Labradoodles  

I read somewhere that they were first bred in the 1970's...yet I had never heard of them until I saw a commercial. I can't remember if it was for Lowe's or Home Depot. They are supposed to be easy to train, shed less, have less odor and a low allergy coat. I also noticed that there are silver labradors. They are supposedly mixed with weims. Because labs are so popular, it seems some breeders are trying to concoct new versions to make more money. This could lead to health problems down the line.

They've been popular for several years now. I think the prices on them are absolutely ridiculous though! My mother in law bought one "variety", she paid almost 1000. for it too. She wanted one that would stay small, no more then 30 lbs, well, the dog hit 30 lbs at about 6 months old lol, so she was pissed. The dog is so hyper, almost worse then any lab I've seen. I'm not a fan, as far as I'm concerned, it's just another mutt you'd see at the pound, except people gave it a fancy name so they could charge more money for it.....I'd gladly pay 50. for a mutt, but not 1000. lol...

I have actually looked into getting one of these dogs. They are suppose to be good for people with dog allergies and great with little kids. The breeders I have found want people to pay $2500 for one. Sorry but there is no way I am gonna pay that much for a dog plus all the vet bills for the next 15 or more years. My children will either have to go without a dog or find another pet hubby isn't allergic to.

I have no heard of the potential health problems these dogs have but it stands to reason that there will be some just like other mixed dogs.

Every labradoodle we get in at work is an absolute nutcase. We recently had a couple customers bring in their dogs for boarding- one with a broken hip, one with a broken leg.. both from jumping around in the yard being psychos lol. I've never met a mellow one yet.

Another thing the labradoodles have in common... the owners want them nearly totally shaved... because of the shedding.

Poodles don't shed, however anyone who has owned a lab knows that labs shed horribly- you cannot combine the two and expect to get a non shedding dog. Yes, some will shed less than a lab, but that trait will not be passed on to every single puppy.

As for the high prices of these dogs...Save your money, adopt a shelter dog.

I love dogs and have always had one but could never understand why breeders want to mix them. Have you ever seen the Worlds Ugliest Dog contest? I feel really bad for those poor little dogs. It looks like there are some breeds that don't make a good match.

I can`t identify with these designer dogs. There is also cockapoohs and schnoodles. Which are mixtures of cockers and poodles and schnautzers and poodles. It is an odd trend because these dog just look like mixtures, as if the came out of an accident. I can`t understand that people are willing to spend so much for them. I think it will take quite a while until they are recognized breeds by the FCI which is the world breeding association.

They're so touch and go. Any dog purist will tell you that with any breeding you can either get the worst attributes of the sire and dam or the best. So while one puppy out of a litter of so called Labradoodles or Golden-Doodles (what a name!) might be hypo-allergenic, the other 8 will probably cover your house in wavy little coarse hairs.

Also, because most of these 'breeders' are in it for the profit of breeding these 'designer dogs', most of the parents don't have their health clearances.

Considering the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals has Goldens ranked 29th, Poodles 68th and Labradors 74th (out of 148 popular breeds) for Hip Dysplasia for their at-risk status, it means there are going to be a whole lot of overpriced mixed breeds with joint problems in a few years, with a whole lot of distressed families that are going to lose their beloved pets before their time.