The hate towards doddle owners.

[RedDeer]

The hate against doodles,
I keep reading about Doodle owners, in a negative way on here, I'm wondering why they is so much negativity around them.

For context I have a poodle cross, who gets treated like a dog, we have used trainers, she goes hiking with us, is groomed regular. Doesn't sleep in our bed, can be left alone for a few hours no problem, and not a fussy eater, just eats dry food.
I didn't pay 1000s for her, paid the same as a cross breed. She has no health issues etc.

Yes she does have traits of both breeds, she can be hyper, and prone to barking at times. But we are aware of her breeds, both working dogs.

So am I unusual in that my doddle is treated like a dog. Or is there an unfair reputation towards doodles and owners?

@RedDeer I made this point a while ago, and I think it’s one probably worth repeating just so people realise that it’s not anti-doodle it’s anti bad breeding.

I breed Goldies. I have three bitches (13,10,5) and a boy (2.5). The boy has some of the best scores I’ve seen (hips, elbow), as does my girl (5). Both have excellent pedigree - multiple Ch. in their lines, boys sire has international titles. Plus just a lovely dog.

My boy, with his pedigree, would net me an absolute fortune (we’re talking high five figures) if I were to stud him. But I won’t - his genes are already in the gene pool, no need to add more of them in there. So I could go to ‘Goldenfoodle’ breeding. As I said, I’d make £10s of thousands off him with his lines. I could probably pay off my mortgage if I studded him tbh. But I don’t. Because I breed to make my breed better, not for a quick buck.

That’s the problem with doodle breeding. The best and healthiest pedigree dogs are not being used to breed doodles. The healthiest dogs are being used, carefully, to further their pedigree lines.

If someone finds me a Golden Retriever that’s been used for Goldendoodle breeding that has health scores anywhere near my girls scores, I’ll probably die from shock.

And to follow on from @EdithStourton post, I sell my puppies with multi-generational health testing. Find me a doodle breeder that can do that. They’ve been around long enough now they should be sold with them. But they’re not. Recessive genes combined with the severe issues that some of the pedigree versions of these dogs have (Goldies and Poodles both suffer from PRA and Dysplasia) means that generational health testing should be essentially. Most often the parents are even fully health tested, let alone generationally.

Ultimately, it goes back to caring about animals. And here I really do sync up with @EdithStourton (sorry for the multiple tags) - no one should be buying unhealthy, puppy farmed dogs, or dogs that are pre-disposed to suffer. You’re not an animal lover if you buy a dog that can’t breathe, or can’t do what it was bred to do, and you’re certainly not an animal lover if you don’t care about the quality of life of a bitch or the future of the puppy you’re buying.

I did judge a bulldog in the vets yesterday I admit, it was straining at the lead making the most awful noises because it couldn’t breathe, I’ve never heard such a noisy dog. Kept alternating between growling and gasping for air and I just thought I couldn’t listen to that all day and night, it would stress me out so much!

I groom mine myself, self taught with professional grooming equipment as I adapted to my dog’s needs.
It’s cruel to let your dog get matted up and then have to be shaved down and on the odd occasion they do go to a professional groomer, they are combed out before they go.

My dream dog would be a Miniature poodle, I love standard poodle’s too but they are too big for me. We already have a Lhasa and a Shihpoo, and three dogs would be too many for me.

a friend has a miniature poodle
he is a great companion for her

Amazing! You must save heaps. This is my cockerpoo that I would save a fortune on if I could do this myself 😂

I've done the math over her estimated lifespan and honestly ... ££££££ 😮 I keep her Miami cut sharp so it's every four weeks on the dot, too.

That being said I think her groomer who can do this is ridiculously talented and deserves every penny so for now I don't begrudge it 🤷🏼‍♀️

why do people prefer mixtures to poodles?

@OnlyHerefortheBiscuits your groomer is worth every penny! Your dog is gorgeous ❤️.
My H says I’m a one trick pony, they only get one style, when I groom them.
I started 5 years ago, my Lhasa acted funny for a few days after a groom, kept sitting out in the hallway and my Shihpoo was a puppy, hated being away from me, she has bad separation anxiety so I looked into grooming. I was shocked that anyone can open a grooming salon, you don’t need any training, it’s a big loophole that needs closing. I used blade guards, only stopped using them three months ago, as I was nervous of nicking them. In the beginning, I was embarrassed to be seen out in public with them, poor dogs looked weird. 🤣 my Lhasa would start blinking like Greengrass’, when I’d pick up my scissors in the beginning!

Because poodles still have that "frou frou" reputation, probably.

I don’t think I have seen a proper poodle dog for years. Where are they?!

I have several poodles on my books as a dog walker! They're all absolutely lovely dogs.

I want a mongrel! Just a mixed up collection of 'bitch got out when in season, we've no idea who the dad is' dogs. Unfortunately I live somewhere where everyone has money (and there's a lot of shooting), so everyone has a pedigree this and that, and all the dogs are carefully line-bred, lest something undesirable should sully their heritage.

I've currently got a Patterdale (which are locally known as Twatterdales, and not without reason), but would love my next dog to be like one of my previous ones - half collie but mum's not talking about the dad. No hope around here though, I'll have to do some distance to find myself a lovely Heinz 57.

several reasons.

poodles are seen as “effeminate”, fancy, pom pom haircuts. People judge what they see at crufts and don’t want a ridiculous dog with a ridiculous haircut.

they don’t realise give it a different haircut and it pretty much indistinguishable from a doodle.

then there’s the “marketing”. For some reason people don’t seem to realise that crossing a poodle does not make them more hypoallergenic, or their coats less likely to shed. You want that, get the poodle. They seem to think doodles will inherit those desirable genes with no input from whatever it’s crossed with.

other misconceptions such as a “breeding licence” from the council means they’re a reputable breeder, when it just meant they breed in bulk and basic needs are met. That and “fully health checked” often means it was waved in front of a vet and appears healthy for a pet. Not that hip, genetic etc scoring you need for a stud/bitch have been done.

lastly the ease of purchase. You can get one tomorrow. Just look on gumtree or your nearest puppy farm’s slick website.

Agree with pp, it’s not the dogs it’s the dodgy breeders. FWIW, I own a Labrador from very highly-considered working lines on both sides and he is an absolute dickwad.

A lot of them are lost in amongst the doodles. I have a friend with a giant poodle. Without exception people assume it’s a labradoodle. When she corrects them you see the confusion, I’m not sure they believe her half the time.

my dislike is three-fold. i don't actually mind the dogs, they're on the whole, nice enough.. however...

1)I loathe the naming.. it's a cross breed, or a mutt/mongel, it is not a 'labradoodle, cockerpoo, or cavapoo or any other such bloody stupid made up poncey twattish sounding name you want to invent.

2. Peoples desire for one is fuelling puppy farming and back yard breeding, and people are paying absolutely stupid money for a MONGREL that is unpredictable behaviourally and what they want it for could be serviced well enough with the actual Poodle or the other cross breed derivative.

3. Owners who get them and don't bother looking after them properly, leaving them matted to the point groomers need to shave the poor buggers, but then the groomers get blamed for the owners negligence.

I would love one of these breeds sadly too expensive! Had a Jack Russell never again!

There's this weird superiority amongst a small minority of dog owners.

I've got a Bichon and he was never socialised because he was still with the breeder at six months. He's eleven now and still yappy with around half the dogs we encounter, and sometimes he lunges but he's terrified of everything and he's never even play bitten so I can't imagine he'd ever actually bite. He's always on lead anyway and watched like a hawk.

Anyway, most dog owners just smile and take it in good humour but very occasionally there will be a very snooty owner who looks at me as if I'm dirt. They seem weirdly obsessed with their own perfect dog and don't seem to like any others. So I guess these are the people on here who don't like doodles. Most people don't give it any thought. Same with all the trans rubbish....

Poodles can be really lovely dogs in their own right. Never sure why you'd want to ruin one by crossing it with a labrador.

I'll admit it makes me inwardly cringe a little when people introduce their "smashthenameoftwobreedstogether" as though it's a rare pedigree. No, what you have there is a mongrel. A perfectly lovely (although often not) mutt, but it's still a mutt, no matter what fancy pants name you give it or how much you paid for it.

That's not all owners though, some just do it to explain parentage, it's the way that some people do it that makes me laugh. In the old days, you would have just said that the mother was an X and the father a Y.

I do my own grooming too....it really is very easy if you keep on top of it.

Had no idea there was so much judgement against owners out there. My cockapoo was from a lady who had 1 litter from her cockapoo and with health details of both father and mother. I was careful to visit in the owner's house twice, to see puppies with their mother. And my dog is a dog not an accessory. Doesn't go on furniture or sleep on my bed. Is well adjusted, happy to be left, reasonably trained (was a bit rubbish at recall and jumping when younger, but pretty perfect now aged 8).

I agree with all of this.

To me, and of course it doesn’t apply to every doodle owner, but most - if the only thought you have put in to getting a dog is “I want a dog that looks like a teddy bear” then how much thought are they going to put in to socialising, training and generally being a good dog owner?

Can I ask what the health tests where and did you physically see the documentation?

Only because I rarely see the normal health tests you'd get from a proper breeder of a cocker spaniel or a proper breeder of a poodle

Breeders often say health check when they mean waved in front of a vet, or no known issues to date. Some will do something like a wisdom check but rarely do you see the proper scoring from both parents. It can be part of the way they talk their way out of the proper checks, and explain stuff away as health checked by using a very loose definition. I could also tell you lots of people who believe they have the only litter! An only litter is also used as marketing distraction to justify not being registered, lack of health checks etc.

We are well past the ages where it was felt it was beneficial for a dog to have a single litter, very few reasonable people chose to do a single litter unless there are problems with the litter. People tend to either be a proper breeder or a backyard breeder

Again cockers can carry some stuff where they can be a carrier (but not affected), and it only needs one gene from one parent.

yappy with around half the dogs we encounter, and sometimes he lunges

I wouldn't say I was weirdly obsessed, but I do judge small dog owners that allow their dogs to lunge and yapp. They get away with it because they are small but it is ill mannered.

I would not take it in good humour any dog that lunged.