# Designer dogs?



## erfunhouse (Jun 8, 2013)

We are considering getting another puppy in August or some where there about. .. so I've been researching. We don't know if we want another shepherd or another breed, and in my looking ive seen so many designer dogs. I came across an "Aluksy"... what the heck?

My research lead me to a designer dog registry (why didn't I think of that?) Both in the US and an international one!

Why the designer dogs? I've never understood it in small dogs, but shrugged it off... Now the big dogs are getting tossed into it! Alaskan malamutes and huskys are so similar, what would be the benefit to mixing them? 

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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

They make good sounding names that intrigues buyers. That's about it.

If you want a nice designer dog, go to your local shelter. I'm sure they've got plenty available.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Don't get me started on "Designer Dog" breeders. The 'doodle craze is one of the most asinine things I have seen in my life. Breeders hawk these "non-allergenic", "non-shedding", "hybrid vigor" family dogs (that are apparently supposed to be magically self-grooming) to first-time dog buyers for $2500 or more, and almost every single 'doodle owner I've known has been totally naïve about how to raise, train, feed, and groom a dog of any kind, much less a total hair farmer. This is the demographic that "designer" breeders aim for--people who have plenty of money, but very little dog-sense. They conveniently downplay any need for grooming this dog that grows hair like an Old English Sheepdog. In a way, it's a really good racket for the breeders... and a nightmare for groomers.

On the upside, I've never met a mean 'doodle. They are generally happy, goofy, devil-may-care dogs, some are rather stubborn and hard-headed, but generally non-aggressive, which makes them a fairly benign pet for most families. I just wish the breeders would tell their puppy buyers that this is one of the most high-maintenance "breeds" you can own in terms of grooming--it has been a battle royale getting my clients to understand that their "non shedding" 'doodle still needs to be brushed if they don't want it to look like Bob Marley, but very few of them will even bother with picking up a brush, so it's at least $75 every 4 weeks to keep the hair with that long, natural, tousled look 'doodle owners seem to love.

See, I told you not to get me started. And that's just ONE type of "designer" breed.


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## Eiros (Jun 30, 2011)

It's such a clever marketing ploy to call a mix (mutt) a "designer dog".

Personally I don't support these breeders, their insane prices, or the stupid dog names they come up with. I saw an ad once for for a "Gerberian Shepsky". If anyone told me that was the "breed" of their pet I'd think they were silly as heck.

Such an annoying craze. 


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

Lucy Dog said:


> They make good sounding names that intrigues buyers. That's about it.


 I don't even think the names are that good sounding. "Puggle" all the "doodle" ones out there and anything with 'poo' in the name sounds pretty stupid to me.

I have to say, with the Labradoodle they at least had a breeding goal in mind. I think I read somewhere that the person who started doing it is pretty dismayed at the path it took, as they were actually trying to breed good stock and start a newer low shedding breed, for people needing service dogs who had allergies.

Remember that just about all of the dog breeds started by well thought out crosses, but the problem is it takes many generations to get a consistent type, and hopefully the masses won't latch onto your idea and ruin everything, like they have done with the Labradoodle. At least come up with an original name that can be taken seriously, and do it like a proper breeder would, with health checks and temperament evaluations etc. 

My friend has a Labradoodle and the thing is so hyper, socially challenged and rude to other dogs, he gets attacked all the time. My other friend is more outspoken than I am and finally told her (when she was complaining about this mean GSD who always attacked her dog, and how her dog always seems to be getting attacked) that perhaps it was her dog that was the problem. lol 

The scary part is this girl fancies herself as a dog trainer and is taking a course to be a certified behavior modification trainer. And she has no idea what drives are. I think she heard me talking about my dog being high drive and decided her dog is too. Except he can't be bothered to work  ...he's just hyper. Not quite the same thing. lol


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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

blackshep said:


> The scary part is this girl fancies herself as a dog trainer and is taking a course to be a certified behavior modification trainer. And she has no idea what drives are.


Not knowing what drives are, in and of itself, wouldn't worry me too much.

Those aren't always terms commonly used in pet dog training, at least not in the circles I'm familiar with. I hardly ever hear that jargon used in obedience or Rally, either, and in agility it usually just comes up in the general sense of a dog being "high drive" for work -- there isn't much splitting into prey drive, defense drive, food drive, etc. like you see on this board. I actually had to learn all that stuff just to be able to follow discussions here; it was not something I ever heard used, or used in those specific ways, elsewhere.

My personal feeling is that discussion of drives can be helpful if you're choosing a dog for buying or breeding and are looking for a way to describe particular traits, or if your training approach specifically aims at one of those drives to the exclusion of others (because then it can be helpful to talk about why you're doing it that way and what the potential pitfalls are of triggering the other drives). 

In the pet training context, though, I honestly think it adds more confusion than clarity. Because then you have to step back and explain everything to your audience, and at best it's a sort of fuzzy amorphous term like "intelligence" or "biddability" or whatever else. Not really helpful when what you really need is a very clear, concrete, step-by-step explanation of how to break down certain issues.

But then my biggest problem was always information overload, so there's that.


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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

Lucy Dog said:


> If you want a nice designer dog, go to your local shelter. I'm sure they've got plenty available.


They probably won't, really. Well, maybe "Aluksys" or "Shepskys." _Maybe_. 

But probably not puggles or labradoodles or shih-poos. As much as I dislike the profit-driven breeding of these dogs, the fact is, there _is_ a profit to be made. Demand greatly outstrips supply, and by and large you cannot find these dogs in shelters. The nice ones get adopted at lightspeed.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

Oh I agree. But if you don't understand what it is, then don't go around saying it, especially if you're planning to be a dog trainer (and I think dog trainers SHOULD know what drives are). I think it's that, plus the combination of her being totally oblivious to her dog's obnoxious behavior that does it for me. 

I won't even bring my dog around hers. My dog can be reactive, she's ok with dogs who are calm, but her dog will suddenly body slam or pounce on others and she sees nothing wrong with it. My dog would freak out (we are working on it, but I'm careful with who I go out for walks with)

Anyway, that is my experience with Labradoodles. I hope to meet a few more to see if that is a typical temperament for them or not. But just based on my friend's dog...I can't stand his personality. He's the kind of dog who gets nailed and pinned on his back by other dogs and cries. Then goes back for more 5 minutes later. Which then makes me feel bad for the other dog, and wonder why it's owner isn't intervening.

Of course there was this clever adoption center that came up with a unique way to market their dogs 

Mixed Breed Dog Adoption Campaign Gives Lovable Pooches New, Unique Breed Names (VIDEO)


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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

blackshep said:


> I can't stand his personality. He's the kind of dog who gets nailed and pinned on his back by other dogs and cries. Then goes back for more 5 minutes later. Which then makes me feel bad for the other dog, and wonder why it's owner isn't intervening.


I'm starting to think the Labradoodles (at least the ones lucky enough not to have inherited _worse_ issues!) get that from both sides.

Labs are pretty popular in my neighborhood and I used to go to the dog park a lot, so I saw a ton of adolescent Labs who'd behave exactly that way. And this past Christmas when we went to the in-laws', their Standard Poodle (about nine months old) acted the exact same way.

He's a derpy happy-go-lucky kind of guy and undersocialized with other dogs, so I think he was just _waaaayyy_ too excited to have other dogs to play with and didn't know what to do with himself, but after a couple of hours it was pretty clear that my dogs had about had it with him. Not my dog, so I wasn't about to correct him (beyond a _very_ small amount of body blocking when my dog went to me for help, and even that made me feel uncomfortable); I just put my guys in another room and let the poodle cry himself to sleep outside their door (which is literally what happened).

But anyway that whole experience made me go "ooooh, so _that's_ where it comes from" about some of the things I've seen in Labradoodles. This poodle is out of pure show lines -- almost 100% Ch.s on both sides of his pedigree, but nothing beyond a CGC and one therapy dog certification until you get past his grandparents -- so he is very pretty and very, _very_ dopey. Huge difference from the performance poodles I see elsewhere.


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## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

I've only met one labradoodle where I didn't think, yup - they genetically doubled up on the spaz and left out anything resembling intelligence or trainability :/

And that one, geesh, he's the height of a Great Dane and has a coat like Mr Snuffleupagus. An absolute horror for his owners to keep groomed. And no energy. Won't even play with a toy. Just lays about like a hairy carpet. He's somewhat trainable. But everything is done at the speed of a 3 toed sloth.


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## Eiros (Jun 30, 2011)

blackshep said:


> My friend has a Labradoodle and the thing is so hyper, socially challenged and rude to other dogs, he gets attacked all the time. My other friend is more outspoken than I am and finally told her (when she was complaining about this mean GSD who always attacked her dog, and how her dog always seems to be getting attacked) that perhaps it was her dog that was the problem. lol


I know a labradoodle that's exactly the same way, just crazy undirected hyperactivity all over the place!




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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

Aluskys, huskweiler, and pomapoo's are just the tip of the iceberg. Someone was breeding bermadoodles at one point. Alot of designer dogs these days. I think the most laughable name is the St. Dobernards..i just think it sounds so bloody silly..


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

GrammaD said:


> And no energy. Won't even play with a toy. Just lays about like a hairy carpet. He's somewhat trainable. But everything is done at the speed of a 3 toed sloth.


 It would actually be refreshing to see a 'doodle that's actually CALM.

I think part of the problem with 'doodles is that they get the worst of both Lab and Poodle--crazy hyper dopiness--especially when young. The older 'doodles (4+ years) I see are better, but since the 'doodle craze is still young and growing, the majority of 'doodles we see are young dogs and so they're naturally derpy. In time, we'll see how the dogs mature as they age.


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## TAR HEEL MOM (Mar 22, 2013)

What would a bermadoodle be? Was the breeder confused about Bernese/Bermese? 

And yes...my shelter is FULL of all kinds of exotic breeds. Please send all those interested in one to see me! We have all the "accidental" exotics and also a lot of the intentionally bred exotics that people just thought they wanted until they realized that puppies pee and poop and..God Forbid...chew things up! I refuse to put some stupid name on kennel cards. I will just refer to a dog as a "Lab Mix" or "Shepherd Mix" etc.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

LOL, that reminds me of a story - I was walking my mixed breed in a park, and lady stopped and asked, "Is she Bernice?" I couldn't think of any reason why she thought that my dog was Bernice, and as I thought about something to respond, she asked again, "Is she Bernice?" "No," I was ready to answer, "she's Keeta", thinking to myself "who would name their dog Bernice?". But then it clicked, the lady was asking if Keeta was a Bernese!!! (I've had several people ask if she was a Bernese mix). 

Why the heck would you want to cross a poodle with a Bernese Mountain Dog, though? Boggles the mind!


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## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

Oh come on, you know ya'll would be standing in line to get your hands on one of the "Malinoodle" puppies that were listed in my local paper :crazy: Yep, someone deliberately crossbred Malinois to Standard Poodle 

I don't even....  how would any sane person think that was a good idea? Seriously.....smh


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

TAR HEEL MOM said:


> What would a bermadoodle be? Was the breeder confused about Bernese/Bermese?
> 
> And yes...my shelter is FULL of all kinds of exotic breeds. Please send all those interested in one to see me! We have all the "accidental" exotics and also a lot of the intentionally bred exotics that people just thought they wanted until they realized that puppies pee and poop and..God Forbid...chew things up! I refuse to put some stupid name on kennel cards. I will just refer to a dog as a "Lab Mix" or "Shepherd Mix" etc.


That was most likely a error on my part..but yes, people are breeding them with poodles.


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

GrammaD said:


> Oh come on, you know ya'll would be standing in line to get your hands on one of the "Malinoodle" puppies that were listed in my local paper :crazy: Yep, someone deliberately crossbred Malinois to Standard Poodle
> 
> I don't even....  how would any sane person think that was a good idea? Seriously.....smh


That sounds like a very odd combo..i bet they are expensive tho.


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## TAR HEEL MOM (Mar 22, 2013)

From a female point of view....how many of us would like to be bred to Jack the Giant? That is similar to what people are doing to these poor dogs. I have heard horror stories of small females bred to large/giant breeds who died trying to carry and deliver the pups. 

Speaking of exotics, we got an owner surrender Chinese Crested today. So ugly it is cute. LOL.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

GrammaD said:


> Oh come on, you know ya'll would be standing in line to get your hands on one of the "Malinoodle" puppies that were listed in my local paper :crazy: Yep, someone deliberately crossbred Malinois to Standard Poodle
> 
> I don't even....  how would any sane person think that was a good idea? Seriously.....smh


:spittingcoffee:


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

TAR HEEL MOM said:


> From a female point of view....how many of us would like to be bred to Jack the Giant? That is similar to what people are doing to these poor dogs. I have heard horror stories of small females bred to large/giant breeds who died trying to carry and deliver the pups.
> 
> Speaking of exotics, we got an owner surrender Chinese Crested today. So ugly it is cute. LOL.


Ya, i have heard some pretty crazy reasons for surrendering. A recent one was a man giving up his 9 year old shep because the dog had a medical issue and he had no time for it. I think the crested dog are very cute lol


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## FortheLoveofChari (Nov 22, 2013)

Freestep said:


> Don't get me started on "Designer Dog" breeders. The 'doodle craze is one of the most asinine things I have seen in my life. Breeders hawk these "non-allergenic", "non-shedding", "hybrid vigor" family dogs (that are apparently supposed to be magically self-grooming) to first-time dog buyers for $2500 or more, and almost every single 'doodle owner I've known has been totally naïve about how to raise, train, feed, and groom a dog of any kind, much less a total hair farmer. This is the demographic that "designer" breeders aim for--people who have plenty of money, but very little dog-sense. They conveniently downplay any need for grooming this dog that grows hair like an Old English Sheepdog. In a way, it's a really good racket for the breeders... and a nightmare for groomers.
> 
> On the upside, I've never met a mean 'doodle. They are generally happy, goofy, devil-may-care dogs, some are rather stubborn and hard-headed, but generally non-aggressive, which makes them a fairly benign pet for most families. I just wish the breeders would tell their puppy buyers that this is one of the most high-maintenance "breeds" you can own in terms of grooming--it has been a battle royale getting my clients to understand that their "non shedding" 'doodle still needs to be brushed if they don't want it to look like Bob Marley, but very few of them will even bother with picking up a brush, so it's at least $75 every 4 weeks to keep the hair with that long, natural, tousled look 'doodle owners seem to love.
> 
> See, I told you not to get me started. And that's just ONE type of "designer" breed.


Not to mention the matting of their coats is incredibly bad on their skin and can cause a lot of behavior problems due to the pain of the mats 

I can't tell you how many times I had to tell an owner that their dog needed shaved because of matting and they seem to still not understand, so I would show them the mat and have to explain what it has done to the skin and so forth.


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## FortheLoveofChari (Nov 22, 2013)

GrammaD said:


> I've only met one labradoodle where I didn't think, yup - they genetically doubled up on the spaz and left out anything resembling intelligence or trainability :/
> 
> And that one, geesh, he's the height of a Great Dane and has a coat like Mr Snuffleupagus. An absolute horror for his owners to keep groomed. And no energy. Won't even play with a toy. Just lays about like a hairy carpet. He's somewhat trainable. But everything is done at the speed of a 3 toed sloth.


This comment made me roll with laughter! I can't believe how many times I've looked at a labradoodle and was just floored. I couldn't do anything but gawk at the spazziness!

Also I wonder how they bred/worked with Mr. Snufflupagus to make him so...umm...docile? Lol like a three toed sloth?


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

My cousins have a very sweet, smart doodle. He looks like a swamp monster (he is HUGE) and is also quite goofy but he's a great fit for their family. They bought him because they saw him out in the front yard with his siblings and fell for the cute puppies. His coat is very hard to care for and they are the first to admit that he was a poor choice for a farm/hiking dog and that he was an impulse buy.

There was a doodle down the street who looked almost identical to my cousins' dog and also had a great temperament. She wasn't well cared for though and he coat was the worst mess you could ever imagine.  

However, that said, I would direct anyone to a shelter or rescue because they always have all kinds of interesting mixes.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I personally wouldn't mind a goldendoodle. I think they are cute and I haven't met one that wasn't a sweetheart. I like the idea of the small to medium size version. I wouldn't pay a large sum of money for one, but I wouldn't think twice about rescuing one. I am not as fond of labradoodles.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

I've seen some really neat/smart labradoodles and goldendoodles that had great personalities so I'm kind of whatever about the issue. There are plenty of purebreds out there that are genetic messes in their own right. Good dog is a good dog.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

We had a labradoodle in my detection dog class when I was in school. Good dog. Not the norm certainly, but hey... he could find bombs. His handler was about mortified when he came out of the kennels. The rest of us were getting Mals and GSDs, and he got...


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## GSDlover143 (Nov 8, 2013)

Anyone seen a pomsky? Very cute but would you consider it a breed??? I don't. I still see a mix. But they do look like tiny huskies. Look up ApexPomskies. 

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## GSDlover143 (Nov 8, 2013)

GSDlover143 said:


> Anyone seen a pomsky? Very cute but would you consider it a breed??? I don't. I still see a mix. But they do look like tiny huskies. Look up ApexPomskies. They charge ridiculous prices for mutts! $1800-$3500 wth!
> 
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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

David Winners said:


> We had a labradoodle in my detection dog class when I was in school. Good dog. Not the norm certainly, but hey... he could find bombs. His handler was about mortified when he came out of the kennels. The rest of us were getting Mals and GSDs, and he got...


 TOO FUNNY!!

I do agree that a good dog, is a good dog though. 

I grew up with Labs, but the show type, who tend to be more easy going and they are wonderful family dogs. I don't really know any full sized poodles, I always thought they were more laid back, but maybe not, or at least that cross doesn't seems to work that way.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

David Winners said:


> We had a labradoodle in my detection dog class when I was in school. Good dog. Not the norm certainly, but hey... he could find bombs. His handler was about mortified when he came out of the kennels. The rest of us were getting Mals and GSDs, and he got...


The same thing happened on an episode of Alpha Dogs, but if I remember correctly it was a cocker spaniel instead of a mal or GSD.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

llombardo said:


> The same thing happened on an episode of Alpha Dogs, but if I remember correctly it was a cocker spaniel instead of a mal or GSD.


I was a trainer at VLK. That building in that picture is the main office.

That cocker is Rocky. He's a blast!

David Winners


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

David Winners said:


> I was a trainer at VLK. That building in that picture is the main office.
> 
> That cocker is Rocky. He's a blast!
> 
> David Winners


Yep that is him. He did the job he was suppose to do. It was finding body parts, right?


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

llombardo said:


> Yep that is him. He did the job he was suppose to do. It was finding body parts, right?


He's an explosives detection dog.

David Winners


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

The thing I hate about all the Designer Dogs is that the buying public listen to the garbage the folks say about their puppies and pay big bucks and are then told" AKC will be accepting them for registry soon". They come in and are all excited about their registered puppy............. Duh, not gonna happen.
Or and ad about Joodles that state their wonderful designer dogs is part Jack Russell and part poodle. It won't shed because poodles don't shed, so they are hypo allergenic...yadda yadda. Don't folks realize that genetics are responsible for how the dog ends up with hair coat, temperament, etc. Certain traits just don't become true because the dog is part whatever.
Some of these dogs are a groomers nightmare for coats and a vets nightmare for health trying to explain that the dog has lots of genetic issues for being too small or too whatever.
When I was growing up, long before dirt was new, "designer dogs" were called All American mutts and they were pretty much free. You couldn't give them away, now they cost hundreds or thousands........ Go figure


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## PhoenixGuardian (Jul 10, 2013)

Ugh, don't get me started on designers dogs...
This is one of those few subjects that I just cannot stand. People breed the stupidest combinations, making for dogs that are sloppy in conformation, making them susceptible to joint issues, conflicting temperaments (though a lot of this is just training) and the fact that they call them "Designer" breeds, when all they are is just a mutt! And they get people to pay huge money for these "designer" dogs, when they could go to a shelter and pick one up there for a quarter of the price, potentially save that dog's life, and maybe even find an already trained dog. I've heard of a "new breed" entitled the Pomskey. Yep, Pomeranian Husky. I cannot imagine a worse cross. In shrinking the husky down, they are going to change the breed so much. How is this breeding for the betterment of the breed?!?!? Oh wait, it isn't. I just... ERG!!!


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## Jo_in_TX (Feb 14, 2012)

My daughter and her husband have a labradoodle, and it is an absolutely fantastic dog.

Why a labradoodle?

They both wanted a larger dog on the higher end of the intelligence scale. She wanted low shedding. They wanted a dog that would - hopefully - have a happy-go-lucky personality, as he is a minister and they have a constant stream of guests in their house. 

And he DID NOT want a poodle. 

Watson's a fabulous dog (as long as you expect no protection from him  ), and they did not pay a ridiculous amount for him, either. As for as coat maintenance, it's not any more difficult than a poodle. Coat maintenance is expected.

As far as the smaller designer dogs, I see absolutely no reason for their existence. Somebody buys two dogs of different breeds for cheap, and then sells the result. Low investment.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

My co worker has a Yorkie/Westie mix and it is the dumbest dog in the world. She's a year and a half old, she doesn't know any commands, she isn't potty trained and she has no idea what her name is. She is a complete dodo.


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

David Winners said:


> I was a trainer at VLK. That building in that picture is the main office.
> 
> That cocker is Rocky. He's a blast!
> 
> David Winners


What happened to the cell phone detection dog..?


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

LaRen616 said:


> My co worker has a Yorkie/Westie mix and it is the dumbest dog in the world. She's a year and a half old, she doesn't know any commands, she isn't potty trained and she has no idea what her name is. She is a complete dodo.


I think it says more about the "trainer" than the dog .
I find it highly unlikely that a mix like that is untrainable.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

wolfy dog said:


> I think it says more about the "trainer" than the dog .
> I find it highly unlikely that a mix like that is untrainable.


They aren't untrainable at all! In my friend's case, she will tell him to do something and he'll do it, no problem. He's very keen to please his owners. The problem is when he's released to go play on his own, he's obnoxious and hyper. He's body slam random dogs, it's just...ugly. lol

Keeping in mind of course, I have only really spent time with this one particular dog. I was hoping it was just him, but it kind of sounds like the norm for them.

ETA: I wonder if it depends on the type of Lab you use for the cross, field Labs tend to be more hyper and show Labs tend to be more mellow. I'm not sure about poodles, if there are different types. But that might explain it. They are doing what could be a good cross with the wrong type of dogs.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

wolfy dog said:


> I think it says more about the "trainer" than the dog .
> I find it highly unlikely that a mix like that is untrainable.


Nope, it's the dog. They have a Yorkie/Terrier mix as well and he is well trained, smart, potty trained and well behaved.


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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

blackshep said:


> I'm not sure about poodles, if there are different types. But that might explain it. They are doing what could be a good cross with the wrong type of dogs.


There are working poodles (although not many) and sport/performance poodles (still somewhat uncommon) and show line poodles (the dominant type). The lines aren't clear-cut; there is a lot of overlap between performance and conformation dogs. I don't know any working breeders personally so I don't know if they do any outcrossing into the other groups. I would guess not, or at least not often, but I don't actually know.

But I feel like trying to decipher these crosses based on the lines of dogs being used is giving doodle breeders waaaaaaayyy too much credit. The "best" ones I've ever found were clueless BYBs. At least their hearts were in more or less the right place -- they did love their dogs, and they weren't breeding _purely_ for money -- but they didn't know squat about what they were doing. If they produced a good dog, it was purely by accident. The lousy ones, also accidents.

And ultimately that's really what gets me about the doodle and "designer dog" breeders. I know a really nice Cockapoo and a really nice Goldendoodle and several Labradoodles that are friendly derpy family pets. But not one of those dogs, nor any other doodle cross I've ever known of, came from a breeder that I would view as ethical or worthy of financial support.

I say it every time this thread topic comes up, but if anybody has ever found a doodle breeder that _wasn't_ a complete failure by the standards we use to evaluate good GSD breeders -- i.e., a knowledgeable breeder who was health testing, training, and titling their dogs, and had a proven track record of consistently producing dogs that were able to do half-decently in any performance or working venue whatsoever -- then boy, I would really like to know that breeder's name, because I would really really love to have ONE doodle breeder I could give to people as a name I would support.

But I've never found one, and nobody else has ever given me a name either.


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## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

I have a golden poodle rescue... He is a great dog, extremely trainable... He loves working and training just as much as my GSD, in fact I'm hoping to get him involved in dock diving at some point. He has toy drive through the roof! He's mega into lure coursing like my GSD as well. He is absolutely amazing with people and kids, I think he'd make an outstanding therapy dog. The only issue is he is a little high strung and bouncy.

I would never advocate breeding them, mostly because of the uncertainty of what you'll get and all the indiscriminate breeding and duping people into thinking they don't shed and are hypoallergenic. Also his coat is a NIGHTMARE to manage. We have to just keep him shaved now because I literally cannot get any type of brush through his thick curly coat so keeping him from matting is next to impossible... I think the only way we could manage a long coat on him is taking him to the groomer every month which is crazy expensive.

His big issues have been horrible separation anxiety which we have finally gotten to a 'reasonable' level now, he's also had a huge issue with resource guarding and just randomly snapping at and nipping other dogs including the ones in his pack. We've also managed to get that under control but it took a lot of work... He was also afraid of the kitchen floor for some reason but he just seemed to get over it one day and it's no longer an issue.


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

Well I guess one side is that no one can say " hes is just a mutt" anymore  
You can just go ahead and create a dog breed..he is a brittney spaniel, lab, beagle..all of a sudden hes a britlabrabeags. Lol..my gsd mix is not a gsd mix anymore she is a designer breed called the mystery shepador.
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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

working poodle breeders -- Paris Poodles- Standard Poodle breeder, Labradoodle looking and acting Poodles in red, apricot, silver, black standard Poodles in Vancouver Fraser Valley British Columbia BC B.C. Canada


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Jo_in_TX said:


> As for as coat maintenance, it's not any more difficult than a poodle. Coat maintenance is expected.


 It's expected by most dog-savvy people, but most dog-savvy people don't buy 'doodles... who in their right mind would pay $2500 for a MUTT puppy?? The breeders don't educate their buyers about grooming, so the owners DON'T expect coat maintenance. Many are first-time dog owners and don't even know that you have to brush a dog's coat. I'm serious. They think the dog is self-grooming or something. If 'doodle breeders told them the time, energy, and cost it takes to keep that coat in decent condition, they might lose a sale. 



Carriesue said:


> Also his coat is a NIGHTMARE to manage. We have to just keep him shaved now because I literally cannot get any type of brush through his thick curly coat so keeping him from matting is next to impossible... I think the only way we could manage a long coat on him is taking him to the groomer every month which is crazy expensive.


 Yep... like I said, at least $75 every 4 weeks if you want any length left on the dog. I've finally gotten most of my 'doodle clients to accept the fact that this is absolutely necessary, unless they keep the dog shaved.

The kicker? 'doodle owners find these "grooming instructions" on the web, print them out, and bring them to me, as though *I* am the one who doesn't know how to groom a dog. :crazy: Funny thing is, most of the time I've already been doing exactly what the "instructions" dictate.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

carmspack said:


> working poodle breeders -- Paris Poodles- Standard Poodle breeder, Labradoodle looking and acting Poodles in red, apricot, silver, black standard Poodles in Vancouver Fraser Valley British Columbia BC B.C. Canada


 Huh! I had no idea there were working lines of poodles. Although I did see a picture of a poodle doing schutzhund!


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

there are some absolutely amazing hunting poodles Louter Creek Red Hunting Poodles

Hunting Poodles: Field-Proven

Poodle History Project will show the versatility that WAS 

I buy Gun Dog magazine every now and then because there are some really good distance control obedience articles .

video of poodle doing directional (blinds) 



 this can be applied to KNPV - work at distance , out of sight , taking direction.
the working ethic needed where dog works with the handler , takes command , yet makes decisions .

labradoodles --- the pet market designer dog does not combine the best of either breed .

for interest here is information on the poodle gone into natural cords https://www.google.ca/search?q=pood...YCYWO2gXi4YCoAg&ved=0CDYQsAQ&biw=1097&bih=483

I have a Hungarian friend (from "market") who showed me their dog . I thought it was a Puli -- no , poodle left to cord .


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

The designer dog thing kind of cracks me up because 1) ALL dogs shed something, some considerably less than others, but still.... 2) these dogs often require considerable maintenance b/c their coat is growing (and thus, matting). My aunt got my cousin a little "non shedding" type dog because they are total neat freaks but ironically the dog always had nasty fur on it's face that stuck in the eyes, mouth, and nose, she had little tangles all over her body and when I offered to help de-mat her and trim her, I found fleas.

I'm not against cross breeding, just depends on the reasons, the dogs, the people doing it. I like a lot of "sport mix" dogs quite a bit, but these are end-user dogs (bred to work or compete, not breed themselves, many on s/n contracts or even s/n by the breeder before going home), the cost reflects the work put into the breeding and the quality of the breeding animals.


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

The funny thing is most people are not allergic to the actual coat of a dog, they are allergic to the dander found on the skin of the dog.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

Oh neat, thanks Carmen!

Wow, they look like a big Puli, or something. I've never seen a poodle with cords before. I bet their coats are a nightmare to maintain that way though.

I wonder what a Labradoodle crossed with good working poodle lines and I'm not sure what would be better - field types of Labs seem like they would make more sense as a working dog, but the show types are generally more mellow - instead of everyone's family pet being bred.

Not that I'm going to be trying it anytime soon, or buying it for that matter. lol


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## Harmonica (Jan 4, 2014)

Selling a mutt for a high price because it has a "cute" name like "Maltipoo" ticks me off. In my opinion these names are wicked stupid. And puppy mills tend to produce a lot of these dogs.

I knew a nice Labradoodle, but most of the Maltese or Shih Tzu type "designer" mixes I've met tended to growl and lunge at me, grabbing onto my jeans when I would walk by them minding my own business.


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## Wanderer (Apr 9, 2011)

I went to a shelter once, and they had TONS of designer dogs. Heck, that's the only kind of dog they had. Plus they had ultra-rare kinds of designer dogs, not the run-of-the-mill types like ****-a-poos.

Prices were darn low as well.


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## Wanderer (Apr 9, 2011)

Seriously, exactly how the genetics are going to mix is never a sure thing when crossing two breeds, yet the pounds are full of beautiful mixes. I recall seeing a doberman x spaniel..I personally think it was a Brittney Spaniel. 

The dog was between a Dobie and a Brit in size, it had tan points like a dobie but they extended up the legs more and face more and chest more than a pure dobie would ever have, and the 'tan' was a really bright orange, plus a little blaze of white on the forehead and toes.

Of course, no guarantee that a purposeful cross of those breeds would result in such a dog, but it was really striking. Like so many other times I wished I was in a position to take the dog home.

But anyways, shelters, really. Look beyond your immediate community, look online. There are great dogs out there that are mixes but if they weren't at a shelter someone would be cooking up a fancy name and selling them for big money.


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