10 min read · Jul 6, 2023
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Goldendoodles, Labradoodles, Bernedoodles, Sheepadoodles, Aussiedoodles, co*ckapoos, Cavapoos…there seems to be oodles of “Doodles” to choose from. The “Doodle epidemic,” as many have dubbed it, has spread nation-wide, sparking controversy amongst dog lovers. As different Poodle mixes, known as Doodles, become increasingly popular, dog enthusiasts have raised a red flag. But the question is: why do so many people seem to have such a vendetta against them?
Adorable, curly-haired dogs, the Doodle has been marketed as a hypoallergenic family pet. Coming in many shapes, sizes, and colors, people adore Doodles thanks to their cute names and intriguing appearances.
The term “Doodle” refers to a hybrid cross between any breed and the Poodle. Popular Doodle mixes include combinations such as the Labrador Retriever and Poodle (Labradoodle), Golden Retriever and Poodle (Goldendoodle), Maltese and Poodle (Maltipoo), co*cker Spaniel and Poodle (co*ckapoo), and the Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle (Bernedoodle). There seems to be a growing number of Doodle mixes popping up every day; however, it should be emphasized that a “Doodle” is not a recognized breed or purebred, nor is it held to any standard of health or temperament, unlike recognized purebreds. The Doodle is considered a mixed-breed, hybrid, or a “designer dog.” Because they are not held to a standard and crossed with a variety of different breeds, the Doodle has become a genetic and temperamental disaster, unfortunately.
Starting with pure intentions to create a wonderful family pet and working assistance animal with a lower-maintenance coat, the rise in Doodle’s popularity has led to an unfortunate increase of unethical breeders looking to make a quick buck off of their dogs rather that prioritizing dogs with steady temperaments and good health.
Wally Conron, the creator of the first Doodle cross, said that breeding the Labradoodle is his “life’s regret” and that he “released a Frankenstein,” in an interview with ABC. These comments came after hundreds of breeders jumped on the “Doodle bandwagon,” breeding dozens of different breeds with Poodles.
The Poodle is generally a highly-intelligent and energetic breed with a high-maintenance coat. Although they are considered hypoallergenic, they do need consistent trips to the groomer to keep their coats manageable. When Poodles are mixed with other energetic and intelligent breeds, such as the Australian Shepherd or the Labrador Retriever, it is common to get extremely high energy and intelligent dogs that need a lot of physical and mental enrichment- qualities many pet owners don’t want to manage.
Dubbed a “great family dog,” many people adopt Doodles expecting a low-maintenance companion that doesn’t need a significant amount of socialization, training, or exercise; however, this couldn’t be any further from the truth in most Doodle’s cases. When breeds with different temperaments are mixed, it becomes very difficult to predict their puppies’ temperaments, which has led to a very large percentage of Doodles that are hyper and anxious. While there are many wonderful, even-tempered, and easygoing Doodles, the unpredictability of these Poodle crosses has caused many to end up in shelters, contributing to the high number of homeless pets.
Although some people’s beef with Doodles stems solely from the fact that they are not a “real breed,” the true trouble with the Doodle comes from the ethicality of their breeding. As hybrid crosses, Doodles are genetic wild cards. Breeds like the Bernese Mountain Dog are commonly genetically predisposed to diseases such as cancer. When mixed with the Poodle, a breed that also comes with their own genetic predispositions, it is nearly impossible to predict their offsprings’ health. Unfortunately, many Doodles deal with the worst from both sides of their heritage, struggling with diseases and passing them onto their offspring as well. To make matters worse, many Doodle breeders do not health test their adult dogs before breeding them, which oftentimes creates a domino effect of puppies with a significant amount of unexpected health problems.
Many believe that an ethical Poodle breeder (as well as the breeder of the other dog that’s bred) would never allow their dogs to mate with a different breed, so ethically bred Doodles simply cannot exist. Most ethical breeders care a great deal about enhancing and protecting their breed’s lineage, including the future breeding of their puppies, which is all for not when you create mixed breeds. That being said, the purebred dogs that are selected to mate with dogs of another breed are already coming from an unethical breeder, so when they’re mixed with another unethically bred dog, it creates one giant Doodle disaster.
The biggest reason Doodles are unethical, however, traces back to the intentions of the breeders themselves. It is not uncommon for people who breed Doodles to charge an incredibly high price for their mixed-breed puppies- even more than some charge for ethically bred, purebred puppies. Mislead by terms such as “designer dogs” or “hybrids,” people who adopt Doodles often don’t realize that they are sourcing their puppies from unethical backyard breeders that do not health test their adult dogs. In fact, a large percentage of Doodles come from puppy mills. Since there is such a high demand for Doodles of all kinds, people are racing to breed the “first” of a different Doodle cross. Not only that, but they are breeding their dogs at extremely fast rates in order to produce more puppies and more profit, which has led to a large amount of overbred, abused, and inbred dogs. When breeders disregard the health, temperament, happiness, and wellbeing of their breeding adults and puppies, there becomes a large pool of unhealthy and unpredictably tempered dogs- sadly the reality of what Doodles have become.
When it comes to ethically breeding any dog, there are many requirements that breeders need to meet to be considered “ethical” in the eyes of organizations such as the American Kennel Club and the ASPCA. Although adopting a pet is always a great option, it’s not right for everyone. If you’re choosing to source a puppy from a breeder, it’s vital to do your research in finding an ethical breeder to increase your chances of bringing home a healthy, happy pup and ensuring you’re not supporting a backyard breeder or puppy mill. So what should you look out for when seeking out breeders?
Ethical breeders prioritize the health, wellbeing and care of all their dogs.
- Responsible breeders care deeply about producing healthy, well-mannered dogs that meet their breed’s standard.
- All good breeders aim to advance the breed they love by prioritizing the health and function of their dogs over appearance. Meeting high standards of health and temperament will always be more important than the speed or amount of puppies they have.
- They screen for hereditary traits and diseases that could negatively impact puppies and only breed the most healthy and temperamentally stable dogs.
- A responsible breeder will always provide the basics such as water, shelter, love, exercise, socialization, and professional veterinary care. All of their dogs will be clean and well-groomed at all times.
- They prioritize the health of the mothers and fathers by creating breeding plans that are improved and guided by a professional veterinarian.
- Responsible breeders always practice safe handling and properly socialize their puppies to different people, animals, dogs, environments, and stimuli.
- An ethical breeder would never inbreed their dogs.
- They keep the puppies with their mothers until they are fully weaned at 8 weeks, commonly adopting out puppies when they reach 10–12 weeks old. A good breeder would never adopt out puppies that are too young or not fully weaned.
Responsible breeders are very knowledgeable.
- Ethical breeders have a plethora of knowledge to share about their breed.
- Many good breeders have a lot of experience with breeding. Just because they have or haven’t bred for a long time doesn’t mean that they are or are not an ethical breeder, which is why you should always be ready to ask questions about their dogs and process.
- Ethical breeders have planned, intentional litters and know who the father is.
- An ethical breeder is willing to provide all health, vaccination, and pedigree information.
Ethical breeders care about who their puppies go home with.
- Above all, good breeders care deeply that their puppies go to good homes. They should have just as much interest in you as you have in them.
- Responsible breeders do their homework on their potential adopters long before they send any puppies to their new homes. They do this by creating a waitlist, setting up an application process, conducting interviews and in-person meet-and-greets, running background checks, doing home checks, asking for references, and more.
- Ethical breeders are dedicated to making good matches by prioritizing the needs of their puppies while keeping the adopter’s expectations and desires in mind.
- Breeders should always facilitate meetings between you, the entire litter, and both of the parents.
- Reputable breeders have contracts that contain “return to breeder” clauses, which requires adopters to return the dog to them under any circ*mstance that they can no longer care for the animal.
- Good breeders will always place or keep their dogs that are unable to breed, unsuitable to breed or are returned.
- With the overarching goal of producing healthy, well-mannered dogs, good breeders often check in on their puppies for their entire lives. They may also be a life-long resource to the adopter to offer their support in times of need. Good breeds create post-adoption plans and check in with the adopters after they take their new puppy home.
Red flags and breeders to avoid.
- Always avoid a breeder if they are using the term “teacup.” “Mini” may also be problematic in breeds without a miniature standard.
- Avoid purchasing a dog from a website, broker, pet store, or third-party to ensure you’re not getting a puppy from a mill or unethical source.
- People advertising puppies on social media and Craigslist are often a red flag. It’s also problematic to get puppies from people who just “pop up” in parking lots, on sidewalks, in parks, etc… Reputable breeders commonly have their own websites and waitlists. They would never give puppies away without doing their due diligence on who is taking their puppies home. If the person is willing to just let you adopt a puppy and walk away without looking further into if you’re a good home for the dog, they probably don’t care much about the wellbeing of their pups.
- If the breeder doesn’t have much knowledge on breeding or the breed itself, it’s probably time to pack up.
- If a breeder doesn’t have references, it’s worth doing more homework on them.
- Watch out for breeders that don’t let you meet the parents or the entire litter. Before taking home a puppy, be sure to look at the parents and access their health and wellbeing.
- Breeders that don’t know who the father is, claim it was an unplanned litter, or are selling mixed breeds can not guarantee breed, health, or temperament. If you notice any of these red flags, it’s best to find a different breeder.
- A breeder is considered unethical if they haven’t done any health and genetic testing before breeding their dogs. By testing the parents, the breeder will have more insight into what to expect from their offspring. They can also rule out if a dog is ethical to breed or not based on the results of their health tests. An ethical breeder would never breed a dog with less than good health and genetics.
- If a breeder doesn’t have any questions for you or immediately ask for a deposit, they are likely not breeding for the right reasons. A good breeder will have a plethora of questions, as well as a process to ensure you’re a good fit for the puppy.
- Breeders who are willing to sell their puppies at a young age (6 weeks or younger) should be avoided. Puppies should stay with their mothers until at least 7-weeks-old to ensure they are properly weaned and socialized.
- Good breeders are always happy to take any of their dogs back for any reason. If a breeder is unwilling to facilitate a return agreement, you may want to seek out a puppy elsewhere. Ethical breeders do this because they care deeply about all their puppies, want them all to have loving homes, and to avoid contributing to the shelter population.
- Breeders who can’t provide any documentation are fishy. Breeders who care about their dogs and their lineage, will have documentation of health and bloodlines.
Although Doodles are very popular dogs, they have created an unethical trend of overbreeding unpredictable hybrids with profit as the main priority. As new Doodle crosses are created every year, dog lovers are deeply concerned about the future of Doodles and other “designer dogs.” Before deciding to adopt a Doodle, do your research and look into similar breeds you may enjoy as an alternative such as an ethically-bred, purebred Poodle. There are hundreds of dog breeds with a variety of sizes, colors, coat textures, and personalities to choose from! No matter what you decide, always do your homework and consider all your options before bringing home a new, furry bundle.
Flaim, D. (2023, June 21). Finding a responsible dog breeder: What to look for. American Kennel Club. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/signs-of-a-responsible-breeder/
Position statement on criteria for responsible breeding. ASPCA. (n.d.). https://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/position-statement-criteria-responsible-breeding#:~:text=Responsible%20breeders%20strive%20to%20breed,sound%20and%20behaviorally%20stable%20dogs.
