Opinions on 'craze' crossbreeds? Discussions

I honestly thought with the whole credit crunch that the craze of 'designer' crossbreeds would subside a bit...but if anything things are getting worse and certain mixes are in very high demand and are selling for vast amounts of money.

I recently saw a several pups from a Maltese x Poodle litter £900 a pup. Cocker x Poodles are currently selling for £600 each and there were F4 Labrador x Poodles at £800.

There are entire litters of pedigree pups ending up in rescue as they are unsold, there are mixed breeds in rescue that no one wants yet people will pay top ££ for certain x and seem to have few worries as to how/where these pups are being bred.

Great Dane x Poodles are the latest 'must have' apparently the harlequin coloured ones achieve the highest prices.

Vizsladors
Jackchis
Irish Vizslas (IWS x Viz)
Rizslas (Ridgeback x Viz)
Jugs (Pug x JRT)
Pugles (Beagle x Pug)

I try hard not to smile when people state these names when asked the breed!

I just don't get it.:?

I personally think it is ridiculous that these Crossbreeds are selling for as much as pedigree dogs. But then again, I can't say too much as I am an owner of a "designer" dog myself, who I paid a decent chunk for and I will argue to the death with anyone who tells me that she was not worth every penny or that I should have got a pedigree or rescue instead. Saying that, my next do will, almost certainly, be a pedigree.

As this is the case I can very much see both sides of this argument. We were very careful and very lucky with Lilly. We happened upon her breeder (OH was surveying her house), saw Mum (GR) with the litter when they were only days old. Saw proof of all health checks, adult from a previous mating and photo's of day as well as his papers (poodle). We also Visited her weekly until we collected her and really got to know her breeder well. I worry about the amount of people who just throw two breeds together because it gives them a funny name (rizlas? Really?) or because they think they can make a quick buck. When we first got Lilly I was INTENT on breeding. She would have made a lovely Mummy and we had the perfect Dog to mate her with, but having been on Forums such as this and just generally seen what is happening in the world I decided I could not personally in good concious bring a litter of what were essentially expensive mongrels into the world and then sell them to people who could do the same but not as carefully as we would have. So we had her done.

I'm going on a bit now, so I'm going to shut up, but one last point

If This is true, then I think we also need have few worries as to how/where these pedigree pups are being bred also. I find it hard to believe that any responsible breeder would put a litter of puppies into rescue, but perhaps I'm being Naive.

Thank you for replying - it's interesting to hear another perspective and I bet your dog is lovely.

It's not a case of 'if' litters of pedigrees are going into rescue - it's happening all the time. I personally rehome a fair few dogs and have just rehomed the 6th 6m old Springer pup from the same litter, the same is happening over and over all over the country. Responsible breeders generally will have a waiting list, responsible breeders care about the welfare and future lives of these pups. Recently I have seen litters of our own breed (Vizslas) slashed in price (£800 down to £200) just to get 'rid' of the last of the litter...this results in the wrong people buying a pup because the price was right. We often get people asking 'what breed could I afford for x price'.

So far, since January 1st I personally have rehomed 17 dogs - this may not seem like a huge amount but I am a single person with no kennels/charity status.

From a health point of view I don't think we are seeing the full picture with a lot of these x's.

I love the look of the Cocker x Poodle - I think they are lovely little dogs..however, I wouldn't pay £600 + for one.

I don't mind writing cocker x poodle or whatever x whatever on vaccinations cards etc - but I refuse to run with the whole ridiculous made up name thing and write it under 'breed'. It's amazing how many people however are greatly offended by 'x' being written alongside 'breed'.

I know a fair number of GR x Poodle - lovely dogs, their coat is amazing - how do you find grooming?

Got to agree with Abbey here. I have no problem with Pedigrees being bred. I have no problem with mongrels being bred. IF THEY HAVE HOMES TO GO TO, and obviously, if those homes are right for the dog in question.

The fact is, there are too many dogs for homes. My two gorgeous boys are both rescues, but I can understand people who want a pedigree. For show, for breeding, for a certain role...

Designer dogs get on my wick. They are mongrels/crossbreeds, call them what you like. When the next fad comes in, they will be forgotten.

There is an amazing array of dogs available, to suit every need. If you can't find a pedigree dog that does it for you, have a look in the rescues. And, get a grip. Spending £600.00 on a mongrel, when you could have saved a dog is a bit mad.

I saw a "Malt-tzu" on the park the other day. I was tempted to say that it was a good idea the names were arranged that way round and it was not called a "Shiht-ese"!

Saw 2 "Poo-adors" in Southwold today. Lovely looking dogs but very bouncy large dogs.

I like the Cocker x Poodles we have met, they seem delightful little dogs and seem to have a Poodle coat so presumably would be non-shedding but I certainly wouldn't be paying this sort of money for a cross-breed either and wouldn't take the risk of it being non-shedding as I'm asthmatic and have to have a non-shedding breed of dog.

I can just about put up with the name combos, what I can't tolerate is the illogic of some of those who buy or sell them.

An example.

I want a lab x poodle because I need a low shedding dog.

Why not just get a poodle? they're low shedding already.

I don't want a poodle temperament.

Then why are you wanting a poodle cross?...there're other low shedding breeds you know.

Next one.

Pure breeds are all unhealthy mutants and crosses are all healthy.

So, how does 2 unhealthy mutants produce a litter of super healthy crosses?...maybe they sprinkle them with fairy dust.

And another one.

The pups will have the best trates of both parents.

'Will', you know that for certain do you? what did you see it in your toast, like those who claim to have seen Jesus there too.

They may end up with the best trates of both, the worst trates of both, but more likely some combination of them.

Only a few individual pups from each litter are totally non-shedding - the others shed to different degrees...this is the reason so many end up being rehomed..they are bought by allergy sufferers but after a few months the new owners are affected by the ones who do shed.

I like the personality of the Cocker x Poodle, I see a lot of them through work and have rarely met a snappy one. However I struggle with the whole designer craze and unless one came into rescue I wouldn't have one.

We have had 11 dogs in the past 22y (still have 5 of them) - out of the 11, 4 were x's - 3 of these 4 were rescues, of the remaining 7 pedigrees, 3 of them were rescues.

I can totally understand why people want a certain breed/type - it's personal choice. We worked/showed the Vizslas, the PRTs and the BT were shown. We don't show anymore.

I just wonder if people who buy these designer x realise how much puppy farming is behind these x - BYB's and puppy farms have jumped on this money bandwagon and are milking it for it as long as it lasts.

Tazer - we posted at the same time - totally agree with what you are saying.

I see a good percentage of Labrador x Poodles in behavioural clinics, they are large, strong and generally boisterous dogs, they can be very determined and seem to take the Labrador side when it comes to eating anything! The JRT x Poodles whilst small can be a bit on the bolshy side and need strict handling (generally). So often, the latter are bought for older people and are expected to be lap-dogish...these are high energy little dogs!

One cross that have a tendency to problems are the Pug x a good number have luxating patellas and some of the Shar Pei x still have skin and ear problems.

Many designer x from BYB and puppy farms are not from health tested stock and this can cause problems.

Don't have a problem with them. Don't have a problem with the price if it is comparable with either of the pedigree mix provided they come from a responsible breeder who carries out the necessary health checks (after all, good breeding doesn't come cheap)

Its amazing that people actually fall for the sales pitch.

Met a lovely lab x poodle pup a couple of days ago. Just looked like a small lab puppy, even had the coat type.

The owner said something like, don't think thats going to turn curly. Just made it seem that they hadn't got what they'd been hoping for. Also something in the tone of voice didn't appear to appreciate me commenting on how much of the lab trates he'd inherrited. Apparently, he was already starting to molt.

"Mixes" don't always mix. I have a Lab x Collie. Woo, a Lollie, Collador! He is a beautiful dog.

He has a lab body, and collie legs, and has had trouble with his joints. Maybe only what other dogs have, but I think it may have helped if his body was more is proportion...

He has one Collie ear, and one lab ear. I am not joking. If you want a first cross, I got one. He isn't so much a mix, as a hastily put together

He is a star, I loves him,.

I sincerely wish that this was the reality and I think if it was I wouldn't have such an issue. Local to me are 2 'brewery's' and I use the term lightly - the 'doodles' are bred in sheds with no/little light, the min poodle stud dog is a 13y old blind dog with a large anal adenoma. Local animal authorities cannot close this breeder down as the animals have 'adequate food/water/shelter'.

I now work closely with the breeder and in very small ways am trying to improve the lives of the dogs. I now take any damaged pups - the latest being a pup born with a leg missing (breeder only noticed when pup was 6w old). I am also now rehoming ex-breeding bitches.

Of course, there will be responsible breeders who health check and are good breeders - sadly, many are not.

We had a breeder of loads of different crosses on here and when asked what tests he done his reply was ''i know my dogs they dont need testing''
health checks and health testing are not the same ..
Maybe he is still on here under another name ..

I love the look of cockapoos to, mind you only when they've been bred with American Cocker Spaniels and not the English Cocker Spaniel...

The Labradoodle is probably the one that really kicked the crossbreed craze into over drive...anyhow.

I do and I don’t have a problem with it(if that makes sense). Quite a few recognized breeds came into existence by the crossing of two breeds...the Wirehaired Vizsla is the one that comes most to mind(well to me anyway) Also, quite interestingly I cant remember what or when it was on but it was about puppies I think? Anyway, they was talking about Dalmatians and how through generations of breeding they had lost a gene(sp?) I think it was and they crossed them to another breed(sp?) to bring said lost gene back in to them. I cant remember if that’s correct but I think that’s what the breeder did.

I guess sometimes it can be useful and important. My point was that it’s not just backyard breeders who are doing it, some breeders do take it very seriously and go about it the right way. I just have a problem with the people who do it to make a quick buck and to create the latest craze and must have cross breed...

Might cause a bit of a stir but I don't see what difference there is between one of these x breeds compared to any other breed... They're all dogs and all should have a loving home where they get cared for, they shouldn't be bred unless they are wanted and shouldn't end up in shelters.
I thought the cost of buying a puppy when to covering the care it had recieved, and if they have had all the health checks done on the parents then I know it can be quite expensive. But I've only had rescue dogs and would prefer to stick to rescues.
I have never had a pedigree dog, but OH would like a rottie, I don't mind if he gets a x or not just as long we get a youngish one that we can socialise properly.

I can understand when 2 pedigrees are mixed for a reason - the case of the Wire Vizsla - the Smooth wasn't hardy enough and felt the cold so an equally sized dog/slightly larger dog was created to 'solve' these problems.

I guess the question re the designer mixes is why??

Dobedoodles, Germandoodles, Jackchi's etc etc - if adding one breed to another does nothing for the breed, what's the point?? Supply and demand?

Done properly, breeding and having a litter isn't cheap, however rearing them in a barn, feeding them crap and leaving them to live in their own filth is very cheap.

Interesting debate, it's nice to see a debate on this in which people are looking at both sides.

As to the above point, I'm not sure how true it is but my research has suggested that lab x poodle was first bred in an attempt to create a guide do for allery sufferers, so I suppose you could argue that there was a point to it.

A real pet hate of mine is when you see poodle crosses advertised as "non-shedding" it instantly shows me that the breeder does not have a clue. Even, not sure how to term this, 'doodle supporters' are against this. Lilly is non-shedding. She had the thick woolly poodle coat with a trace of gr to it. Her grooming is hard work as if it is left it matts badly, so its an everyday grooming job. Our friends have a lab x poo which had the typical lab coat but loner. It sheds like mad and barely needs a brush. There are pros to both coat types. I worry that what is being created is something similar to what my OH tells me happened with boxers (disclaimer: I adore boxers and OH's parents used to breed them years back) where a white boxer is valued at significantly less that a brown one, resulting is some breeders, apparently, just getting rid of them. Not sure how true that is.

There is no way that these poodle crosses should be advertised as an old persons lap dog. Lilly would have my mam off her feet. My mam adores her, but about a year after we got her she wanted a dog and wanted to look for a mini-doodle. When I went into her reasons with her I convinced her that she would be better with a mini-poodle, which is what she got in the end. I think too many people are just going for 'doodles' as they are 'in' in the same way not so ling ago everyone wanted a handbag dog because celebs were abusing, I mean carrying them.

When we were looking for a poodle for my mam I was horrified by the amount of places that I thought, or was confident, were puppy farms. My mam was a bit clueless so all the research was mine, every time she saw a cheap do she thought it was a good idea. She paid a lot in the end but I saw both parents in a happy, family environment. I think the issue of puppy farms is not one which can be looked at only in relation to crosses. Perhaps it is giving them more opportunity, but there are SO many ill pedigrees comin from these places too that it is horrifying. I'm not sure what the solution is, I would love to suggest some kind of breeders license but I think that would be a tax on the good breeders ignored by others.

The one thing I really wish, is that people (not on here) would stop giving me a hard time because I chose to have a poodle cross. Some people can be horrific about it

Also guilty of liking the cocker/poodle x's in particular the american cockers, but I couldn't justify paying that sort of sum for one. Nothing to do with them being a crossbreed, it makes no odds too me, but I wouldn't pay that much for a dog with no health testing and if I didn't feel the breeders were doing everything for the right reaosn (and imo you can breed a X litter for the right reasons and motives sometimes), yet this also applies to a breed of purebreeds too, would only pay out for a health tested, ethically bred dog with a great temperament and froma line of healthy, well tempered dogs.

I'm sorry to hear you get a hard time from some people Greenfae, that's unfair, you sound like a very sensible person who took buying a pup seriously.

Re the Lab x Poodles - I believe they were 'tested' as Guide Dogs, however the GDFB had limited success with this mix. I see the Poodle x constantly advertised as 'hypoallergenic' and 'non-casting' also I've seen them talked of as 'hair free - the ultimate dog for the allergy sufferer' - this of course is not true and does lead to many being rehomed when allergies flare.

There is a trend in this area for mini doodles - these are F1 Lab x St Poodle, F2 Labrador x St Poodle x Min Poodle, F3 the aforementioned cross back to another Min Poodle - these matings are producing litters where roughly 4/10 are 'mini doodles' the height/body size of cocker spaniels with a thick, almost affro style wool coat. The larger pups in the litter don't appear to command the extortionate prices of the mini - I saw one recently that the new owner had paid £1k for - beautiful, happy pup - but who knows what damage could be done in shrinking these dogs down through so few generations?

Really interesting debate though - thanks all.

They were first bred in Australia for a blind person who was also allergic - as you say with limited success. The man who first bred them has said that he wishes he hadn't now!