Another Perspective On "Doodle Bashing"- Do You "Bash" Poodles?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

On every doodle forum I have seen, there are lengthy discussions about the "anti-doodle" sentiment, hurt feelings about someone's doodle being called a mutt, criticism of designer dogs, etc. I can certainly understand being insulted by this. But stop and think for a moment..have YOU ever made a derogatory statement about poodles?
I lived with purebred poodles for 47 years before I got Jack.
There were outstanding dogs...brilliant, playful, wonderful with children, clean & easy to train. They did not have "attitudes". (Well, except for my show dog.)Yet I continue to hear derogatory remarks made about poodles, a lot of them from doodle owners. Just yesterday, I was speaking to a potential IDOG adopter about her reasons for wanting a doodle. She mentioned the shedding/allergy thing. When I asked her if she had considered a standard poodle, she made that "ech" sound, and then the inevitable "My husband doesn't like "foo foo" dogs." At the vet's office the other day, there was a woman with an F1B that looked exactly like a standard poodle, but with a big plumy tail. We got into a doodle discussion, and she too, was negative about poodles and their 'attitudes'. But her own dog is 75% poodle!
How can you love your doodle but dislike at least half of his parentage? I am sure the breeders and others here who own poodles will agree on what wonderful dogs they are. When I had my miniature, there were actually people who said things like "that's not a real dog", etc. At least half of the doodle owners I have personally met have remarked that they didn't like poodles, and then went on to comment on attitude, hyper, foo-foo, etc. If you were a poodle owner and heard this type of thing from people who then want a dog with half or more of your dog's genetics, wouldn't you be angry too? Might you not become prejudiced against all "poodle mix" dogs & those who breed them?
It is perfectly fine to prefer one type of dog to another, and it is perfectly fine to base those feelings on looks. I myself think doodles are cuter than poodles for one main reason...they have broader snouts and bigger noses, and I love the shaggy dog look, too. I dislike the appearance of pugs, shar-peis, chihuahuas, and many other breeds. But I don't say so to their owners.
Just a little food for thought...have you ever made a disparaging remark about poodles? If we want to help stop the "doodle bashing" that many of us complain about, maybe some of us need to start by adjusting our own attitudes. :-)

[GBK]

I never thought of owning a poodle, as other's have said, too foo foo for me or hubby. But, I have changed my mind after owning Buddy, who has so many qualities of a standard. He has a twin Apricot standard poodle he plays with at the dog park, and I can't believe how similiar! Except for the thinner and longer nose, and smaller feet, they could be littermates :) There is a breeder on site that has the most beautiful red poodle and chocolate poodle and my husband and I would definitely consider a standard poodle to add to our family down the road.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi Gina:
So glad you found out what great dogs poodles are! Can you tell me what it was that made you & your hubby think that poodles were "too foo-foo" prior to having Buddy? It would really be helpful to me in trying to understand the "poodle prejudice."
Thanks!

[GBK]

We had never personally met a standard poodle before. The grace they carry themselves with and the intelligence in their eyes just floors you! We are definitely sold on the standards, I am partial to the puppy cut on them though. I wouldn't cut them any different than my Buddy get's cut and I get more people compliment me on "not" clipping him in one of those "funny" clips from people ALL the time. I think that is where people get the "foo-foo" from.

I have also always been a dog show watcher: Eukenuba, Crufts, Westminster. On these shows of course they have to be cut in the show cuts, and it seems to take away from people seeing them as being the fantastic dogs they are. I have seen smaller dogs in the puppy cut, all one length, and they are truly adorable, always ask if they are a mix :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thank you; that's exactly what I suspect is the case for most people. The puppy cut is definitely what looks best on pet poodles, and what most people who own them favor.
I always kept my mini in the puppy cut, and was constantly asked what kind of dog she was! LOL-she was also black, and many people picture poodles as white, because that's usually the only color you see in the media.

[2hk9x8js46vxv]

Well Said! I have a goldendoodle and a standard poodle. The goldendoodle came first and is a joy. He's an F1B and quite curly. I'm always being asked if he's a standard poodle. At least, until folks see his beautiful long tail. Our standard poodle was rehomed by a doodle breeder when she couldn't use him in her program. He's been a joy, too. I can't say whether my next dog will be a doodle or a poodle cause they are both great dogs. Anyone who's ever lived with a standard poodle knows for sure that there is nothing sissy about these fun loving clowns. Kept in a puppy cut I am constantly being told how handsome Cane is. Of course everyone loves the shaggy look of Luke the goldendoodle. Both do Pet Therapy and are very popular with the people we visit. Vicki

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I've been waiting for you to chime in, Vicki! I've always thought BOTH your dogs were gorgeous!

[LLongrtr]

I have actually come to really like poodles as a result of owning two doodles. A poodle is definitely not a dog I would have considered owning before (my only experience had been with yippy toy poodles and one HUGE poorly trained standard); but now, if the oppostunity arose and the timing was right, my husband and I would both get a poodle.

[Tegan]

I think Poodles are great, my GD is an f1b so she is 75% Poodle. The only thing I don't like about the breed is the docked tail (which of course is not the dog's fault). I've never met a poodle with a full tail but from the pictures I've seen they are just lovely. I've never really understood the whole tail docking thing, I know there are argument for it but to me it just seems unnecessary. At any rate it is a little silly to be poodle prejudiced when your dog is part poodle. Then again bashing any breed of dog seems a little silly to me, if you like dogs it shouldn't matter what breed they are or if they are purebred or not. I figure it's the dog's personality that should count =)

[Ingrid]

I think the reason you hear the FooFoo dog comment is because of the haircut they have in Dog shows. Not that makes this OK, but it does not give them the look of a hunting dog that they truly are. I have always admired Poodles. You don't see many standard poodles, you mostly see the miniatures or teacup poodles and they usually are little spoiled ankle biters, that bark a lot and are hyper. Mostly due to the owners for not training them as a real dog, but treat them as a toy of sorts. I think what makes *any* dog stand out regardless of breed is the training. We are all in awe of a well trained dog. I run into this all the time. People will first note how cute Rufus is, but then go right into how well behaved he is and how well he listens.
You will always run into people that have negative things to say about any subject, but when they make negative remarks about a dog we love, it hurts more and deeper.

[1qrgkdwnfqccb]

Karen...i believe that the dislike of poodles stems from 2 things...1 (miniature) my grandmother had one, and as a youngster..i was petrified of mitsy... all that dog did was bark and then she growled,snarled,snapped and bit! the only person she was nice to was my Grammy...mitsy would sit on her lap and make this yarl yar yar noise, that i will never forget...that does not mean i do not like poodles...i didn't like her..but don't dislike them all! lol

2 (standard) i believe that people think that a standard poodle has to be painted pink with foo foo balls all over him, and i stress him because that is where you hear the worst comments....but that is NOT the case...i have seen soo many standards that are not groomed with pink foo foo balls, that are groomed similar to a shaggy doodle and i could not tell the difference!! so i think that it is not necessarily the bashing of the breed it is the bashing of what people first think of when the hear poodle...either yippy and mean or a male with pink foo foo balls!!

it honestly does not bother me one way or the other, i know that i have 2 wonderful dogs, that i love dearly and would not give up for the world...pure bred, hybrid, mutt, designer dogs..whatever, everyone has their own opinion...and so what if we have mutts...they are our mutts and we all love them dearly!! and those with pure breds...why should they care what kind of dogs we have?? i don't get it!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The reason I started this discussion was because I kept constantly seeing doodle owners on other forums, and even here, complaining about the "pure-bred snobs" trashing doodles as mutts, etc. On another forum, the administrator, who was a first-time dog-owner, was shocked by this. Others chimed in with nasty comments about how terrible purebred dogs are and how in-bred poodles are, etc.
As one who also made fun of the whole idea of doodles before I met Jack, and who still doesn't understand some of the toy poo-mixes, such as bichon-poos, etc., I thought it would be interesting to put the shoe on the other foot, so to speak. I honestly cannot understand how anyone could dislike a particular breed and at the same time want a dog that was half (or often three-quarters) of that breed. For example, as I said before, I don't care for the brachycephalic breeds such as pugs, and I would never in a million years want a dog that was half pug, no matter what the other half was. (No offense to those who DO like pugs!) And having spent my entire life in urban areas, I also lived with, loved, and knew many, many poodles and did not realize so many people were as unfamiliar with the real dogs (as opposed to the media portrayals) as seems to be the case. So part of it was true curiousity about these attitudes. But as I said, the other part was just to say, hey, if we don't want people belittling our doodles, we shouldn't have attitudes about the poodles (& other purebreds) either. I have learned a lot here, so I'm glad I started this discussion...it's been very interesting to see how many who never would have considered having a poodle have changed their minds thanks to our doodles!

[Ali]

I think this is the best idea to stop doodle bashing, I am not innocent myself for bashing other dogs. I as well chose a doodle over the poodle because of the looks, but growing up with poodles, I believe they are truly great dogs for those people that love their look.