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!

A mongrel is a factual term for mixed breeds - exactly what doodles etc are, it is quite strange that you think of it as an offensive remark when it is simply the truth. Absolutely nothing wrong with a mongrel, I’ve owned plenty, however they should not be treated in the same way as a pedigree. It is not ethical or responsible.

You could get a Tweed Water Spaniel instead after all that's how the Golden Retriever was founded!

It's so strange - like they expect us to have to spend the day in bed, curled in to the fetal position because they called our dog a mongrel.

I really could not care less.

People who are part of the reputable dog world are very angry about doodles, yes. There are SO many reasons as to why. If you don't think that getting angry because dogs are suffering is a good thing, perhaps you shouldn't have a dog.

“Backyard breeding is the irresponsible breeding of animals in inadequate conditions with insufficient care, often by people with little experience or knowledge. “

A breeder who is respected , hugely knowledgable and experienced with superb conditions and who demonstrates a huge amount of care is not a backyard breeder.

This. It's just snobbery - you see it a lot amongst certain sorts of people (normally the ones who also value 'lineage' in people).

We have one. I totally agree on the slightly hyper element. Despite many hours of training, she still has a tendency to jump up and pull towards people. We have actually worked really hard and spent lots of training, but continue to struggle because so many people invite her to 'cuddle them', and refuse to listen when we ask them to only fuss her once she is sat.

She doesn't however have the 'needy' characteristic, and is beautifully behaved at home, when not near people etc. We can leave her easily and she is generally very straightforward and adaptable.

She is also the product of two fully vetted parents, and we were provided with full vet reports for both. She was vet checked before leaving the breeder, and our vet considers labradoodles a very healthy breed who, is bred from healthy parents, tend to have very few 'breed related' health conditions.

There is an awful lot of snobbery in the dog world.

They don’t even look like dogs anymore, just extra furry rats

Are you as het up about Frenchies? Pugs? King Charles cavaliers? Shar-pei? Will you be making posts about them too?

What about the other cross breeds out there? They also could be prone to all the things you have said about poodle mixes.
Is that post coming soon?

All of this! Two working, high energy, high intellect breeds in a small floofy package. Absolute disaster.

😂

We researched, got loads of advice and waited a long time and made sure we were in a position to give our dog a lovely life.She is our first dog so rescue was not going to be an option. We have a lovely, happy, healthy, well socialised dog who is part of the family .Think I’ll sleep ok.

They’re wonderful too but we’re Irish so would really love to have a native breed, we’ve also had an Irish Setter in the past so there’s a common theme! IWS are endangered so it would be lovely to contribute to keeping the breed alive. Our neighbours have one and she is just gorgeous

This is such a weird comment. What do you mean about treating them the same ? Also, anyone who wanted a 'pure bred' dog wouldn't get a cross breed, so why do you think telling them it's a cross breed or mongral or whatever is an unwelcome surprise? The point is that they don't care about that!

Clearly you didn't research, and people you sought advice from were having you on. There is one reason people breed mongrels and give them silly names. To make money. That's it. That's the reason.

Does your dog have endorsements then? I'd be interested to see your breeder contract. Hip and eye scores of the dam and sire?

A mongrel is generally a term used where there are multiple breeds in the dog’s genetic make up or where parents’ breeds are unknown. Same goes for Mutt or what used to be called Heinz 57. Poodle crosses are generally a cross of 2 purebreeds, in the same way a Sprocker, Sprollie, Springadoor, Jug etc are crossbreeds.
Out of interest, why is it unethical to treat the dogs the same? As I said, current day purebreds were all crossbreeds if you go back far enough so who decides and when a dog that is a cross of 2 others becomes a new breed? And seeing how many modern day purebreds suffer serious health conditions thanks to the so called ethics of pedigree breeders I don’t think they are in any position to hold the moral high ground.

Yup got it all.

Nope. A mongrel is a mix of more than one breed. Any cross between two breeds is a mongrel.

Dog breeding as a whole is a shit show and that includes pedigrees, which in some cases have been bred to be deformed.

I really feel your pain re: struggling with training because of strangers wanting a cuddle etc, our golden retriever pup is 18 months and it continues to be a big problem for us!

All dog breeds are descended from "mixes." The only thing that makes them a breed in the modern sense is human beings artificially keeping closed stud books. A mongrel is a mix where you don't really know the parentage, so hardly the same.

People are more often looking at mixes now because there are so many problems with purebred breeds, caused by inappropriate breeding as well as the fact that they are a genetic dead end. All kinds of serious health and behaviour problems are found in many purebred breeds.

If doodle dogs have issues it's because of the characteristics they inherit from their parents. Hyperactive poodles are hardly rare. Nor are labs with hip and skin problems. And people buy purebred dogs they can't take care of constantly, what makes you think that has anything to do with them being a mix.

Lots of working type dogs can be mixes, sled dogs for example are usually mixes. Even border collies didn't used to have closed stud books before they became kennel club breeds which was quite recent. Because the important thing was the job, not restricting the genetic line artificially.

You seem really over invested in someone else’s dog.

@WalkingonWheels How do you think pure bred dogs became to be?

Actually, some pedigree breeds are in the state they are in because people like the ones commenting on this thread know nothing about dogs, do not research the breed they want, do not know anything about genetics or health testing, have no idea about what to look for in a reputable breeder, and are not willing to wait for a puppy. They then look on websites like Pets4Homes and buy a farmed puppy from there.

It is easy for BYBs to breed pedigree puppies. Inbreed, fuck up conformation, cause massive issues in breeds. The people who are to blame are the ones who continue to buy them.

Reputable breeders work to breed OUT faults. They spend huge amounts of money health testing, DNA testing, losing money on litters, showing, importing dogs to improve the breed, etc.

The majority of people who get a puppy couldn't give a shit about ethical breeding, as this thread shows. They are the people to be angry with.

I quite agree , much prefer a cockatoo 😊