Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Does anyone here own a doodle (or a poodle or a golden retriever? )

118 replies

LovelyMuffins · 24/06/2012 22:09

I am going to see a Goldendoodle litter this week. They sound adorable and I am very excited. I have researched poodles and labradors and retrievers and the breed temperament fits our bill really well. but I don;t actually know anyone who owns one so am searching for information on here and doodle forums. I would love some 'first hand cyber advice!'

OP posts:
EdgarAllenPimms · 27/06/2012 21:00

health testing in all breeds involves hip score and eye cert..

and i think there is benefit in a GSD being a GSD, a lab being a lab, etc etc, so - within limits - people have a clue what they are getting.

Flatbread · 27/06/2012 21:14

Actually, I'll be more blunt and say what I really feel. It is a travesty that we continue to have breeds that are of no purpose whatsoever to most of us.

It is perpetuating eugenics at worst, or snobbishness at best. When you get a dog, you are getting a family member. And it comes with unpredictablity, as with any other living, breathing thing. You might get a tall or a short child. And it will have its own nature. Same with a dog. If you cannot deal with that, don't get a dog.

And is of no benefit whatsoever to the dog, to be of a particular breed, there are only potential downsides, with no upsides. The whole pure-bred thing is for our gratification. If we talk about pure bred humans, we are rightly accused of racism and narrow thinking. No one in their right mind says 'oh how lovely to keep xx ethic group unsullied and pure', so wtf with dogs?

When I see most of these threads on 'what breed should I buy' I cannot help but feel a bit of distaste, it is like discussing what brand handbag to buy, with a list of specifications. It is a fucking living thing, not a designer accessory to fit into your lifestyle.

No offence to you op, this is not directed to you, but at a culture which sees dogs in terms of breed foremost, and as free, living beings as a far second.

LovelyMuffins · 27/06/2012 21:29

Flatbread, no harm in saying what you really feel at all and I am certainly not offended in any way. I have come on this forum for advice and information in order to make an informed and sensible choice for our family and hopefully that is what I will do. If I had said that I wanted a small dog who was reasonably low maintenance, only needed a quick jog around the block, and was happy to spend the days sitting on my lap then I would have expected advice along those lines and would habe been happy if a mutt had been suggested. I am not fixed on pedigrees (as illustrated by my considering a doodle) My main concern after coming on here was that the breeder could not guarantee the long term health ofthe dog. And to be perfectly honest, I would rather ensure the health as much as is possible. I know there are no guarantees in life but it is like staying healthy when you are pregnant. We try our best.

OP posts:
horseylady · 27/06/2012 21:52

Flat bread- decent breeders and anyone who knows what they are looking for in a 'purebred' dog (or horse!) would check the parentage.

I wouldn't touch anything with so called line breeding. It's in breeding, it's illegal in humans and so shouldn't be done! I don't the kennel club (or relevant horse society) should register in bred animals. But I like curly retrievers and I like welsh cobs and tbs :)

More than I'm east midlands, mine are 5 next month and 7 months. Both curly deva. What's yours? Where do you live?

toboldlygo · 27/06/2012 21:55

I disagree entirely. In the modern world a dog absolutely must fit your lifestyle. Any dog of any breed will have its own personality and foibles but at least with generations of selection and knowledge you can pick a dog that is likely to compliment your family and lifestyle.

I would not want to bring a total unknown into my household, nor a dog that couldn't fulfill the purpose that I require it for - I wouldn't get very far picking out a Heinz 57 pup from the rescue centre and expecting it to become a useful sled dog. I've had pretty good success rates when picking out a certain breed.

Likewise the advice for people to avoid working breeds (or at least those who historically worked or had a purpose, very few do now) unless they are actually going to work them, or if they have a young family and are time-poor. Ditto for guarding, herding, sledding... the instincts are still there and are all too often at odds with the requirements of modern households. Then the dog ends up passed from pillar to post and in a rescue or dead in the pound.

I absolutely 100% decry the practice of breeding for form over function, the exaggeration of characteristics to the dog's detriment, the practice of over-using popular sires, the narrowing of gene pools. There are breeds I'd happily see die out in their current form - but now people are finally seeing the light and breeding for health and moderation, even in the grossly deformed breeds (see certain bulldog and neopolitan mastiff breeders making huge progess in turning these dogs around). With the help of these long pedigrees it is possible to pinpoint exactly where things have gone wrong and which matches to make to correct them.

What is needed is more education. People see nothing wrong with buying a pup from the lady down the road whose pet dogs had lovely puppies; they keep buying from puppy farms, they breed their own pet dogs with no awareness of genetics, health testing, working ability and perpetuate the cycle. They are aversive to adopting rescues because of the common belief that they all have behavioural problems or something wrong with them. They believe that crossbreeds are always healthier and that all pedigree dogs are deformed and unhealthy. They believe that certain dogs are vicious, that some are so intelligent that they 'practically train themselves', that the cute puppy will stay cute and biddable forever when they have no time to give them input. Puppy buyers are stupid, rescue centres are or have been too picky (some are changing), a lot of breeders are or have been stupid, a lot of show judges are accountable.

Dogs are in crisis and doodles won't solve the problem.

And breathe...

Hullygully · 27/06/2012 22:06

No one should have dogs for pets full stop.

HoneyDragonWearingLederhosen · 27/06/2012 22:13

I've never thought of my dogs as pets. More like devious, charming free loaders who worked their way into my household and slowly and quietly tricked me into a lifetime of hound servitude.

LovelyMuffins · 27/06/2012 22:41

Hullygully, are you serious?! :-o

OP posts:
lisad123 · 27/06/2012 22:42

My doddle is crazy and hard work. Would you like to borrow him do he can prove this to be true Grin

LovelyMuffins · 27/06/2012 22:47

er, no, you're alright Lisad123! But thanks for the offer :-)

OP posts:
flapperghasted · 28/06/2012 09:18

I am stupid, obviously. I chose a puppy AND it was a cross breed. Ignorance is bliss and I'm quite blissful with my girl. She's innoculated, spayed, well fed, is being trained and she doesn't leave her poo on the streets (well, she would, but we don't allow her to).

I am not adoption averse, but for a first dog, my daughter wanted the experience of a pup and we couldn't find one in Rescue locally. We also had some things that we specifically wanted, low hair loss because of my allergies, small size because of our lack of garden and a laid back temperament because my daughter was afraid of dogs.

We were clearly lucky in getting the dog we did and not some frankenstein type mess. I know the arguments for not buying pups like this. I know that we should have taken a rescue dog, but now we've been through the learning curve of a pup and dd is more confident with the species, we're in a better position to adopt next time. We did the right thing for us.

LovelyMuffins · 28/06/2012 11:05

flapperghasted, you should be publicly flogged! Where did your dog come from? She sounds perfect :-) I too want a puppy because I want my chidren want to see how a dog grows, develops and learns to love them. I am pro rescue but not this time for us.

OP posts:
EdgarAllenPimms · 28/06/2012 19:14

if only truly committed, careful people bred - there wouldn't be enough puppies to fulfill demand.

then people would re-home rescue dogs instead.

right Result.

clam · 28/06/2012 21:21

lovelymuffins you clearly haven't come across hully before. Wink

LovelyMuffins · 28/06/2012 21:24

no. Am I missing something? :-o

OP posts:
Hullygully · 28/06/2012 22:38

I am serious. I started a thread about it once.

LovelyMuffins · 29/06/2012 07:34

oh. Why???

OP posts:
wizzler · 01/07/2012 21:39

Just wanted to say that 6 months ago I was going through the same dilemma as you are... I decided on a poodle... mainly because I could not be sure that a breeder of a x breed was someone with the best interest of the dogs at heart.

I have been delighted with my choice of dog, and would recommend poodles to anyone... he is Toy size, so not big enough to bowl over DD (5) but he does not look like an accessory, he is a proper dog., and he has a wonderful temperament.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page