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!

Quite! 😂🤷‍♀️

I have a Cavapoo and he genuinely has been the most perfect dog from the day he came home - he doesn’t shed at all (well I never ever find his hair anywhere) and even as a puppy, he has never had an accident in the house, ripped anything up, etc. Plus he is the most loving dog - literally a baby in a dog form - he just loves being cuddled all the time. He really is the best dog ever.

I’ve never met a labradoodle that wasn’t a nutcase. I say this as a dog lover. Labs and poodles are great breeds but labradoodles seem to combine the worst traits of both of them.

I’ll drink to that!

I see lots of Cockerpoos, mostly female and most are poorly trained, hyperactive, reactive and the owners are fed up and would like to get rid of them but feel guilty or have children that are attached to the dog.

They’re often so bonkers and not in a lovely way. They’re classic lockdown dogs with owners that don’t know anything about having a dog and haven’t trained them properly. I don’t like them at all and we avoid them in the park.

I don't mind them but I did take great pleasure in annoying my arsehole neighbour by saying "oh, I used to have a mongrel years ago with the same parentage" when he was trying to introduce me to his latest doodle mangy-fleabag*

*not really a mangy-fleabag but it's hard not to dislike the dog by association when it's left barking and howling all day and it's owner is a neighbour from hell.

I do occasionally chat to the furry beast via the partially broken fence and tell him what a cute wee mongrel he is 🙃

Oh people people!

OP has a PEDIGREE dog. That means she is better than all you non-pedigree dog owners.

Please can you defer to her and accept that your mongrel dogs are INFERIOR to her dog.

Also can you accept that she's fucking bonkers.

Pedigree, only because she is technically 20yo DD’s dog and in her words only a ‘perfect pedigree’ golden retriever would do.. I, on the other hand wanted to rescue one from a puppy farm but keep on making assumptions if that makes you happy. If you had RTFT you’d know that I’m no stranger to owning mongrels, nor do I have an issue with them. You’ve also managed to completely miss the entire point of said thread - congratulations.

Threads like this suggest there is a perception of them as being a bit passe, but it doesn't seem to put people off as they are more ubiquitous than ever where I am ('nice' part of SE London). Wide range of owners. Some days I would estimate every third dog I see while walking mine is a poo! Contrary to the stereotype I don't come across many that seem out of control, I find they mostly tend to keep to themselves and don't bother my big dog (unlike the little lapdog types that often lunge and bark at him). Obviously I don't know how the poos behave at home! I don't personally find them particularly cute but that's just different strokes for different folks, I know lots of people don't prefer the look of my breed either (greyhound)

If you want a none shedding, beautiful, loving, easy to train, intelligent dog get a poodle. There is no need to seek out a cross to get what you want.

I have a cockapoo and I have to say I agree with you.

While I love her and I’d never give her up, she’s not an easy dog and I’d never get another one. I regret not getting a Labrador. The hyperactivity is just about manageable but the reactiveness is something else! I dread seeing another dog while walking her. She barks and pulls and desperately tries to get to the other dog. Same for cats and birds/squirrels. If another dog so much as walks past the house she’s running up and down the stairs barking and pawing at the door. She’s like something possessed! Truthfully I don’t know how to manage this behaviour. I’ve tried distraction which was recommended by a behaviourist and it’s not worked! Nothing does!

👏

I think it’s basically sheep mentality. Everyone has one so everyone else gets one. Combined with the new Instagram home trend which means people cant possibly have a hair out of place in the home and they believe wrongly that poodle crosses don’t shed. Most of the poodle cross owners I deal with are not dog people, most are inexperienced and time poor.

There are so many lovely breeds that cost less than a cockerpoo and are healthier so it’s not financial.

In a few years a new fad will come about and they will start to reduce in numbers.

Personally as someone who works with dogs I would say 90% are awful temperaments which is the reason I wouldn’t touch one. Lots of resource guarding, separation anxiety, nervous weak temperaments.

They also have lots of health issues, just like other types, they aren’t exempt from poodle or cocker diseases. Our behaviour waiting list is full of them.

I haven't rtft but the people I know who bought these breeds did so because they don't moult, have a friendly nature and look cute.

They don't care about pedigree breeds as many of those have hereditary health issues, moult, need expensive or time-consuming upkeep, are more expensive to insure etc

I am thinking about the pedigree breeds in my circle of friends - golden retriever that drops fur everywhere, dachshund that is angry and yappy, spaniel that needs huge daily walks, terrier that chases traffic and barks at everything, another breed that I can't remember but it's wrinkly and she has to clean under all the wrinkles every day.

Seems all the haters are choosing to ignore this question too! 🤦‍♀️😆

For me it's the fact they seem to be the most recent fad. It was pugs and frenchies a few years ago.
Can a breeder be reputable when it's impossible to know which characteristics of each breed you'll end up with? They might be hypoallergenic (DS is allergic to DN's poo) and you might get one that sheds massively.
I can't understand paying more from a cross than each of the pedigree parents. Also because they're not KC registered, I know two families who thought they were buying specific poos and as the grew older it became very obvious the paternal lineage was inaccurate. It can be difficult to tell in an eight week old.
I own a rescue Pedigree (the clue is in my username) and one who's a spaniel/terrier/poodle mix. He's obviously not pedigree but I constantly get asked what breed he is. I've had several people get offended when I call him a mutt.

Surely many pedigrees started out as designer crossbreeds, historically bred to combine wanted characteristics - trainability, retrieval etc

And I don't think fashion is anything new either. In the 60s it was Dalmatians.

I find people who are snobby about dog choices are really weird tbh.

All breeds were what "mongrel crosses" wayyyy back in history at some point before a standard eventually emerged.

But it gets me thinking - was it a single genetic mutation in a wolf millions of years ago that started it all off? Amazing

One of our dogs is a 15 year old large labradoodle (f1) and not one word of your OP apply to her. Never paid a fortune for her, she’s never been hyperactive, no health issues, always been well behaved and has probably barked a couple of times in her life. Two family members have or have had doodle breeds (an f1 and an f2) and none of your complaints apply to those either. If we were ever to get another dog a labradoodle would be high on the list of breeds I’d consider.

All 'breeds' are arbitrary & made up by humans.

They are all canines & dogs. There is nothing 'pure' or 'superior' about specific breeds

All pure breeds were cross breeds at some point until there became enough of them to become a breed in their own right. If their popularity continues to increase a labradoodle could become a recognized breed in its own right.

Cross breeds are usually healthier as there is greater genetic diversity and less in breeding. Problems occur with pure breeds when they are repeatedly selectively bred for a narrow range of characteristics.

I'm a (not even glorified) mongrel owner & proud!

Yes they are everywhere and they are very popular.
I think they are an attractive choice because they don't shed fur and are usually sweet as family pets.
Looks wise, I don't personally find them attractive at all, but as puppies they look incredibly adorable.
Based on my personal experience:
They are complete nutcases apart from labradoodles.
The most bonkers of all are goldendoodles.
Very, very irritating bark sounds, apart from labradoodles.
They are harmless.
Someone really needs to sort out the haircut style and standardise it because, at present, the majority look absolutely ridiculous.
Someone needs to work on selecting the saner varieties during breeding and decide what is their purpose. At present, these dogs have no direction. What do they need? What does the owner need to give a dog like this so that the dog feels full-filled?
Nobody knows. No wonder they can be annoying because they're trying to do something but there's nothing for them to do. Not the dogs' fault. They must be in a constant state of frustration a lot of these dogs.
Hopefully within 20 years they'll either refine the mental instability with more selective breeding or they'll all disappear.

Wow what a thread. I don’t like those dogs either but some people do and that’s why they get them and they presumably don’t care that they are not a pedigree. End of story! Why do you care so much OP?

Exactly.

A cross bred dog has a mix of genetics from 2 pure bred dogs so likely to be healthier. Many problems occur in pyre bred pedigrees overbred with each other. Go look it up @CherryValley5 .

Dogs whether pedigree or a cross bred particularly selected for attributes can be with poor owners. It's sound like a typical I've a pure bred dog owner comment 😂

Exactly. Very odd.