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'm sceptical. I think you love all rescue dogs.

Exactly and they're all patting each other on the back when actually they have completely different views 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Yep I’m so cruel and unpleasant in caring about rescues.

I do not pretend it is easy, I do not pretend it is for everyone. But heck this is a new low even for MN that you’re seen as the bad guy for raising worries about the state of the rescue situation currently.

I will repeat for the 4th or 5th time….I LIKE DOODLE CROSSES!!!! Believe it or not I actually like doodle cross owners.

What I am worried about is how their popularity has sparked a rise in puppy farming. At NO. point did I say there are not people who are getting doodles from good breeders so calm down!!!!

I am not patting myself on the back. Dogs are constantly being PTS every week because rescues and pounds are bursting at the seems. It just makes me sad.

Right I’m off to put my ‘I’m an amazing dog owner for rescuing’ badge on to do some housework.

But you have repeatedly said that owners are lying where they get their dogs from?

And you've accused me of being angry when I haven't shown any anger at all and you seem to be getting increasingly wound up in every post.

I've already said I admire people who rescue. I meet a lot on my dog walks and mostly they're lovely dogs. Some are incredibly nervous though, which is to be expected. I do think rescues are better off with experienced dog owners and not people with young children. Surely you'd agree with this at least?

@CellophaneFlower <looks at carpet that is not hoovering itself>

Sigh no I don’t because we got our first rescue boy when my youngest was 3. He was genuinely the most gentle and tolerant dog I’ve ever met.

Do I think getting the right match via rescue is easy? No. It took us months and months to find him.

OK so if I concede that rescuing is not for everyone. Do you agree that the rise in popularity of poodle crosses has led to a rise in puppy farming?

But I do agree LOTS of rescues have serious issues and need confident and experienced owners.

I have already answered this when you asked earlier. Yes, because ANY popular dog is going to do the same. So if you eradicated all "designer" cross breeds, the farms would be full of whatever purebreeds are popular. People wouldn't just decide not to get puppies as designer breeds are no longer available.

Just to add I don’t blame owners for the rise of puppy farms I blame the cruel people who run them.

But as said above I get annoyed at the nativity around it. I genuinely don’t mean this a rude or patronising or negative towards you or anyone else. It’s just I do think people don’t like to ‘go there’.

You sound like a responsible dog owner and I’m going to guess that your pooch is thoroughly spoilt and probably verrry cute too!

Hmmmm I think there was something unique about the rise of doodles. I think people who never considered getting a dog beforehand saw something in them that made dog ownership more attractive. The combination of them looking so adorable, not malting and the traits of certain breeds such as Labradors and retrievers.

I’ve said nothing about overnight… I’m not talking about someone sticking a stud poodle on their Labrador bitch for come cash.

The Australian Labradoodle breed originated in the 1980s as a cross between a purebred Labrador Retriever and a purebred Poodle. The breed was developed by Wally Conron of the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia to be an allergy-friendly guide dog.

Everything on the breed registry has at least seven generations and has a breed standard that people breed towards. There are non pedigree of every breed, but I imagine 40 years is enough to define a breed and get consistency.

Garrrrr quotes the wrong post!!!

I honestly wouldn't bother engaging with that person you're responding to - although it's amusing to see them attempting to justify the breeding of mutts, they clearly don't care at all about dog welfare, and you'd be better off talking to a brick wall.

She seems a bit unwell, if I'm honest. No idea where my rescue dog not being "real" has come from, but whatever floats her boat 😂

I agree. I have two adopted children - they are adults now - and they were abused and neglected as babies and havexa lot of ongoing issues. One has epilepsy. I need a pup I can introduce to our lives aged 8 weeks, where they learn what life is like here from the off and so aren't too startled by it. My first dog was 4 when we adopted him and it was hard for him to have all this trauma land in his home. I have a particular breed - bernese - for good reasons. They are big, calm dogs. I couldn't have a terrier type for example. But still people tell me to take rescue dogs...

We had insurance for both our dogs. One got lymes disease and it cost a fortune. We spent £4k in the last 2 weeks of the policy, then the max of £12k in the following year's policy. We got the renewal through - £330 per month, plus a huge excess and we would pay 20% of the fees. Oh, and they tried to not even offer us new cover because they trawled through his records and said he was aggressive, simply because he had been anxious as a pup about vets visits and the vet gave him tramazapone to calm him down (he only ever cried, he didn't bite anyone or anything like that and our vet wrote them a strong letter so they relented). So he is no longer insured.

@WalkingonWheels yes i feel I’ve just lost two hours of my life I won’t get back 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I do get where you're coming from and I did post earlier about my annoyance at the naivety of a LOT of dog owners. I realise not everybody is as thorough as me when it comes to research but it's just in my nature to make sure I'm fully informed about everything. Honestly I can't even buy a toaster without checking reviews for a week prior 🙈 People that do zero research about something as important as a dog are infuriating though. But equally people that rescue and don't think it through are annoying too. There can be nothing worse than a dog being rehomed and then ending up back in a shelter again as the owners weren't fully prepared. I do get that some shelters are better than others though and I'm guessing that's why they are so particular with who they rehome to and then you get people moaning they're not eligible to rescue!

We will never rid the world of these awful puppy farmers. Whilst there is money to be made, they'll be there with their grubby little hands rubbing together. Also, there are varying degrees of puppy farms, so some people might not actually be aware they've bought from one. I looked into a litter where it was obvious the breeder cared for all her pups. They weren't mistreated or anything like that and from the outside looking in she was very respectable. However through my detective work (🙄) I could tell she over breeds her bitches, they all had very small litters (often a sign of over breeding/poor health). She had a few litters going at a time. She lied to me and told me it was 1 bitches last litter as she's 6... then clearly bred her again. Many people would have bought from her and not had a clue 😡

Nobody could deny that this is a beautiful dog. She is stunning 😍

Awww thank you! I know I'm biased but she does get a lot of attention when we're out. I've honestly never had any negativity, bar one lady who asked what she is, then scoffed "oh, not a breed then", but even she loves her now 😂

Although she doesn't look like that anymore, not with her dodgy Tina turner fringe 😳

@CellophaneFlower at the beginning of my dog ownership journey I had a very similar experience (and lost money as a result). I realise now that this was a puppy from a puppy farm.

The breed??? A poodle!!!! But my goodness she was adorable, an apricot miniature.

Does anyone remember Lorton cockapoos? They were a licenced breeder in Lancashire and in 2020 there was a burglary and lots of dogs and puppies were stolen - more than 20, and one was knocked over and killed.

This was where my brother had got both his dogs from. They are both really difficult dogs - one in particular.

Anyway, he seemed to think he was going to some exceptional breeder of cockapoos, when actually it looks like they were just breeding like farms.

I see the company was wound up. I don't think they operate now. And I don't know if any of the dogs were ever found.

I'm not surprised she gets attention, she's like those big shaggy storybook dogs we all dream of as a kid. I love her.

I'm now trying to picture a Highland Cow (your words) with a Tina Turner style fringe... 😂😆😂

How did you lose money? Did you put a deposit down then not take the dog? Or did they totally con you?

I'm too embarrassed to take a pic 😂 It's actually fine when I push it back and it sits nicely, but she has a habit of pushing it back down, like a shy little girl hiding under her hair 🤷‍♀️

I try to look at other doodles and see how they've been cut round the eyes, but they're either short all over or longer and it all blends nicely round the brow. Her head hair just seems to grow forward and if I don't cut it she's blind but when I do it looks really harsh and odd!