When say, 'I'd like a toy poodle,' why do people feel compelled to respond with...

[GeorgianMumto5]

'Why don't you get a labradoodle?'

I'm reduced to, 'Because I want a toy poodle,' having lost the will to list the reasons.

Am I missing something? Are labradoodles infinitely superior? They're bigger and hairier than toy poodles. Also, they are not toy poodles.

The Pavlovian response (how apt!) has been puzzling me, that's all.

To be fair, I never said that my other two dogs are any 'lesser' than my lab x poodle. I said that he is cheaper to insure and was significantly easier to train, but I absolutely love ALL of my dogs equally, and I think that your sympathies for my cairn and greyhound are very much unnecessary thank you. The reason I am talking so much about my lab x poodle is because that is what is being discussed.

I love my cairn to death, but he is a rescue pedigree with papers who has a heart murmur and a hip problem- and he is only 5. Obviously this makes no difference to me other than making me feel sad that he has these problems, but just goes to show that just like the cross breeds, pedigrees with papers are also not always bred as they should be. Had I purchased him as a puppy from the breeder, he'd probably have cost me £500, similar to some labradoodle prices, yet the healthier of the two dogs is the my crossbreed. As I have said, I love my cairn AS MUCH as my cross, but it is sad that he ended up in a rescue centre because of his health problems which his previous owner was not willing to take on. So rescue centres aren't just picking up the pieces from badly bred mongrels, it is also badly bred pedigrees.

That's the point really though , there are so many dogs being bred why breed X's Good breeders of pedigrees are not breeding for the money ,people who breed the X breeds are as they are not trying to better the breed etc .

Yes, I have just as much of a downer on KC registered breeders who couldn't give a shite about genetic health issues as I do puppy farmers and back yard breeders. I'm not picking on you and you're certainly not one of the people who just have a pet because it's the latest fashion accessory and who really rile me (as you can probably tell). But there was a thread a while back by a stupid woman who had got a labradoodle and was bitching about the dog destroying her house. Of course it was a teenager who was never walked and left alone all day and you could tell she only got it because of the cute name. I'm afraid that whenever someone mentions any x breed name like this I remember that thread and think .

I would love a cairn, it is what I looked for when we decided to get a dog for DD. £500 is right, I went to see a breeder who also rescues, and that is what the dogs were selling for, the bitches were £550. There were people coming to see the pups from 100's of miles away and I realised then that getting a youngish rescue cairn would be next to impossible. In the end we got an odd looking mongrel from Hope Rescue - probably staffie x border but who knows - who is an excellent dog and perfect for DD.

When we were looking at dogs, we looked into the doodle crosses (because everyone said have you looked at a labradoodle etc eyc), and decided not to go near them because you didn't know what you were getting. So while mrs wolowitz, it is fantastic that you have a dog that suits you - and obviously has the spaniel trait you are after, you can't predict that... And that is what so many people don't seem to realize.
We went for a pedigree (and did a huge amount of research into breeders) because we wanted the predictability of temperament.... And that is as far as I am concerned what you pay for.....
Which you don't have with the designer crosses, but which people think they are getting.

Oops - I seem to have sparked an argument about x-breeds and pedigrees. Enjoying the discussion, though. My parents had a gorgeous x-breed rescue dog. I'd have one too, if allergies weren't an issue for me. I've nothing against labradoodles - just fed up of being asked if I want a hulking great dog with a greater chance of shedding (and even low-shed means not necessarily an allergy risk - I know that), when what I want is a dinky little dog who probably won't make my eyes itch and my throat feel tight. I also want a toy poodle because I need to walk every day, but I can't go far. Seems a tp would be happy with that arrangement. Also, when I see them I think how gorgeous they are. The more I think about it, the more I think this is the breed for me.

Ooh - someone recommended Poodles in Need! I've been skulking about on their web site hoping that when we're ready, I can have one of their dogs. I absolutely want a rescue poodle. I've thought really carefully about this and 'rescue' and 'toy poodle' are my top requirements. Don't mind dog or bitch, don't mind pup or older, don't mind colour (have slight preference for black or silver, but don't really mind). All I want is for Poodles in Need and us to all be as sure as we can be that this is the dog for us and we are the humans for that dog.

Of course I will first have to register with them and see if we're suited.

Go for it. Rescues are crying out for people like you to take dogs on. But a word of warning, registering with the rescue is as good as getting the dog - its happened to me twice. Just having a look and just asking a few questions very quickly translated into just going to see a dog. And that of course meant just coming home with a dog...