To not understand the obsession with ‘doodle’ breeds

[CherryValley5]

Eg: labradoodles, cockapoos etc.

They are absolutely everywhere! Why are people actively seeking out and paying pedigree prices for dogs that are effectively mongrels? Behavioural problems are all too common, not to mention hereditary health issues due to poor and unethical breeding - I am a dog owner and the vast majority of doodles, ‘poo’ breeds etc that I meet are incredibly hyperactive, with owners who have no clue how to deal with them. Obviously there are exceptions, some are lovely but as a rule of thumb they’re dogs that I tend to cross the street to get mine away from.

The breeder who created the labradoodle calls it his ‘life’s regret’ - that speaks volumes in my opinion!

I really love spaniels. I had a CKC growing up and knew 2 springers who were absolutely lovely dogs. Actually their owner had 2, grandmother and granddaughter, but also kept pigeons. He rehomed the granddaughter as strangely enough she kept killing his birds 🙄

I assumed all spaniels were pretty easy dogs until I researched them. I wouldn't get a CKC due to their health issues and in springers apparently there are some lines that contain a lot of dominance. Cockers are obviously prone to resource guarding. I have youngish children, am a first time (adult) dog owner and I know my limits regarding intense training. I can absolutely see why so many think spaniels are just cute lap dogs... but they're far from an easy option!

I do really love springers though, sigh. Maybe one day!

@CellophaneFlower youve misunderstood my post, I was actually saying that in my view lurchers are far superior 🤣🤣🤣 it was a joke because lurchers were the original mongrel (been around for 100’s years).

OK so your dog is not from a puppy farm but do you deny that the explosion in popularity has led to a roaring puppy farm market with poodle crosses? If you deny it your only lying to yourself

@CellophaneFlower oh and if it is not clear I have lurchers 🤣 (plenty of those in rescues sadly and I will never buy a dog from a breeder).

But you can't have 'multiple generations' of labradoodles. A Labradoodle is a cross of a lab and a poodle.

Of course you can. Funnily enough they're known as multi generational. 7 generations of the PP's dog have been labradoodles.

When there's a boom in any dog breed/cross there'll be an increase in unscrupulous breeders. There will always be dogs that become popular. I'm not going to say doodles are a fad as they've stuck for a long time now and I think they're here to stay.

You're never going to stop these farms unless people stop buying from them, so I think it's important to educate potential owners rather than belittle them, make out they are of low intelligence and imply purebreeds are far superior.

Well said!

It's exactly as we discussed here earlier; people need to do more research before buying a puppy and only then would we ever stand a chance of eradicating puppy farmers and backyard breeders.

Sadly it will never happen because there will always be people who buy a puppy on a whim, without fully thinking it through, and it is all too easy for unscrupulous breeders to cash in on this.

The problem is not exclusive to doodles - the Cockerpoo was just unfortunate to become the dog of the moment during covid, when people were at home more, but before that there were a lot of badly bred Frenchies and pugs.

@CellophaneFlower oh my goodness are you deliberately misunderstanding me??? I’m literally saying the opposite of ‘belittling’ people who don’t have pure breeds. I’m saying lurchers have been around far longer than poodle crosses and are fabulous dogs. (Just in case you don’t know lurcher is a ‘breed’ that is any dog crossed with a sighthound).

Well currently all the rescues across the country are literally bursting at the seems as a result of the lockdown dog purchase craze and COLC. But no doubt all the doodle cross owners will come along with reasons why they possibly not get a rescue!!!!

Again I think your response is naive about the impact of the poodle cross has had on puppy farm growth. I actually don’t have anything against them (I love anll dogs!) and as I have repeatedly said actually love cross breeds. I can tell you now that poodle cross owners look down their noses at lurchers if it goes anyway.

@AubrieDog of yes I agree the poor dogs that can’t breath break my heart!!!

I'm not deliberately misunderstanding you at all. This whole thread has contained posts berating stupid owners that have doodles and stating there are NO reputable breeders. That is who I was referring to. I quoted you as I was responding to your question regarding puppy farms, which led on to my next comment.

I'm not sure why you take everything I say so personally 🤷‍♀️

Just to add, I've already clarified earlier why I wouldn't get a rescue, but I'll say it again. I have young children. I'm not bringing a dog whose background I'm not aware of into my home. I wouldn't know if it was health tested either and I'm not willing to take on a dog that hasn't been. Absolutely nothing to do with wanting a cute new puppy. Puppies are bloody hard work!

I don't think they are to snobby to accept new breeds.

It's more like that there needs to be a dedicated group of breeders to keep records, develop a standard, demonstrate consistency and lobby for the breed to be added. And that's missing for most doodles.
I also think that a dog breed that has a name made up of 2 recognised breeds, would be unpopular with breeders of these 2 seperate breeds.

Take the JRT, that hads recently been added as a breed in 2016... the White Swiss Shetland (a dog of my Childhood) has been added this year.

As for naming a breed, when they added the Parsons Russell Terrier in 1990, the 'Russell' was dropped and they are known as Parsons Terrier. This was to distinguish them from their cousins the Jack Russell Terrier.

I'm with you on this, I wouldn't take on a rescue either. In my case because I have elderly cats so I need a dog with low prey drive and I have very bad anxiety so I prefer a calm dog not a high energy breed. And yes, health testing and knowing the bloodlines is important to me too so I will not risk a rescue because I need to know exactly what I am getting and I make no apology for that.

Some people just can't comprehend this though. Adopt Don't Shop thinking has lost me a friend and most of my family this year because I dared to go against their opinions and buy a pedigree puppy from a breeder. The irony is that none of these people who are now shunning me have ever even had a dog, let alone a rescue one 🙄

Do you mean the white swiss shepherd? If so, I think they've been recognised by the KC for quite a few years now. Absolutely stunning dogs but once again, I know my limits, so shall just have to admire them from afar 😩😍

It is ridiculous that responsible dog owners get bashed for often other people's stupidity/ignorance in this way. It's not our job to mop up the mess of others poor decisions.

I also wonder how insurance works when you get a rescue? Does it start with a blank slate as you don't know a dog's medical history? No wonder it's so expensive for everybody if so. I do think people who can prove parental health of their dogs should get cheaper insurance. It might push potential owners to be more selective in their breeders. I guess the insurance companies don't care though as they have us all over a barrel and just sting the lot of us 🙄

That's an interesting question actually regarding insurance. I don't know. It wouldn't be fair to start with a blank slate; the dog could turn out to have epilepsy or diabetes or HCM which the rest of us would have to declare to the insurance company should our dog be diagnosed.... Hmmmm. Interesting.

I required hospital treatment after being injured by a crazy labradoodle in a patients home. Just jumped up and it's claw tore my neck. Not a malicious thing but also not an ideal dog for a frail 90year old.

We have an ancient (16) little rescue dog. When he passes we won't be getting another dog as the costs are just ridiculous now, both in financial terms and in sustainability terms. All that meat and all those dog poo bags. Our local country park stinks of dog wee from the moment you arrive in the car park. There is a particular interactive statue at the entrance which the little kids touch but all the dogs also wee on. All a bit grim really.

Our friend works in insurance and advised us against pet insurance. We just pay as we go and over 16 years that decision has paid off for us.

I personally think doodle breeds have weird human faces and look creepy! I'm sorry, I just do not see the "teddy bear" look... They look like a man in a zip up dog suit to me!

So you post an example that has been clipped very badly to emphasise the point. @Ifancyabiscuit

That's the thing isn't it.. most of the time you pay as you go anyway, even with insurance as nobody wants to claim and risk their premiums raising even more!

It annoys me do much as I'm guessing pet insurance is very unlike other insurance, in that there can't really be many fraudulent claims, yet many companies find the tiniest thing to refuse a payout. One company I looked at said they class pre existing conditions as things you may not have even been to the vets about/been aware of. So basically anything you try to claim for they can try to argue that it was already apparent in your dog but you just hadn't noticed! They also often link conditions that even when a vet states they're not related they won't accept and therefore won't pay out

I have insurance but only because the thought of a huge bill worries me. My premium has remained the same for the coming year (1 year old dog just up for renewal) but once it starts to shoot up I'll definitely consider cancelling. I'm lucky enough that I could foot larger bills though.

Yeah that's not like any doodle I've ever seen 😂 It does largely depend on the cut, but doodles do differ massively in coat type anyway. Some take more after the non poodle breed and you wouldn't even know they're a doodle. Of the ones that have a more typical coat, some can be tight curls, others wavy and shaggy. I've never seen one that looks human before though 😂

I visited my local rescue. It has no doodle crosses. I asked and they have a waiting list should they come up! They do have ex racing greyhounds, random dogs unsuitable for children, a collie cross and 2 large mixed dogs, too big for most homes 🤔

That's because all the doodles are in @WalkingonWheels shelter apparently 😂

I just think they're not the prettiest dog! Their eyes are just a bit uncanny to me, but that's just my opinion 🤷‍♀️ if you like them, that's cool!