Designer mutts are becoming the latest yuppie puppies.

When they hear the term “yorki poo, most people probably assume it refers to something a pet Yorkshire terrier left in the yard. These days the word has a whole different meaning and carries a hefty price tag.

Mutts are hot. Once the realm of animal shelters, mixed breed dogs, many with fancy names, are in demand, with some popular crosses costing more than the pure breeds they were bred from. 

It used to be that if your cocker-spaniel slipped out and got a little too familiar with the poodle next door, you ended up with a litter of cute mixed breed puppies. Then someone figured out that if you gave the pups a cutesy name, people would pay for them. So they became cockapoos. If the Pekinese two doors down did the same thing, the puppies became peekapoos. Vets and groomers would chuckle to themselves when people came in talking about how much they paid for their purebred cockapoos, and figuring that Barnum was right, charged them extra. (Just kidding – hold the angry phone calls).

Guide Dogs Victoria in Australia is an organization that trains guide dogs for the blind. During the 1970’s they received a request for a guide dog for someone who was allergic to dog hair. They decided to cross a Labrador retriever with a standard poodle, combining the intelligence, aloof nature, delicate frame and low-allergy, non-shedding traits of the poodle with the fun-loving exuberance, lovable nature, solid body, and loyalty of the lab. The result was a really cute big dog with wavy hair that didn’t shed. The local media did a story on the dog, and soon people were calling to find out where they could get a dog like that.

Guide Dogs Victoria did not pursue breeding these dogs because the results were inconsistent and you didn’t know what the puppies would look like, and because they had more important work to do. But other breeders saw a market for the dogs and began crossing labs and poodles. They became very popular in Australia, and were given the name Labradoodle, which if nothing else, tends to reinforce the belief that Aussies drink way too much. Today Labradoodles are by far the crossbreed most in demand, selling for as much as $4000, more than the cost of a lab and a poodle. Most sell in the $800 to $2000 range.

Many of the hybrid dogs are part poodle in order to create dogs that do not shed. The schnoodle, a Schnauzer-poodle mix is another popular new cross that is growing in popularity. Even the golden retriever has gotten in the act, being paired with a poodle to produce the goldendoodle. A lot of thought went into that name. Then we have the bagel, a cross of a beagle and a bassett hound. Why?

The fad has spread to England, where the popular Welsh corgis are being bred with dachsunds. Even the queen, who has been breeding corgis for about fifty years, has gotten into the act. The new dogs are called dorgis, a name which, if nothing else, tends to reinforce the belief that the Brits don’t drink nearly enough.

Some purebred breeders are a bit miffed over the popularity of these mixed breed dogs, possibly because some of these dogs are selling for more than purebreds, or maybe because they didn’t think of it first. There is always a market for something new and different, and those who make up that market will pay top dollar to be among the first to have it. Rather than a fad that will soon run its course, this may be just the beginning of a trend that will change the world of dog breeding. There are some that think that it would not be a bad thing.

There is concern among many people that too many registered breed dogs are being bred for looks, with health a secondary issue. Looks are what wins in the show ring, and winning brings the big bucks. Inbreeding is rampant – father to daughter, brother to sister – resulting in a tiny gene pool that is full of bad traits. Cross breeding increases the size of the gene pool and, these people feel, produces a healthier dog.

Experts point out that not just any breeds can be crossed. Mixing two breeds with the same genetic defect could bring disastrous results. Pugs and pekinese both have large “bug eyes” that easily pop out of the socket, requiring surgery to correct the problem and often causing blindness in the dog. Crossing these two breeds could result in offspring whose eyes won’t stay in. Crossing two of the large breeds that are subject to hip dysplasia could result in a dog that is crippled.

The labradoodle may not be a mutt for long. Efforts are underway to create a breed standard with the qualities and characteristics that should be bred toward. There are requirements that have to be met before AKC recognition is granted to a breed, but that is just a matter of time. There have to be at least 300 of the breed in the U.S., distributed among 20 or more states, and a national breed club. There must be three generations of labradoodle to labradoodle breeding with predictable results. In the not too distant future, the first labradoodles may enter the ring at Westminster. Then watch the prices jump.

For those on a somewhat tighter budget, local shelters are full of mixed breed dogs (and cats) that look an awful lot like some of these "doodle dogs”, and are available for a lot less. If telling people your dog is a lab-pekinese mix bothers you, make up a cutesy name and say it cost a ton.