Will all breeds eventually form a poodle puddle?

[ClaireBlunderwood]

Following on from another debate about why get a Labradoodle as opposed to a pure breed...

Does anyone else worry that all dog breeds are heading for oblivion and we'll be left with a cute but homogenized poodly uber dog? I've just got a (pure breed) puppy but at least half of the recent puppy acquirers I know have got a hybrid, usually with poodle elements.

Does it matter? I don't know. I worry that I sound like someone who's not in favour of interracial marriage for fear of redheads dying out or something, but I do think it would be a shame to lose all the unique and varied breeds. Dogs are so amazingly different from one another.

buyers still want things like pedigrees and some basic health checks because even those without much of a clue realise pedigrees should have those

I think you're being wildly optimistic if you think that most buyers even give this a second's thought. Of course, I don't know what thought processes they've gone through before posting, but a lot of the people I see on FB groups who are looking for dogs/cats, don't seem to think beyond " I want a dog/puppy, cat/kitten and I want it now".

I hope this is the minority and that most people have thought about breed/exercise/vet's bills/food/holidays/work etc but I somehow doubt it.

I also have very mixed feelings about rescues taking in ex-breeders. I know they don't name and shame the breeders because then the dogs may be killed rather than given up, but I always think of the next "job lot" of puppies who are kept to be the next generation of breeders, when the older, worn out ones are given up. Just perpetuates a never-ending cycle.

"but a lot of the people I see on FB groups who are looking for dogs/cats, don't seem to think beyond " I want a dog/puppy, cat/kitten and I want it now"."

Yes, that happens a fair bit no matter what...but I mean when it's a breed that's suddenly really popular, even those people are a bit interested that it's actually a pedigree before they part with money, because that's what breeders start to use as a selling point.

So it's not quite as bad as it is with crosses, if you see what I mean?

Not that the breeders jumping on it to make their quick buck are any better, but if they're registering the litters it at least slows down overbreeding bitches a bit.

Yes, I see what you mean. But breeders have registered and unregistered litters, don't they, so the poor dogs are being overbred anyway

I agree, I think the poodle mix are encouraging bad/irresponsible breeding. I've a pedigree I'm thinking of breeding from but I've been back talking to her breeder (very experienced) and will get her eyes checked etc before I decide to. The male will be carefully considered based on blood line etc.

I know someone (first time owner of a fashionable cross breed) her dog is on its third litter. This time The male was a second choice that the sire owner also had available on that day as the first choice wasn't interested in the bitch, The first choice btw was chosen because he was nice looking. Neither had any medical checks because... This isn't any issue for cross breeds apparently. She was going to breed this time from the bitch she kept from one of the previous litters, it has really bad overbite and was going to do so because it was cute... But eventually decided this wasn't the way she wanted to go.

It is education there is a huge difference between someone who has been in a breed for years, shown for years, is a well respected champion show judge, keeps all their dogs in the house, has all health checks done, 1 litter every 2-3 years to gain a replacement, carefully chooses the sire, has herpes vaccination into addition to regular vaccs, pups are born and raised in house and go to new homes microchipped, vaccinated and health check. Compared with someone who has multiple breeds, never attended a show, is very reluctant to give real info before pup is collected and they are born and raised in a stable.

I think crossbreed do suffer from being 'popular' or cute or having a cute name.

I know someone who wants a sprocker because of the name. They don't know anything about the breed at all. Or the fact that sprockers has been bred for years as working dogs and lots of sprockers have come from a couple of generations of sprockers.

Not just a springer and a cocker mix.

Yes, I see what you mean. But breeders have registered and unregistered litters, don't they, so the poor dogs are being overbred anyway

yes they do. Unfortunately there are many vets that collude with big puppy farms that help too.

I think this poodle x fashion is pure poodle snobbery.

People want all the poodle traits like coat, but think poodles are ridiculous dogs, usually basing it on their extensive poodle knowledge of seeing show poodles with daft haircuts.

Especially blokes, as they're seen as not very masculine.

If people just got a fucking poodle they'd get the non shedding, hypoallergenic coat every time.

My mum has a standard poodle and he is amazing. My mum is always asked if he is a labradoodle or something :/ she always says no he's a pedigree not a crossbreed ;) they aren't my favourite looking dog but I think they look better than the crosses which I think look scruffy most of the time.
Plus I know someone who wanted a hypoallergenic one and ended up with something that is the spitting image of a spaniel, fur and all!

I have often wondered that, if you want the plus points of a poodle...buy a poodle.

I think that as well to be fair, and if you prefer them scruffy, leave your poodle scruffy...

If we looking were looking for another dog (we are not) a poodle cross would be a possibility, on the starting point that they tend to be clever and easy to train, and they don't shed. Have had labs for 25 years. an they are lovely natured, easy to train and make lovely dogs, but they moult heavily. Show me a lab owner and I bet they own a heavy duty vacuum cleaner!

And use it nearly as often as they exercise the dog.

Sock- you have only a 1 in 4 chance a poodle cross will inherit the non shedding coat. Chances are it will shed, to at least a degree.

This is what people aren't getting with poodle crosses, you cannot specify which traits you want the dog to inherit, it's pure chance.

Why not just get a poodle, then you know it won't shed.

I think poodles suffer an image problem. An old ladies dog, too prissy and dainty, bows in their topknots. Silly haircuts at Crufts.

If they all had normal trims so they looked like cockerppos, there wouldn't be a problem. They need an image makeover!

Intelligent, biddable and non-shedding = a poodle!!

I agree there seems to be a real issue with people seeing a poodle in a show clip and immediately dismissing them as all style and no substance. It's a shame as they're fabulous dogs in their own right and have so much more to offer than being used for crossbreeding just for their coats.

Ocsock what would it be crossed with?

As pp said, the chances are it will shed. Wether it's easy to train or not may come down what it's crossed with.

While I am not against crossbreeds at all, if you want all the traits of a poodle, wouldn't it be better to get a poodle? Then you have a far higher chance of those traits being there. But there are exceptions to every rule. I knew a very naughty untrainable pedigree poodle growing up, but she was adorable.

The poodle crossbreeds are being advertised as something they aren't. The price of them is hefty because of these plus points And those traits can't be promised.

all you get with a poodle cross is a cross-breed with a silly 'cutesy' name - nothing is guaranteed.

There are lots of dogs that don't shed, people just need to do their research. Miniature schnauzers are non-shedding dogs the same size as cockerpoos, portuguese water dogs are a similar size to labradoodles. Bearded collies & wheaten terriers don't shed and are labradoodle sized.

I know what poodles are supposed to add to the mix, but what is the poodle breed supposed to gain from being crossed with a spaniel or a Labrador?

I think one of the reasons that people go for crosses over a less common breed is availability.

Apart from money, finding a reputable owner of a less common breed will probably involve patience and a fair amount of travel.

I know what poodles are supposed to add to the mix, but what is the poodle breed supposed to gain from being crossed with a spaniel or a Labrador?

I have had several spaniels, I am a huge spaniel fan. But I have no idea.

From groups I know, it's a way to get a spaniel without shedding (except it's not) .

My current spaniel doesn't shed at all. She is mainly white so you would be able to to see it, my last spaniel shed loads, but we just kept her hair short. Job done.

From what I remember, poodles needs lots of grooming. So the up keep is time consuming.

Since the non shedding hair isn't a 100% in cocker poos I would rather have a spaniel. Nothing against poodles, they are lovley, but I love my spaniels and don't feel the crossing with poodles brings much to either breed.

This is what most people think when they hear "Poodle", and why they think a cross is better...

When without the stupid hairstyles, they're really very cute. As cute as any "doodle" cross anyway.

Yes agree, the very nicest poodle crosses are the ones, I think, that actually look most like poodles anyway. How many poodle owners actually do that pom-pom extravagance anyway?

Friend of mine has a standard poodle, in a short clip.

Every single time she takes him out she is asked if he's a labradoodle, and when she says no is asked what he's crossed with.

Most people these days have no concept of what a poodle looks like, they see a poodle without the haircut and think cross. Which perpetuates the general public's desire for poodle crosses.

I don't think we'll see an end to Doodles any time soon, and i think shelters are going to see a lot of these dogs when they're not hypoallergenic and non shedding. I've been asked by two friends in the last 3 months if I'll take the doodle they spent over 1k on bought for an allergic child.