By Heidi Clayton
Designer dogs have been around for a long time. A few years ago the rage was the “puggle” and the “cockapoo.” The latest fad in mixing breeds is the “doodle.”
Doodle mixes are being mass produced and have become very profitable money-making ventures with the poodle being mixed with literally anything.
While I always suggest to anyone looking for a good family dog to consider getting a standard poodle from a reputable breeder or adopting a homeless dog, I also believe that you should be able to get any dog you’d like. The mass-produced doodle mixes are being bred to make money, not produce a healthy puppy with a sound temperament.
Mixing two breeds is a genetic roll of the dice with zero guarantee that you will get the best of both breeds. Most people aren’t aware that poodles are a swimming and duck retrieving breed and not at all “foo-foo” dogs.
Mixing a poodle with a golden retriever who was also bred to retrieve can lead to bitey and wired-tight puppy. I have trained dozens of doodle mixes and it is my experience that anxiety has become a genetic trait of poor mixing. They struggle with processing overstimulation and excitement.
The list of anxiety-related issues that are reported to me by owners is excessive drooling and car sickness when traveling, fear urinating when confronted with sudden changes, and a scream or yelp that is rather alarming when they are overstimulated or scared.
I like to tell my doodle mix clients that their puppy comes with a whole lot of extra. You will need infinite patience during the first two years of their lives and a lot of time to devote to shaping emotional responses to the world. They are not the best choice for a first-time dog owner who has never owned a puppy.
Most of the people breeding these doodle mixes are not starting with dogs that have rock-solid temperaments, but most likely with puppy mill stock. They are in the business of breeding doodles for money and charge a lot of money for a mixed-breed dog.
One page I visited is charging $4,500 for a Bernese mountain dog-poodle mix of a specific color. Selling 20 puppies in a year at that price nets about 90 grand. That’s a lot of money for a mixed breed.
If you are in the market for a doodle mix, I suggest that you look for a breeder that has health tested the parents of these mixes. I have had several golden, Lab, and Bernese doodle mix puppies that were purchased for upwards of $5,000 that have hip dysplasia, bad knees, and in the Bernese, a blood disorder that could prove fatal when given certain medications.
Insist on seeing vet records of the parents before giving anyone a penny. And never pay more for a color because the color never means they are more valuable or are better dogs.
There is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog. Poodles, and a few other purebred dogs, are considered “low-shedding dogs,” but they all require extensive grooming and, when brushed, shed a ton of hair.
If you are mixing a golden or husky (both breeds that shed a lot) with a poodle, there is no way to know that the puppy will inherit the low-shedding coat of the poodle.
If you must doodle or poo, insist on health testing of the parents and never buy one sight unseen.
Heidi Clayton is a retired 25-year veteran of the Atlantic City Police Department. She started Four on the Floor Dog Training as a result of her own struggle to find a positive and reward-based dog trainer in South Jersey. She is passionate about giving every dog, even the difficult ones, a voice and the skills they need to thrive in life. She breeds, trains, and shows her own bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Kennel name.
