ROLL CALL--Let's try to get an actual count on the numbers of doodles who shed

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Sign in here :    And brush off that hair on your sweater  too   ( wink )

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

" Hi my name is Joanne and I have a shedding doodle"

( LOL--sounds like I'm at an AA meeting or group therapy )

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi, I'm Karen, and I have an 85 lb. labradoodle who sheds non-stop, day in and day out, 365 days a year.
The hair does not brush off the sweaters...it embeds itself into the fibers. I could maybe get it off with a tweezer and about three months of spare time.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Out of my four, my Jack is the only one who sheds. His coat seems to go through stages throughout the year. In the Spring, he blows his coat and the rest of the year, it flies off. He has never had to be shaved down as the only part of him that grows out is his beard and top of his head. My groomer doesn't even charge me to do his beard. I trim the top of his head and he's good to go. He dries fast when wet (Ginger's fleece takes hours to dry) and never has a doggie smell, even though he sheds. DH, who is allergic to dogs & cats does not seem to be bothered by Jack, however.

[Jelane Hurst]

Misery loves company and I think I have company here!! Picked a doodle for the fact that they did not shed...ha!
She sheds worse than any other dog we have had. Try to brush her every day, but ...... try is the key word.
Like Karen with Jack, those long hairs get imbedded in a sweater or fleese and holy moley!!!! And wear black pants....looks like I have angora pants on. She is a F1 and I thought perhaps that was one of the reasons. Are the Fl's bigger shedders?
Trade her for another dog? Not on your life.

[Adina P]

F1's are the most likely to shed because you've just added a retriever to the poodle =) But they CAN shed at any generation thus far...even if it is less likely higher up.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Statistically, 70% of F1 labradoodles shed and are not allergy-friendly. These were the percentages that Wally Conron documented in the original Australian breedings when he was trying to develop a non-shedding guide dog. This is also why he abandoned the project. Once you get into higher generations, where there is almost no retriever left in the mix, the possibility of a true service dog (i.e. guide dogs, hearing dogs, physical assistance) is lost, because they needed the size, strength, stamina, and tractability of the retrievers for true service work. When you see the hype on the breeders' websites about the origins of labradoodles, that they were originally bred to be guidedogs for people with allergies to dogs, you never see the fact that the project failed.

[Cathy, Wally and Peaches]

Hi - Cathy here with the sweetest, most lovable Australian labradoodle who sheds. His name is Wally and we wouldn't trade him for ANYTHING!!!!!! - like you Karen & Jack, his hair doesn't brush off sweaters.... "it embeds itself into the fibers".

I just bought a new vacuum that really does a GREAT job of cleaning up his hair - a Miele!!!!

[Melissa & Porter]

I have a Miele Callisto. LOVE IT. It is 3 yrs old, I think, and works just as great as it did day 1. Has never acted up. It was worth every penny...lot of pennies ;-)

[Adina P]

My name is Adina and both of the F1 LD's I've had (I have Rosco now) have shed. Even Rosco, who "looks" nonshedding due to his curls. Luckily I never got the LD for non-shedding purposes and don't have allergies. But I have to admit, back when I got Rosco (he's 4 y.o. now) I assumed he'd NOT shed because he was the curliest. Again, I didn't choose him for that...only for temperament and so wasn't terribly disappointed when he created puff balls of orange fur in his crate immediately.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Adina--too funny

I only wanted a dog. When my husband's heart finally healed after he lost his dog and was ready for another--I rushed out the door the minute he said, "OKAY"

I did not want a White/Cream/Yellow dog because of the dark carpet--but I would have gladly taken a darker color who shed like crazy. I just wanted a dog.

So now I have a white dog who does not shed and a black dog who sheds like crazy.

Geesh, I am so happy.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

"I only wanted a dog." "I just wanted a dog."
Such a simple statement, and the only one that I personally feel is valid when people want to adopt rather than buy a puppy from a breeder.
People who love dogs have dogs. Period. They know about dogs, they read about dogs, they are familiar with dogs. If there are allergies in their families, they research breeds.They don't live without a dog or any knowledge of dogs until they are 40 or 50 years old, and then go out on a search for this perfect non-shedding, hypoallergenic, calm, good-natured designer dog because they saw one on TV or the neighbor got one. And they certainly don't try to adopt one to save money. If they have room in their homes, hearts, and lives to give to a homeless dog, there is no shortage of poodle mix dogs of every size, color, age, and background who desperately need someone to love and care for them. Doodles are "just dogs".
(I know this discussion is about shedding and not about the reasons people are looking to adopt doodles, but this is such an important issue to me that I had to comment. Diatribe over.)

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

(I know this discussion is about shedding and not about the reasons people are looking to adopt doodles, but this is such an important issue to me that I had to comment. Diatribe over.)

Oh Karen :)
What you said is exactly why I felt it important to start this group. Diatribe on!