The other day I saw an ad in my local paper offering Labradoodle puppies for sale from "champion lines" for $850. I vented my outrage to my sister about the creation of mutts for profit to be sold to materialistic idiots who will throw down money on anything that sounds exotic. She said she has a friend who has terrible allergies to dogs and who researched what breeds she could possibly have. She found that Labradoodles that are bred back to each other for 3 generations produce completely allergen-free dogs. These dogs can go for quite a bit of money. Also, these dogs make good hunting dogs.

My gut instinct is this is a lot of crap. I'm not sure about what three generations of inbreeding will do to make them so fabulous, but good hunting dogs? Are there any hunting poodles out there? And aren't poodles already allergen free?

Kitty S.

There are a FEW hunting Standard Poodles out there, but very few. As far as allergen free, no dog is truly allergen free but some are significantly less allergenic and don't bother most allergic people. Then there are those of us who are allergic and still live with German Shepherds <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
I agree with you that Labradoodles and all those other "pedigreed" mutt dogs are ridiculous. I have nothing against mixed breed dogs. I have a lot against mixing breeds intentionally and then selling these dogs for hundreds or thousands of dollars touting them as "pedigreed!" Any dog can be pedigreed if you know its ancestry. Susy the mutt can be pedigreed even if every dog in her pedigree is a mutt. Doesn't make her worth $1000!

Okay, just wanted to clarify that my previous post was strictly about pets without any consideration to working dogs. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Elisabeth,great post.

Many of the dogs people buy to be companion dogs these days are highly inbred and suffer inbreeding depression as a result. Show breeders with their obsession for beauty pageant winning "type" are responsible for much of the inbreeding. So these dogs are more prone to disease and have shorter lifespans on average than dogs who are less inbred. Cross breeding is a way to obtain "hybrid vigor", progeny who are healthier, more fit, and live longer... ON AVERAGE... then either inbred parent.

However, hybrid vigor is most likely if folks don't breed the F1 hybrids to each other. Second, third, and fourth generation Labradoodles? That can cancel out the main advantages of cross breeding to produce pets.

Many guide dog organizations cross their carefully maintained golden retriever and Labrador retriever bloodlines. The "goldadors" are good working dogs, but they don't use the goldadors for breeding.

I don't know why anyone would pay that much money for a dog from pet lines, but I don't see it as any more "wrong" then those who sell dogs from purebred pet lines for that kind of money... or more.

Laura

I love seeing "cockapoo's* being sold at the Mall pet stores for $750. :rolleyes:

Sometimes I'm of the mind that if people are stupid enough to buy a clearly marked mixed breed thinking they're getting a "pedigree'd" dog, they deserve whatever they get. Sixty seconds of research on the internet by anybody whose IQ is over room temperature would make this type of scam unworkable, but lazy and/ or stupid people won't put forth the effort.
Too bad, they could pick up a mixed breed puppy at the local Humane Society for less than 1/10 the cost of the Mall store price and get an equally good dog.
*Sigh*

I've recently heard a lot about these dogs being offered as guide dogs for people with allergies. Sounds like a nice alternative...although the things aren't exactly very attractive...

But I've also seen them being offered for ridiculous prices, and people are actually paying for them...you'll actually find people who got out of breeding pure poodles or labs or goldens, because they get more money breeding the "doodles."

Also, a lot of the breeders are not breeding the mixes, they are sticking to breeding the two purebreds, whatever breeds they may be, and not their progeny. They say it's because after the F1 generations, the traits are not very consistent. They don't mention a thing about hybrid vigor...perhaps they don't realize this... :rolleyes: I've also seen sites where they breed F1 pups to poodles, for the reason of them being more allergenic. Some of the F1 crosses are less allergenic than others, they're not exactly real consistent...

These dogs are gaining popularity fast. And as long as people are willing to pay...it won't stop. As guide dogs...that's one thing...but to actually pay for them? I'll pass.

The overpriced mutts always make me think of the woman who worked with me who had just spent $2K on a ve-e-e-ery rare breed of dog. She looked down her nose and told me that the breeder said that even "dog people" like me wouldn't know about it because it was so new and rare -- A PooLoo. <snort> otherwise known as a shih tzu x poodle <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

She had a lovely 6 generation made up pedigree on parchment with gold edges and a fancy piece of registration paper from the "world kennel club" or whatever.

Here in the land of puppy mills, I've seen a bunch of longhaired beagles, blue merle akitas, "dapple" schnauzers, mini-bulldogs and other oddities with perfectly legit AKC registrations. And they weren't even "designer" breeds. Just another AKC number on a questionable litter.

Around here *doodles are running $1250 to $3000 for "breeding stock". <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I just dont understand why this breed was started to begin with <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> I am not smashing it in any way but I just don't get it. I mean each individual breed used to get the "Doodle" dog has it's own specialty. I guess I am from the old school that says "If it aint broke don't fix it" I have seen some and they are interesting and I suppose they might have their place, but so did the breeds they used to create them. If you are allergic what's wrong with the standard Poodle? Progress :rolleyes: I guess you just sit back and watch <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />