It began as a noble experiment a few years ago, went on to becom a silly fad, and has now grown into a national, and international, craze. The biggest thing in dogs right now is mixed-breed puppies that sell for top dollar, and people are lining up to buy them. Not that there is anything wrong with that. People have been cross-breeding dogs for years to see what the puppies look like, and dogs have been taking matters into their own paws and doing it themselves for even longer. The cock-apoo (a cocker spaniel-poodle mix) and peki-poo (a Pekinese-poodle mix) are both cross-breed dogs that have been popular for a long time. Many people bought them, but not at purebred prices, unless they were nuts.
During the 1970s a group in Australia that trains guide dogs for the blind got a request to provide a dog for someone who was allergic to dog hair. They decided to cross a Labrador retriever with a standard poodle in hopes that the offspring would have the poodles low-allergy, non-shedding coat. The result was a big cute dog with long wavy hair that didn’t shed. One of the puppies went on to become a guide dog for the person who requested it. The media in Australia did a story on the dog, and soon people were asking where they could get one of these dogs. Dog breeders down there saw an opportunity and began breeding Labs and poodles together and selling the puppies. Someone came up with the name Labradoodle and it caught on. Since there was more demand than supply, breeders could ask top dollar for the puppies and get it.
Word soon spread to this country and to Europe about these “doodle dogs” that were selling for big bucks, and soon people on both continents had to have one. Naturally, when there are people willing to spend money for something, there will be others willing to provide it. At first, poodles were an integral part of the combination. In addition to Labs, poodles were bred with golden retrievers, schnauzers, German shepherds, shelties, yorkies, and the aforementioned Pekinese and cocker spaniels.
A lot of people think poodles are sort of aloof and standoffish, but when it comes to genetics they are really quite egalitarian, and will share their genes with anyone wishing to partake, regardless of the other dogs social status, pedigree or ranking on the AKC popularity list. One reason that people think poodles are pretentious snobs may be that hairstyle that they all seem to like. It makes them look like sissies, but that is not the case. Poodles are able to take care of themselves, and they need to be. You really shouldn’t go around looking like that unless you are going to be able to defend yourself. Sending your dog out with that haircut is like naming your son Sue. He’ll have to get tough or die. But we digress.
The people who first began breeding these dogs probably claimed to be doing it for the betterment of mankind; creating a dog for those who were allergic to them. People getting into the business of producing these dogs today may say the same thing. It sounds good, but most of us can smell that stuff in time to avoid stepping in it. Thisis all about money, and as long as there are people willing to spend money for a crossbreed dog with a cute name, there will be a steady supply of them.
The dogs themselves are cute and likable, but if you like dogs, what dog isn’t? The people who breed these dogs are coming up with new combinations all the time, matching dogs of different breeds and seeing what they get. If they give the puppies a “doodley” name, someone will want to be the first to have one. Poodles are not necessarily a part of the mix any more, although they are still a popular ingredient. We heard that someone is crossing poodles with English bulldogs. Bull-doodle? Actually that is one we’d like to see. The rush to create more and more doodle combos may be a sign that the fad is ending, or it may mean that it is still growing. Time will tell, but at some point the fad will come to an end and a lot of unwanted dogs will end up in shelters, which by the way, are already full of doodle dogs. The most popular shelter dog of all time was a doodle dog, and Benji had oodles of doodles.
A close friend has a dog that is a cross between a Jack Russell and a Shih-tzu that she thought was just a mixed-breed. I explained to her that not only was Moose a purebred doodle dog, but he had one of the best doodle names out there and nobody knows it, but it sort of sums up the whole doodle craze.
