Want a designer dog? Check the pound.

Designer Dog?? What the heck is a designer dog you ask?? A "designer" dog (as the media has labeled them) is a cross between two purebred dogs. A purebred dog is one that has been bred over many generations to breed true. Meaning each puppy that is born looks and has the same temperament and characteristics as one another. In most cases a standard is written and breeders must follow this written standard. Only dogs which make the written standard are to be bred.

Purebred dogs are beneficial in that, when you buy a purebred dog you know what you are getting. You know how big your puppy will grow and you know basically what type of temperament and care the dog will need. You know the dogs limits, whether it is capable of agility, hunting, search and rescue, police work, herding, flock guardian, or just simply a companion dog. You have a pretty good idea if the dog will be good with your kids, you know if they will have a tendency to wander or if they will stick close to home. You have a pretty good idea if they will like strangers, or if they will fear them. When one breeds purebred dogs great care must be taken to insure the lines to not become too thin. Even with all the best DNA testing available, genetic problems can occur, however with the proper testing these problems can be greatly reduced. To give you a simple analogy, let's say there was a law passed that stated only people with blonde hair and blue eyes with a high IQ could have children, with the end goal, everyone in the USA to be smart with blonde hair and blue eyes. If this were to happen, as you can imagine, our gene pool would eventually become thin, and many genetic problems would occur. This is why it is very important to ask breeders breeding purebred dogs what types of genetic testing they perform.

Cross a Labrador with a Poodle (Labradoodle) and you may or may not get a dog that sheds. Genetic characteristics sort out randomly. So no matter what its breed or mix, an individual dog may be more or less allergenic, intelligent or healthy than another.

The real truth about Labradoodles?:

1. "They don't shed and are allergy friendly." FALSE.
FACT:
* Most Lab X Standard Poodles will shed (about 1 in every litter will not shed).
* Most will aggravate allergies. It takes multi-generational breeding to breeding that reduce the allergy.
* This means most Lab X Poodle will shed and aggravate allergies and asthma like any other dog may.

There is no way to know for sure if a cross-bred pup will not shed until it gets its adult coat (between 12-18 months old). Some pups appear not to shed until the adult coat comes in. Not even a Labradoodle breeder can guarantee the puppy you take home will not shed.

If you want or need an allergy friendly companion the 2005 American Kennel Club allergy info page lists the
following dogs as allergy friendly:
-Bichon Frise
-Bedlington Terrier
-Chinese Crested
-Kerry Blue Terrier
-Maltese
-Portuguese Water Dog
-Schnauzer
-Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

2. They are easier to train than a Lab. FALSE.
Fact:
* Due to the crossing of two different breeds there can be absolutely no guarantee a cross-bred pup will inherit the easy to train Standard Poodle personality.
* It could inherit the Lab train ability.... which is not a bad thing... Labs are not stupid! But it typically takes more repetitions to train a Lab than a purebred Standard Poodle.

3. Lower maintenance breed! I will not have to cut the non-shedding coat! FALSE.
Fact:
* The non-shedding coat needs to be cut 3-4 times a year. (Same as a Poodle)
* Regular brushing is a must or the dog will get matts and matts can be a breeding ground for parasites! (same as a Poodle)
* As well all ear hair must be plucked so the ears won't get infected - (same as a Poodle.)

4. They are the latest fad! A new breed!
Fact:
* YES they are the latest fad! Unfortunately that means once they are no longer a fad there will be many homeless pups in animal shelters.
* This has already begun in the USA and Australia. Many of these new 'designer dogs' are available at a discount prices at animal shelters.
* They are not a NEW BREED yet! The Labradoodle (or Goldendoodle) will not be considered a new breed genetically speaking until breeding two Labradoodles together will produce off spring which all look and act similar to all Labradoodles. A breeding must produce the same type (phenotype) and only that type generation after generation. This is also called breeding true or having a stabilized breed.

5. They are cute!
Fact:
* The curly haired Labradoodle looks as he does because his hair is cut into the 'Labradoodle' cut. (Anyone with a quality pair of clippers and a bit of time can learn to clip ANY curly dog into the same cut! This is not rocket science!)
* The thing to remember is ALL puppies are cute.
* No one can tell what a cross-breed will look like when it is an adult!
* Remember most of the dogs life will be spent as an adult. That cute puppy stage only lasts for a few MONTHS!

6. They will be healthier because they are not inbred like purebred dogs. FALSE.
Fact:
* Not all Pure-Bred dogs are inbred.
* Purebred Standard Poodles are statistically the healthiest and longest lived breed of dog.
* There is a misconception that by breeding two different breeds together you will produce a healthier dog. Unfortunately this is not true. Hybrid vigour in dogs is largely a MYTH.
* A Labradoodle can get the genetic problems common in BOTH breeds instead of just one.

One mis-informed Labradoodle breeder wrote:


"90% of all dog genetic health problems are recessive. This means that in order for a puppy to have
the health problem, both parents must carry it. By breeding two dogs of different breeds, without
similar health problems, we are breeding puppies with far less health problems! Crossbred dogs have
far less health problems, (hybrid vigor)."

* Using this theory the Lab should hot be bred to the Standard Poodle because they share most of the same health issues! Obviously this breeder did not do their genetic research.

The bottom line is both purebred and cross-bred dogs are susceptible to potential health problems.
The best way to reduce the risk of health problems is to not inbreed, health test breeding stock and MOST importantly make sure your breeder does extensive 10 generation pedigree research.

This is not to say that mutts make bad pets. This is not true at all, but don't get suckered into the con game of paying $1500-2000 for a "purebred, registered" Designer Dog (FYI, Mutts are NOT purebreds of any sort, as this indicates that they are only one breed, and can NOT be registered with an accepted registering body as those only accept PUREBRED dogs). Do your research, and if you are truly looking for a unique dog, visit an animal shelter near you.

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Related Resource: home health care