The Argument FOR Doodles, I'd Love Some Insight.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I have come across a whole lot of negativity because I chose a doodle. I am sure I'm not the only one here who has encountered this attitude. I have done a lot of research on dog breeds since I was very young, and it's hard to hear people make judgments on my breed of choice, due to the bad rap "designer dogs" get. Don't get me wrong, I don't support breeding every possible dog to a poodle. Quite the opposite, I feel that breeds should only be created if it's a beneficial mix. There should be numerous logical reasons for the mix, and it should only be done with a lot of preparation and knowledge. I think back yard breeders or any thoughtless breeders are bad, for ANY breed of dog. 

On the flip side, Darwin's appearance draws a lot of people, and I have heard so many "Where can I get a dog like him?" questions.  I have had many people ask me where they can buy a "cheap" Goldendoodle, because they see Darwin and love his furry appearance. They don't realize the time I take for training, grooming, and health issues with Darwin. I always try and educate them, but it's so much information to communicate. I really want to write a blog post for my personal blog, explaining my choice and presenting the truth about "doodles and designer breeds." I have searched for past topics on this (I saw an amazing discussion on this but can't find it) and I was hoping to call for everyone's collective thoughts. 

Anyways, this is long winded. As you can see from this paragraph, I am not the most organized at presenting my opinions. I made an informed decision and am educated on the pros and cons. It's just hard for me to organize all of my thoughts and present it well. I'm hoping for other's thoughts and insights, to help me write this post. I'd love links, thoughts, and a discussion on the argument about how awful  "designer breeds/breeders/owners" are. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There is another aspect though to what Karen is saying that does apply exclusively to labradoodles and other mixed breeds who are bred solely for profit, regardless of how carefully the breeders may avail themselves of whatever genetic health testing is available.
Pure bred breeders who show their dogs and earn championships do not breed dogs under the age of two or three. They wait until their dogs have earned their championships. At that age, genetic diseases that cannot be tested for, like Atopic Dermatitis, which is what Jack has and what Karen's dog will be tested for, would have made themselves known, and those dogs affected would not be bred. In addition to this, since the disease runs in Labrador retrievers, a very experienced lab breeder would know which lines were affected and avoid those lines in their breeding program. The same with diseases that run in poodles or goldens but cannot be tested for. Many doodle breeders, even those who do test to the extent it is possible, are just not familiar enough with the parent breeds to know if their dogs are from lines that carry some of these diseases.

[Camilla and Darwin]

That is a good point Karen, I hadn't thought of that.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

In my not-an-expert terminology that is what I was trying (and badly) to say. i.e. That breeders of pure bred registered show dogs have more 'safety checks' that happen that don't happen so much with doodle breeding. Thanks Karen and JD for saying it much better and more clearly.
I am so sorry for Molly. Itching is no fun for humans or dogs.

[michele, puddy & milo]

Karen,
Have you already tried raw food? It might be worth it. Allergies can be really rough to deal with, but some can really be helped by raw. Our cat had diarrhea for the first 7 months that we had him, we would change foods - slowly - tried all kinds of allergy brands, in addition to all kinds of testing - then a rescue person told me when they have a cat with a problem like that, they always put them on a very high quality wet food or raw. I went for the raw, figuring that was more different than all the things we tried already. Within 24 hours he no longer had diarrhea and it's been about 5 months now. Nature's Variety makes frozen patties that we just need to thaw out. We feed 1/2 patty a day to our cat, which works out to $1.00/day. A dog would obviously cost a lot more which could become cost prohibitive - but if it worked, it would cost you less than the vet bills. Just another idea to try if you haven't already. I used to have a purebred collie that had food allergies too. After several years a vet put him on Eukaneuba Fish & Potato which worked for him.

[Vicky & Cassidy]

I was going to suggest feeding raw, also, but thought she might already be overwhelmed. I am a feeding raw rookie, and am still in the zealous stage, but so far Jamaica loves it and I know it is better for her. Think about it for Molly ~ it really is quite easy.

[Christine & Shelby]

I also have been lucky to not have any negative comments - just lots of questions and "oh I want a labradoodle". I also seek to educate.... yes, non-shedding is great - however, the flip side is lots of grooming to keep her looking so cute and soft. Good food, good breeders, health testing, training, exercise.... training, training, training!

[Pocket & Beth]

We encounter both sides of the coin pretty frequently (people who love/want a doodle and people who are standoffish because of the "designer dog" stigma.) In either case, we always let people know our sweet Pocket was a rehome, which gives us the opportunity to talk about the pros and the cons: Cons = why his family had to give him up (high energy, allergies, and thus quality food and medication cost, their need of exercise and mental stimulation, grooming, etc). Pros= why we patiently searched for six months to find and adopt a rescue doodle (smart, loyal, goofy, energetic, social and non-sheddding).

A friend sent this news article to my DH awhile back:
Labradoodle Pioneer Regrets Fashioning 'Designer Dog' - http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/05/02/labradoodle-pioneer-regrets...
They are both into cars, and this was my DH's response. I thought you all (and your DHs) may appreciate it as much as I did. :)

"I can definately appreciate where the dog purist / doodle haters are coming from. It is like putting a Chevy V8 into an e30 M3. Tragic from a purist's perspective. Or perhaps a better example is putting a ford V8 into an AC Ace, thus producing the Cobra, one of the dopest cars the world has ever seen... Plus, I don't really think it's that big of a deal that traditional breeds are being devalued. Most all of the breeds were "designed" over a short period of time in the 1800s and some of them were bred for weird ass reasons with bizarre outcomes (like the bulldog). What's wrong with coming up with a few new breeds now that were bred with the intention of being the perfect pet? And the idea of spending a bunch of money on an awesome type of dog that is a mutt doesn't seem any worse to me than spending a bunch of money on a dog just because it is purebred and looks good prancing around a dog show. But then again, people with a similar attitude would say that it is crazy to buy a bone stock e30 m3 for more money than a modern car that is faster, safer, more comfortable, and more reliable costs... They're just not car purists, and I'm not really a dog purist..."