Why are poodle mixes so popular? (pitbull, how much, boxer, miniature)
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Poodle mixes are popular because the pet-buying public has been duped by the misinformation regarding the degree of shedding in these mixes. This link from animal pharmaceutical company Vetericyn describes how shedding is inherited—in short, it’s a mixture of genes that determines shedding; just mixing a shedding and non-shedding dog together doesn’t mean the shedding genes magically disappear:
Talk to any groomer who works on these dogs and they’ll tell you the matting, due to the combination of dander and fur, combined with hair, means they have to depelt and shave down these dogs.
Many doodle owners are led to believe that because these dogs are comprised of two different breeds, they are healthier and smarter than each breed individually. But that’s also not a universal truth.
The breeder of the first doodle cross, Wally Conron of Australia, lamented ever crossing the breeds, saying to ABC back in 2019 that he felt he had released a “Frankenstein” among the dog world, as many who now deliberately breed these crossbreeds have no concern for health, temperament or structure:
My local shelter is full of pit bulls, cattle dogs, and Chihuahuas, and none of those are suitable for my household.
I think that the "adopt don't shop" crowd typically lives in areas where shelters are full of all sorts of dogs, but that isn't the case in regions where spay and neutering are ingrained in the culture. I know people in my town who've been on waiting lists for months to adopt from the local shelter. Also, many people seem to run into issues with rescue organizations such as their homes not being deemed suitable because of no fenced yard, etc., or feeling that the rescue volunteers were just too intrusive.
I watched what was available in our local animal shelters for a year and a half and no dogs suitable for our situation became available over that time - mostly pitbulls and huskys. As you said, the private rescue organizations are too intrusive and want a fenced back yard (and a bunch of other things), which we do not have and are not going to get for several reasons. Sorry, you ain't inspecting my house over a dog.
The primary consideration was my wife's allergies. The goldendoodle we got is great, allergy-wise my wife can easily tolerate her, and she hasn't shed at all yet. We do expect that to change in the summer when she sheds her puppy coat and we'll see what happens once her adult coat comes in.
YES! People do not seem to understand that reputable breeders are not going to intentionally create mixed-breed dogs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meowen
Many dog breeds start off as designer mutts. I don't think the practice is any worse than pure-breed dog breeding. I'm an advocate for rescue.
Irreputable breeders are those who leap on fad or popularity and breed recklessly from narrow populations (which is necessarily the case with new lines of crossbreeds). That happens with purebreds as well as crossbreeds.
Irreputable breeders are those who leap on fad or popularity and breed recklessly from narrow populations (which is necessarily the case with new lines of crossbreeds). That happens with purebreds as well as crossbreeds.
Agree. Breeding to an arbitrary standard set by kennel clubs is just as bad backyard breeding, imo. I've spent a lot of time with gun dogs since forever; owning, training, working with. I look at some of the show labs and they look as though they'd sink in a bathtub. Oversized, heavy boned and too broad chested to make a good swimmer.
I guess that's the end result of taking working dogs and breeding them to be pets.
........I look at some of the show labs and they look as though they'd sink in a bathtub. Oversized, heavy boned and too broad chested to make a good swimmer.
I guess that's the end result of taking working dogs and breeding them to be pets.
A well bred gundog is an amazing animal but most of them do not make good house dogs for your average family. They have too much energy and they need a job. There is nothing wrong with breeding a calmer version that can live with the family and play with the kids without driving everyone crazy. Although a Lab might not be the very best example because a well bred lab should be bred to sleep all day in the gun blind and go swim out and pick up a dead duck a few times. That should not be a hyperkinetic dog.
If gundog breeds were limited to working gun dog families, most of those breeds would go extinct or at least be endangered. Very very few people want a few gundogs living out back in a kennel situation and never interacting with the family.
The most successful gun dog breeds hunt like a pro and then live inside the house with the family, albeit, a very active family that can keep them exercised.
A well bred gundog is an amazing animal but most of them do not make good house dogs for your average family. They have too much energy and they need a job. There is nothing wrong with breeding a calmer version that can live with the family and play with the kids without driving everyone crazy. Although a Lab might not be the very best example because a well bred lab should be bred to sleep all day in the gun blind and go swim out and pick up a dead duck a few times. That should not be a hyperkinetic dog.
If gundog breeds were limited to working gun dog families, most of those breeds would go extinct or at least be endangered. Very very few people want a few gundogs living out back in a kennel situation and never interacting with the family.
The most successful gun dog breeds hunt like a pro and then live inside the house with the family, albeit, a very active family that can keep them exercised.
They're happy enough with challenging fetch games.
Every time a poodle or poodle mix is posted by a rescue, there are a million applications for that one dog while the others languish.
I'm in the NYC metro area and people are nutso for oodles and poos. Is this true in your area? Why are poodle mixes so popular?
I'm from Long Island originally, and that was the case there. The NY area was always partial to poodles - I had one growing up. Many people did. Moms loved them - no shedding. People with allergies also loved them.
Then Poodles began to suffer an image problem - too fussy, too feminine, and dog that wasn't a family dog. I remember in the 70s when Goldens and Labs became more common than poodles.
Then people realized and missed all of those great poodle features - easy to train, very smart, playful, obedient, no shedding and no allergies.
It started with Cocka-poos. Then people wanted larger dogs, so they bred poodles with other breads. I think it's speaks highly to the popularity of the poodle.
A well bred gundog is an amazing animal but most of them do not make good house dogs for your average family. They have too much energy and they need a job. There is nothing wrong with breeding a calmer version that can live with the family and play with the kids without driving everyone crazy. Although a Lab might not be the very best example because a well bred lab should be bred to sleep all day in the gun blind and go swim out and pick up a dead duck a few times. That should not be a hyperkinetic dog.
If gundog breeds were limited to working gun dog families, most of those breeds would go extinct or at least be endangered. Very very few people want a few gundogs living out back in a kennel situation and never interacting with the family.
The most successful gun dog breeds hunt like a pro and then live inside the house with the family, albeit, a very active family that can keep them exercised.
Yesss!
I think within gun dog breeds the retrievers make fine working pets for the reasons you stated. It starts to get a bit more iffy when it comes to flushing dogs like spaniels. A working line spaniel is just a different level of energy to a working line lab or golden. We had a mini poodle a while ago who was a phenomenal flushing and retrieving dog and then at home would just want to sleep on the couch. Had he been a bit bigger he probably would have made the perfect hunting dog. It was funny watching the looks people would give when they saw him get out of the car and then the mouths dropped open when they saw him working.
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