What are the top things we need to educate about?

[Adina P]

Hi DK friends!

DK started an Instagram account just over a week ago and I'm trying to intersperse bits of education between photos. So far we've shared info on:

-- finding a rescue
-- choosing a responsible breeder
-- why doodles are not "hypoallergenic"

Now we can break each of these down into smaller bits of info and CONTINUE to educate on specifics, but wondering what you think are top priority OTHER topics worth doing education on via social media?  Some ideas I have are on poodle facts/history and retriever facts/hx for the sake of education on the parent breeds...but what else?

What should other doodle owners and potential doodle owners know?  What do you want to shout from the mountain tops?

[Leslie J]

Grooming!!! I had no idea when we got Cocoa how expensive and time consuming it was to maintain that gorgeous non-shedding fur!!! 

[Adina P]

So what specific things would you want people to know!  What is the time commitment and how much does Cocoa shed?  Does she have a shed that "looks" like she needs grooming?  How often do you brush/comb?  What tools did you have to buy?  

[Leslie J]

I grew up with Collies- they needed weekly brushing but it took about 10 minutes.  Cocoa needs constant brushing and combing (about an hour a week) plus a hair cut (at $90) about every six weeks.  It was especially challenging when we first got her because my three sons were young and it was hard to find the time.  I finally started keeping her hair cut short to preserve my sanity but that does kind of defeat the adorable shaggy doodle look.

Like many ALDs Cocoa doesn’t shed a bit but her lovely soft fur is constantly matting.  As much as I love her I’m not sure I would get another ALD again because the fur is so much work. It doesn’t help that although she behaves beautifully while being groomed she is miserable the entire time.

When people compliment her lovely non-shedding fur I feel compelled to warn them that there’s no free lunch- I have to hand comb out all the fur she’s “not” shedding. Maybe Cocoa has more challenging fur than other doodles?

[Adina P]

May I quote you?  Even as "DK member"?

[Leslie J]

Of course!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And here is what galls me about this. Poodle people have known these things for 200 years, lol. Non-shedding = lots of grooming time and expense.  Why are doodle breeders not giving their prospective owners the same information? 

It goes back to what I've said here time and again: unlike purebred breeders of every kind, doodle breeders never educate potential buyers on the "downside" of owning a doodle. The example I always use is a very famous article written by a Bouvier enthusiastic and usually posted on every Bovuier breeder's website, called "Don't Buy a Bouvier". http://www.jenarae.com/dontbuy.htm
Example from the article:

DON'T BUY A BOUVIER IF YOU ARE FASTIDIOUS ABOUT THE NEATNESS OF YOUR HOME. "The Bouvier's thick shaggy coat and his love of playing in water and mud combine to make him a highly efficient transporter of dirt into your home, depositing same on your floors and rugs and possibly also on your furniture and clothes. One Bouvier coming in from a few minutes outdoors on a rainy day can turn an immaculate house into an instant hog wallow. His full beard soaks up water every time he takes a drink, then releases same drippingly across your floor or soppingly into your lap. (It is of course possible to cut the beard off and to keep the feet clean-shaven year-round to reduce mess.) Although it is technically true that Bouviers do not shed, you will find that the grooming process usually results in balls of pulled out hair tumbleweeding their way about your house, unless you deposit same directly from comb into a trash basket. I don't mean to imply that you must be a slob or slattern to live happily with a Bouv, but you do have to have the attitude that your dog's company means more to you than does neatness and you do have to be comfortable with a less than immaculate house.

While all dogs, like all children, create a greater or lesser degree of household mess, almost all other breeds of dog (except the Old English Sheepdog) are less troublesome than the Bouvier in this respect. The Basenji is perhaps the cleanest, due to its cat-like habits; but cats are cleaner yet, and goldfish hardly ever mess up the house."

And:

DON'T BUY A BOUVIER IF YOU WANT A TOTALLY UNAGGRESSIVE AND UNPROTECTIVE DOG. "Most Bouviers have an assertive and confident personality. When confronted with a threat, a proper Bouvier will be somewhat more ready to fight than to flee. Thus he may respond aggressively in situations where many other breeds back down. Most Bouviers have some inclination to act aggressively to repel intruders on their territory (i.e. your home) and to counter-act assaults upon their pack mates (you and your family). Without training and leadership from you to guide him, the dog cannot judge correctly whom to repel and whom to tolerate. Without training and leadership, sooner or later he may injure an innocent person who will successfully sue you for more than you own. With good training and leadership from you, he can be profoundly valuable as a defender of your home and family. (See also remarks on stability and socialization above.)

If you feel no need of an assertive dog or if you have the slightest doubts of your ability and willingness to supply the essential socialization, training and leadership, then please choose one of the many breeds noted for thoroughly unaggressive temperament, such as a Sheltie or a Golden Retriever."

These are people who LOVE this breed. Which is why they don't want people who are not well prepared for the reality of living with one to get one. They are not being "negative". They want to protect their breed from ending up in shelters because owners were not educated about what they were buying. 
You can find similar articles about every other breed on the respective (good) breeders' websites.
Why don't doodle breeders do this? Are they afraid they will chase away buyers if they are honest? Is making a sale more important than the puppy's well-being? 

Who would want to give their money to such a person? 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I would also want them to know that it's possible to have the incredibly un-fun combination of:

- Seasonally shedding double coat that needs to be raked at season changes

- Curly coat that is prone to matting

- Undercoat that sheds all year long

- Top coat that continually grows and needs to be trimmed about once a month

That is what Riley has.  She is gorgeous but her coat is very high maintenance. Since she is so large I'd easily be spending $50-75/month (I'm guessing here) to have it groomed professionally, assuming she needs grooming every 6 weeks or so.  

Since I do all her grooming myself these are the tools I use:

- Grooming table
- Straight pin brush
- Undercoat rake (I have 2 different styles; a straight pin one and a curved bladed one)
- Straight comb 
- Long blunt tipped shears
- Thinning shears
- Short, curved blunt tipped shears
- Nail clippers
- Blowdryer

- Toothbrush

- Paw washing container (definitely optional but useful)

In addition there are the consumable grooming supplies:

- Cotton rounds and balls (for ear cleaning)

- Ear cleaning solution
- Detangling spray
- Shampoo
- Toothpaste

I might have missed something... and I don't have clippers since I like her coat longer.  In any case that's a big up front cost if you want to do the grooming yourself, and even if you don't, you'd need a few of those things just for in between professional groomings.

[Adina P]

Okay this is what I posted today.  With an attached blurb.

[Rosalyn Ancrum]

I love this!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

How about this? Natalie wants something positive, nothing more positive than showing doodles who are participating in and excelling at AKC performance activities, including Obedience. Let people know that their doodles can earn actual titles while having fun. So many doodle owners are totally unaware of the wide variety of activities that would be fun for them and their dogs. Agility, nose work, dock diving, tricks...show examples. We have members here who do these things. And find that doodle who is one of only 5 mixed breed dogs in the country to have earned a VCD title. 

[Adina P]

Which members have these doodles? 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A number of people do dock diving and agility. I know Stella does agility with her dogs, I can't remember who alse has posted about that or about dock diving but I know there have been posts. Gina's dogs have champion titles in nose work, and she teaches it. I've seen many people talk about doing Rally. I'm sure there are others involved in these things. You might get responses if you ask on the DK FB page for people whose doodles compete in performance activiites.