Answers to your most common pet related questions
Labradoodle, Goldendoodle, Schnoodle, Puggle, Chug, Peek-a-poo...
Sounds cute right?
Wrong.
The simple truth is - all of these so-called "designer dogs" are nothing more than a glorified mutt.
Don't get us wrong - we love mutts! Many of us own mutts! But you can bet only a few of us paid for one. And those of us that did now know better.
These dogs are the product of unscrupulous breeding practices. They are either Backyard Breeders or Puppy Mills looking to make a quick buck off the latest craze. Not one single reputable breeder would ever create - willingly or otherwise - a hybrid dog.
These unscrupulous breeders are basically taking advantage of the old adage "There's a sucker born every minute". They sell their dogs based on half-truths or bald-faced lies: "They're hypoallergenic!" "Get the best traits of both breeds!" "Hybrid dogs are healthier than purebreds!" These are nothing more than glitzy PR lines and unattainable promises.
The genetics of dog breeding is a complicated thing. There is no guarantee that a lab/poodle cross will inherit the poodle's low-shedding coat and the lab's happy-go-lucky personality. Basic Mendelian genetics states that you've got, at best, a 50/50 shot at that outcome actually happening. The same is true for any physical trait.
Including health. "Hybrid vigor" is a myth. Or, more appropriately, only applies to cross-SPECIES breeding - such as wolf/dog hybrids. Breeding one breed of dog to another breed of dog only results in Russian Roulette sort of odds as to whether your pup will be healthy.
Temperament is another thing altogether. Reputable breeders know the temperament of ALL of their dogs involved in your pup's pedigree - not just the dam and sire, but grandparents, great-grandparents, and full and half-siblings of all those dogs. All of that information is essential in producing well-tempered dogs. Breeders of Designer Dogs know one thing - the temperament of their bitch and maybe the stud dog. That's it. Is that the sort of guarantee you want to pay upwards of $2000 for?
And the worst thing is - very few will back up their claims with help when things go bad. So, your "hypoallergenic" labradoodle blows his puppy coat and now actually sheds like a fiend - and your child is allergic. Now what?
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