The new craze where I live has gone from staffs to chorkies to cockerpoos now labradoodles.  There is one left at 14 wks from a litter of 8.   The advert says it "hops when it runs".  My neighbour hasn't phoned the woman as she doesn't want to be a time waster.  Would you be able to throw any light on what it "hops when it runs" mean?  If all your responses come back positive what do you think she should pay for it?

Poor hips.  Most likely.  Or perhaps luxating patella?   Please advise your neighbour NOT to buy into mix-breeding.  It's fine to adopt from a Shelter, but only the breeder who wants your money messes around with established breeds and usually does no testing.   You'll get no positive response from me when it comes to deliberately mix-breeding and as this is basically a mongrel (much as 'mongrel' usually means more than two dogs involved), it's cost should only be what would be paid to a Shelter.  £50 - £80 tops.

Worth a read -
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2564373/The-hidden-suffering-dogs-bred-cute-Adorable-looks-Cuddly-names-like-Labradoodle-But-trend-cross-breed-dogs-raises-disturbing-questions.html

Sounds like luxating patellae so I'd stay well clear! Could even be bad hips, and if either is seen as such an early age -recipe for disaster.

Hops when it runs often means that there is a problem. A puppy should be able to run freely without hopping. Avoid avoid avoid....
Bet the parents aren't health tested for HD either....?
There are many decent breeders of Labs and Poodles without doing this cross from byb's who do it for the money.. Pup is highly likely to need an operation and will also more than likely be in pain if it hops and not runs.. Why take on a pup with a health condition?

A very good article indeed. A shame the original breeder of the Labradoodle  couldn't use a time machine and reverse his decision to breed  this type of dog. However as they are here maybe a special license should be used? A different health test and a litter register for unusual breeds created? Let's at least try and rehome the poor mites left abandoned or at least get the breed stopped now?

Sounds definitely like LP.

A lot of jack Russells do this and people think it's quite endearing. But they don't realise that it's a defect and probably causing some pain! But they don't care and mash up all the JRs in the county.

A different health test and a litter register for unusual breeds created?

It's not a breed and never will be! And Poodle x Labradors would require all the health tests that Poodles AND Labradors do, so no need for anything different.

True! However maybe a more stringent test could be done. Guess the Oodles,Doodles,Poos are not going away soon, so how many years will it be before we say "breed?"

> so how many years will it be before we say "breed?"

Never. The breeders have zero interested in making them into a "breed" where they all conform to the same standard and breed "true to type". Meaning, to become a breed,and taken seriously as one, they will have to have a breed standard, detailing the "ideal" Oodle or Poo, and they will all have to look roughly in line with that.

Given that most of the breeders are only interested in first-crosses, or crosses back to the parent breeds (which produce a perfect illustration of Mendelian inheritance and gene re-assortment), I don't think they'll ever be properly streamlined into a "breed".

As soon as I read your post I thought patella luxation.  Glad that this is the consensus of opinion.  So tell her that she shouldn't pay anything for the pup.  Poor dog.

Tell her to walk away.  PLEASE.

For the operation on just one leg for a Toy Poodle, I paid around £700.

Having had a pup with a heart problem which wasn't picked up untill we had had him for 6 months I would urge any one who is worried about something in a pup to walk away.

Much easier to do that than deal with the heart ache later

The breeder of my boy was excellent offered me my money back would have taken him back but by then he was my boy so he stayed.

Breeder immediately had all her dogs tested and they were clear.

I had my boy until he was 3 then had him pts when medication began  to have no effect.

Much easier to walk away when they are just a pup and you don't know them.

As it's a labradoodle, probably hip dysplasia.  They are getting known for it.  Round here there's a breeder who consistently produces pups with dreadful hips.

My neighbour isn't going for the pup.  In fact she has decided that she will not get any animals at all.  She is considering being a volunteer so that she gets the best of both.  I would like to add that the labradoodle has been x-rayed and everything has come back fine but it has really puzzled the vet.  The breeder wants the pup to go to a retired couple who are at home all day.

Facebook replies:

Emma MH says: Hip problems

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Di Leverington says: if he's hoping when he runs :ie: bunny hops, he will have hip problems. steer clear.NO dog regardless of breed or cross should hop when running and if the pup has been x-rayed at what age ??? were the hips correctly aligned, were they sent off and read by a qualified Orthopedic specialist

> I had my boy until he was 3 then had him pts when medication began  to have no effect.

OMG what heartbreak for you.

Facebook reply:

Annaliese Britton says: She'll be paying thousands when it needs surgery for hip dysplasia steer well clear poor pup

hello emma, the pup had to be under 14wks.  The thing is I couldn't image paying out for an x-ray where there wouldn't be any return on the money.  Why doesn't the breeder keep him?

Thanks Jean.  This is why I advise people to walk away before they become attached.

Actually I think that you are wrong.  If some of the breeders of these x's aren't interested in them becoming a breed why then are they line breeding them and attempting to breed for type.  Ie the Australian Labradoodle (ASD).  They go to great expense to import their breeding stock from the foundation kennels ie Teagan and Rutland Manor in Australia. 

These are not mere lab x poodles but rather a mix of 5 different breeds.

Personally when I read the topic title I wondered if something truly amazing had happened and someone had managed to cross and dog with a rabbit.

> Actually I think that you are wrong.  If some of the breeders of these x's aren't interested in them becoming a breed why then are they line breeding them and attempting to breed for type.  Ie the Australian Labradoodle (ASD).

That's just a fraction of total breeders, of only one of these poodle crosses. The vast majority don't want them standardised.

Blimey when did you last get a dog from a shelter.  Most of them try to cover the vet costs of neutering and vaccinations so it's more like £150.   Still much cheaper than buying a pup from elsewhere though.

To be fair a lot of the doodles etc are produced from parents that have the relevant breed health tests or so it says in the adverts so it's up to new owners to check just like it is from any breeder.  The ASD's have their own breed club and breeders are supposed to conform to their rules. 

Personally I've been quite shocked at how many poodles are still sold without any health testing.  I'm sure that this is true of other breeds it's just I've been looking at poodles and poodle x litters over the past couple of months.

It seems to me that there are an awful lot of people making a lot of money out of breeding dogs and doing it badly as well.