To hate the term 'designer' dog?

[FidoAndHisBone]

I am getting my dog in three weeks and am already being judged by other dog owners and this really gets my goat. We are getting a labradoodle btw. All pedigree dogs were 'designed', some not very long ago at all... I am also getting annoyed at the dog fascists who think cross breeds should not be allowed. AIBU?

EdlessAllenPoe - Just curious! Not sure how our doodle will look, not bothered whether he is curly or fleecy although either way he's going to take a lot of grooming. Do you have dogs?

Graham, that must put my doodle breeder in an awkward position, being a breeder of multiple KC and FC champion working labs also.

Maybe they put on a dodgy fake wig and dark glasses when doing their underhand doodle activities, and just forgot when we were there?

i have one mardy old bitch :)

peeling breeding champions is not, sadly, a guarantee of good ethics.

Designer dog? I thought 'labradoodle' was Canine for 'pretentious mongrel'.

What I find hard to understand is that with all the countless different breeds of dog in existence today, surely there's already a recognised breed to suit most tastes and lifestyles already? And for those who aren't concerned about a particular appearance or breed characteristic, then there are rescue centres groaning with mongrels of all shapes and sizes. Why deliberately create more, when in the vast majority of cases they will have been bred from non-health-tested stock with little or no thought to how the two breeds might combine let alone how the dog compliments the bitch and vice versa - after all, there's no 'breed standard' to aspire to conform to or improve upon, which is the motivation for responsible pedigree breeders? In most cases these crossbreeds are simply a cash crop, and many of the newer varieties give the impression of having been bred for the sole reason that the two breed names squahed together produces an "amusing" name ("Jug" - Jack Russell x Pug; "Cavapoo" - Cav King Charles x Poodle; or the worse one I ever saw: "Bullshit" - Staffy x Shih Tzu...oh, my sides are splitting...)

I have a springer/cocker cross. I refuse to use the cutesy 'sprocker'. He's a brilliant dog. But he is most definitely a mutt. Nothing designer about him. In fact, he was probably bred by puppy farmers. I wish I'd been a bit more savvy before I gave the bastards any money. You'd prize him from my cold dead fingers now, though

I have a springer/cocker cross. I refuse to use the cutesy 'sprocker'. He's a brilliant dog. But he is most definitely a mutt. Nothing designer about him. In fact, he was probably bred by puppy farmers. I wish I'd been a bit more savvy before I gave the bastards any money. You'd prize him from my cold dead fingers now, though

"squashed" and "worst". Sigh.

AFAIK it is only 4th gen labradoodles that are hypoallergenic and won't moult.

nope. you are talking about a dog that is

F1 50% poodle
F2 - 75% poodle
F3 - 87.5% poodle
F4 - 93.75% poodle!

but it still might throwback and shed. not very likely perhaps - though at 93.75% poodle, why wouldn't you just get a poodle?

and no dog is 'hypoallergenic' - you can be allergic to dander, saliva, etc...some allergy suffering poodle owners can't be around when they are groomed still... No substitute for proper allergy checking

That's not quite true Edless

F1 - 50% Poodle
F2 - 50% Poodle (F1 x F1)
F1B - 75% Poodle (F1 x Poodle)
F3, any cross thereafter (usually referred to as multigenerational)

Obviously, even if there is an exact split of 50% poodle/Lab genes, there is still no guarantee which genes or sequences will be expressed. The study of which genes are recessive or dominant is still in its infancy.

In answer to your question re why not get a Poodle - because I like elements of Lab that I can see in him.

No I agree Edgar, I just find it equally bizarre and illogical to label ALL breeders of a certain type of dog as 'backyard'. There are amateur breeders who range from loving to misguided to backyard, and professional breeders ranging from dedicated to improving dog welfare to downright cruel, it's the people not the type of dog they breed. All I was trying to show was that not all doodle breeders are shady characters with no knowledge of or interest in dog welfare.

Edless

Feckin aurocorrect

Get a cow instead

Hahahaha...its a scam. 15 years ago they were called cross breeds! they have just been given the stupid names so the breeders can charge you stupid money for them- SUCKERZ!

So..YANBU, I hate pedigree dog breeders (yes all of them, yes that is a sweeping statement)....but Im judging you from the other direction!

breeding champions is not, sadly, a guarantee of good ethics

quite the opposite, I would say

bejeezus Have you been at the gin?

Labradoodles are lovely, as are pretty much all dogs, but I have to say I do get a bit when people spend hundreds of pounds on them. There are bound to be people out there who think "ooh, I've got a labrador bitch, if I find a poodle to breed her with I can make a fortune", and the last thing this country needs is more dogs being bred! There are so many thousands of unwanted crossbreeds (and purebreds) in rescue centres already, it just seems completely senseless to spend a fortune on one when you could rescue one. Most rescue centres will do free or discounted neutering/spaying and microchipping, and if you adopt a young puppy (that hasn't been screwed up by bad owners) then there is no more reason to be concerned about its temperament than there is with any other dog.

Apologies for the mini-sermon, this is a bit of a soapbox issue for me.

no-why?

i sit corrected cake though really, as they keep on getting crossed back for less-shedding coats that is what some come out with.

however it would probably easier and more readily achievable to just breed poodles with steadier behaviour if that is what is desired.

bejeezus although i know breeders of champions i wouldn't piss on if they were on fire, i don't see anything inherently wrong about seeking to improve your breed in conformation, health and behaviour.

and i would describe the breeder the OP is buying from as a backyard breeder as that is exactly what they are - even though perhaps there is at least no immediate welfare issue from the sound of things.

Peeling I just had an image of a labrador and a poodle in wigs, sunglasses and trenchcoats sneaking down an alley to get busy!

I hate it almost as much as 'architect designed' when talking about a house. Who else would exactly design a house? A dentist?

edles if they didnt insist on 'perfecting the breed' in the first place, there would be no inherant health problems to improve upon

'perfecting the breed' these days means health testing and breeding for health with the careful use of pedigrees.

you can't show a sick dog.
you can't show a badly behaved dog.

therefore breeding to show should mean breeding for good behaviour and health.