Are there any cons to doodles and other designer dog breeds?
Yes, there can be some disadvantages. First, designer breeds to tend to cost more on average than many purebred dogs. Here we explain the high price of doodles.
Simple economics can help us understand the higher cost of doodles. Supply and demand affects the dog breeding business, too! Doodles and most other designer breeds are a relatively recent breed.
The first doodles were not bred until the 1990’s in the United States. Most other dog breeds have a long history that goes back several centuries! The relatively recent development of the doodle breeds combined with their popularity means that demand is high. Many reputable breeders have long waiting lists. As long as the demand continues to exceed supply, the price of doodles will continue to be higher than some other less popular breeds.
Another downside, is that because designer breeds have become so popular so quickly, there are a lot of less-than-reputable breeders jumping on the bandwagon, so to speak. We have written several articles (link here) to help identify reputable breeders and avoid puppy mills or scammers. It is extra important to do your due diligence as a buyer of a designer breed.
On this note, an unethical doodle breeder may not be bringing out the best of both breeds. As mentioned previously, there is no historical breed standard to go by when breeding designer dogs. This can be a strong positive if the breeder uses his freedom to really focus and select parent dogs for health and temperament as opposed to coat color, eye color, etc. However, this lack of a breed standard can be a negative if the breeder is not careful in his selection process. The result can be unpredictability in how the puppies will turn out.
If your breeder does not appropriately temperament and health test their parent dogs or have a good understanding of coat genetics, they may be producing puppies that do not have the best characteristics representative of their purebred parents. As an example, a poor understanding of coat genetics can produce flat-coated goldendoodles that end up shedding just as much as their Golden Retriever parent.
Size is another physical characteristic that can be unpredictable in designer crosses if a breeder does not carefully breed their dogs down through multiple generations. Let’s take a mini goldendoodle as an example. We do not recommend first generation (or F1) mini goldendoodles as the size difference between the two parents is too great for structurally sound offspring. For example, some breeders may breed a Golden Retriever (around 70 lbs) with a Toy Poodle (around 4 lbs.) via artificial insemination. This pairing is clearly unnatural and the resulting offspring can have structural abnormalities — long backs, short legs and other disproportionalities.
Furthermore, the larger the disparity between the two parents’ sizes, the more unpredictable the weights of their offspring. While most puppies will likely fall somewhere in the middle of the two parents’ weights, it is certainly possible that they could take after one parent such that a first generation “mini” goldendoodle could end up being quite large like his Golden Retriever parent.
Busting Some Myths About Designer Dogs
Many people ask me about getting a designer dog, also known as a hybrid or a crossbreed. Usually it’s because they have allergies, and they’ve heard that designer dogs don’t shed or are hypoallergenic. Another common belief is that designer dogs have fewer health problems or will combine the best qualities of each of their parents. While it would be great if that were the case, it doesn’t always work out that way.
When two dogs mate, each parent contributes half of the genes that determine a puppy’s characteristics, but the selection is random. There’s no guarantee, for instance, that a Puggle will have a Beagle’s cute face and a Pug’s laid-back personality. He could have a Pug’s short face and breathing problems, and a Beagle’s desire to roam and howl.
Crossing two different breeds doesn’t necessarily diminish the risk of health problems, either. In fact, crossbreeding can introduce health problems into the mix, or intensify problems such as hip dysplasia or eye disease that two breeds might share. We know from health registry statistics that Labradoodles have a higher percentage of poor hips than Labradors or Poodles alone, for example.
And not all hybrids come with an easy-care or low-shedding coat. That cute Puggle is the offspring of two breeds known for being what I like to call hairy hand grenades. The facial wrinkles that give him such a serious expression must be cleaned regularly to prevent infection. A Cockapoo’s coat might have the tight curls of his Poodle parent, or the straight or wavy hair of his Cocker half. Either way, he’ll need professional grooming every four to six weeks to look his best.
The fact is, dogs are individuals. Even dogs within particular breeds vary in the amount of dander they produce (which is what affects how likely they are to set you off sneezing), as well as how healthy they are or what type of coat they’ll have. Crossing two breeds doesnt eliminate any of these issues, and in some cases, might make them worse.
Do designer dogs have more inherent health problems?
It depends on a lot of issues. If we are talking about puppies produced in a cross between two breeds, it is actually likely that those puppies will have fewer genetically based health problems; you have the offspring of two unrelated dogs. If, however, you then breed these puppies with each other to produce more designer dogs, you are likely to have far more genetically based health issues.
One way to combat this inbreeding problem is to create a large number of the cross-bred dogs and to use many or most of them in the subsequent breeding to enlarge the new âbreed.â The more unrelated dogs that are used, the less likely that there will be an increase in genetically based problems. As these designer dogs achieve âbreedâ status themselves, they face the same issues with genetic health problems that face current breeds.Related article
Breeds with those squished-in faces are charming â but their health issues are not.
Why You Shouldn’t Buy A Designer Dog
Should I buy a designer dog? Since the first designer dog was created in Australia by Wally Cochran, the trend for producing designer dog breeds has increased dramatically. Some people are unhappy with the new designer dog trend and are concerned about the future health problems these dogs may face. This article aims to help people understand more about designer dogs, together with the darker side of the industry and how to avoid.
Designer dogs are continuing to grow in popularity, but should you support this growing trend by buying one? There have been a number of reports warning people of the health problems faced by some of these dogs, and these include breathing problems, arthritis, and weak bones. Many of these designer breeds have hypoallergenic coats, and this may be one of the reasons why they have become popular family pets.
I have two friends who live in Devon in the UK, they have recently purchased the most adorable Cocker Poo, (Lola,…the show girl) as the name suggests it is a cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle (in this case a Toy Poodle. With a whimsical name like
Cocker Poo it sounds adorable. It actually is adorable. But in meeting Lola I wanted to ask the question about is it ethically and morally right to purchase a mixed breed
A designer dog is basically a crossbreed that can come in just about every shape, colour, and size. The first designer dog was the labradoodle, and this was produced in Australia by a man called Wally Cochran who worked for the Royal Guide dogs in Victoria. His task was to produce a guide dog for a blind woman whose husband suffered from allergies. Wally eventually produced the labradoodle by crossing a Labrador with a standard poodle.
Many people think that designer dogs have fewer health problems than purebreds and will inherit the best qualities from each of their parents. There is no guarantee of this, and crossbreeding can actually introduce health problems into the mix. Labradoodles, for example, are known to have a higher percentage of poor hips than Labradors and poodles. It is also a myth that all designer dogs come with a low-shedding coat.
When considering a designer dog, it is important to do all the usual checks you would do when looking to buy any puppy. You should also check out the breeder’s credentials to ensure that they are working within acceptable conditions.
The size and temperament of a designer dog cannot always be fully guaranteed, as the dog could inherit more genes from one parent than the other. It is always best to 
buy your dog from a reputable breeder and ask to see the parents of the litter before making any decisions. It may also be a good idea to speak to other people who have purchased dogs from the same breeder.
Many designer dog breeders are actually dedicated to producing the perfect breed standard and therefore charge high prices for their puppies. These designer breeds are not just crossbreeds with fancy combo names, as mating two crossbreeds rarely results in a 50-50 cross. To produce a 50-50 cross, a breeder needs to use two good purebred dogs, which then limits the number of people who can breed them. Prices are also determined by the popularity of the breed and can be further inflated if a number of celebrities are seen with a particular designer dog in tow.
A designer dog does not necessarily make a better companion than a purebred dog. Many people are drawn towards designer dogs because they are influenced by the publicity many of these dogs receive. It is therefore best to decide what type of dog best suits your lifestyle before setting your sights on a particular breed. If you want a dog that will go running with you, for example, then you will require a low-maintenance and obedient dog that has lots of energy and endurance. If, on the other hand, you want a dog that is great with children then you will require a dog that is gentle, friendly, and easy to train.
This required further research and sad to say there is a dark side, many of the cross-breeds are left with terrible debilitating pain, this because of genetic defects when breeds are mixed with unregulated breeders. The demand is for smaller and cuter dogs, just like those we often see accompanying celebs on their Instagram. Many of these tiny breeds suffer breathing difficulties weak bones and arthritis.
Kennel Club say “Rogue breeders are mass-producing the puppies to meet the latest Celebrity-driven trend” That is not to say the celebrities are to blame, far from it. Perhaps the breeders should consider their own part in this trade.
Puppy farming is always a risk, lately a new influx of designer puppies are arriving from Eastern Europe. These countries do not have to undergo the welfare standards we expect. So with a frightening statistic of between 50-75% of small designer dogs, together with the flat nosed breeds, they are suffering from chronic breathing problems. We need to look carefully at the moral and ethical implications together with the route your puppy took to arrive at your door.
With this in mind and with your own research you can avoid this trap. Granted it won’t stop the trade but it by doing the right thing it will reduce the criminal activity if the buyers are reduced.
I am a sucker for the cocker poos and the Westie/Cairns, (not sure if they have a witty name) but these are my two favourite cross-breeds. If you like small breed dogs you might find an article I have written useful.
Hopefully, this article will have provided you with the answers to most of your questions on designer dogs. You can now make up your own mind and decide whether you should buy a designer dog or not. Whatever dog you decide to buy, it is important to remember that all dogs require a large amount of work and should only be purchased if they fit into your lifestyle.
If you have ever considered owning an Adult Rescue Dog rather than a designer puppy, may I suggest you head over to an article I wrote recently. How to adopt a rescue dog – taking out the risks
I would love to hear your comments. Other readers get real value from reading what others and you think. Comment below
NB apologies for the Lola picture quality but it never the less shows what a little beauty she is. I