job already, why try and fix something that isn’t broken?

This is our mutt - lab whippet x curled up on the bed ( aargh the hair ) in her Christmas hat

Imagine actually complaining about dog breeds being a status symbol whilst slipping into the conversation that your kid goes to private school

OP, I'm not sure dogs are the issue here.

@2021willbetheyear

I have done a lot of research on small-medium family dogs suitable for an urban family, and to be honest, a cockapoo or cavapoo do seem like ideal dogs in theory - smart, easy to train, lower shedding and smell, for the latter in particular, possibility of the lovely sweet temperament without the horrendous heath problems - surely it’s worse to buy a purebred cavalier. My close relative has one and it’s lovely, although lived in the country and gets lots of walks and is rarely left alone, I know someone else who had a manic one but did leave it alone a lot. I won’t buy one though because of the difficulty in finding a reputable breeder. I’m leaning more towards a poodle or maybe a whippet - I love the look of longer haired dogs but thinking I really need to be more practical. Dogs have been bred to meet human needs for hundreds of years, now that dogs are kept in sometimes small house much more than in the past, it surely makes sense to have dogs that smell and shed less. So why not establish these crosses as proper breeds and try to encourage reputable breeders to improve health and temperament, theses crosses are clearly meeting a need? Of course country people are more likely to have labs and other gundogs, they have the space!

Don't bother with the Cockerpoo. Get a whippet. Such a nicer and more relaxed breed with a better temperament and generally easier to look after.

We live in a fairly middle class estate. Very few of these types of cross breeds, there’s a pretty big mix of dogs walk past ours. But if I was to say there was a “type” there are far more small yappy type rats on ropes, than proper dogs.

it surely makes sense to have dogs that smell and shed less. So why not establish these crosses as proper breeds

Because the crosses are actually doing the opposite of this. You’ve got a dog designed to shed and smell less, and are crossing it to produce offspring that shed and smell more than the parent breed.

It makes me so bloody sad.
I know a woman in a tiny garden flat who bought a Working Bred Border Collie as a pet. I saw ''Insta'' pics of the pup in a pet carrier rucksack.

She currently works from home.

But when she returns to work, the dog may suffer. Bought it to entertain the DC.

Urgh.

''Poo'' crosses are MONGRELS . Antone can make up a stupid name for a dog.

Lurchers are wonderful, and I hope they will never become fashionable.
A 'Type', not a breed.

No need to pay stupid money to puppy farmers and ''Frequent advertisers'' online.

A purebreed I love {But won't mention} had had a huge surge in demand..The breed club says they hear a lot of heartache from online sales...Poor health. poorly socialised.

Instagram has done so much harm to dogs.

Dogs are NOT a fashion accessory.

Poodles, yorkies to start, and I’m fairly sure there are more.

Not everyone wants a silly little dog.

@bengalcat

This is our mutt - lab whippet x curled up on the bed ( aargh the hair ) in her Christmas hat

I love lurchers.

Not sure the mix of ours but she’s clearly mostly whippet and I presume some sort of smooth coated terrier (compared to our greyhound who has a very fancy pedigree but still got dumped at 18 months).
Our lurcher is SO clever, the grey is very dim.
Both very easy to live with though!

The properly posh people round here have a gun dog (usually a black lab) and a Jack Russell.

My JR came from a local farmer. I paid £50 for him six years ago and he's great.

Round here golden retrievers are the class marker, above labs/spaniels. Vair mc park full of them on a Sunday morning. Surprised no mention of upthread outside of ubiquitous gun dog.

@MintyMabel

I've had two yorkies. Both proper tough little dogs. I can still remember the screams when the bigger one caught and killed a rat in front my mother 😂

Loving the inverted snobbery here surrounding dogs.
I'm part of it with my rural retrievers!