Labradoodle - Labrador x Poodle

Now I know for definate that the Guide Dogs for the Blind do this crossbreed as its the only way an allergy sufferer with impaired vision can get the aid neccessary which is fair do's!  But what I'm interested in is your opinions on the fact that they've done this in the first place?  I know they only breed from the best of the best dogs and bitches and keep their own lines but what do you reckon to the cross?  IMO they look a bit, erm...... different :|

Hi peewee,

I you do a search on the forum you will see this topic has been done to death - plenty of opinions already there for you.

Regards, Teri

Actually, the Guide Dogs never bred them - I gather several years ago they took on about 6 puppies to train up, but the failure rate was far too high. They've never had them again. Their usual cross is labrador/golden retriever - and they never breed from the crosses.

Have a look at this thread where you will find the Labrador/Poodle cross (I never use their commercial name :rolleyes:) discussed at length, it will save everyones typing fingers :)

Hi peewee
Like Teri said, do a search and you'll find a LOT of earlier posts. Just to add, Guide Dogs no longer do this.

I was told by someone from the Guide Dogs Association a few weeks back that they do!  When I enquired as to what they looked like she tried to describe one but the mind boggled so she said to type it in a search engine and see for myself.  So, do they or don't they? - that is the question........ *hmmmm*

Will check out the topic link cos I'm interested thats all - its good to learn new things :)

One of the posters on the thread I have linked works for the GDB.

Well I was categorically told that they do in our area (the North East) so whether or not I was given false information from someone who works for the Association and knows such things I don't know.  We could debate about this all night but I'm off to bed to dream sweet dreams of scruffy chocolate brown labradoodles ;) hehe

Lets hope you dream about the right type amongst the many that there are :)

Peewee, one of the CD members works at the GDBA breeding centre. They don't breed labradoodles, and don't use them any more.

Labradoodle - Labrador x Poodle

Now I know for definate that the Guide Dogs for the Blind do this crossbreed as its the only way an allergy sufferer with impaired vision can get the aid neccessary which is fair do's!  But what I'm interested in is your opinions on the fact that they've done this in the first place

How do you know this for definite? I think you'll find they don't & never did (breed them, that is)
Do a search on this site & you'll find it has been discussed many times.

Oh Poo! I'm always late for everything :(

Spent too long doing that fancy bold work ;) but never mind never too late to add emphasis to the other posts :)

*scratches chin* I wonder why they didn't call them Poodadors instead of Labradoodles?

cos "doo" is cuter than "poo" ;)

Will mating 2 Poodles together make it a PooPoo? :D

Nah, it makes a Poodle :D :P :p

Awww Melodysk you're BORING!!! :D :D I wanted a PooPoo....... (Having said that, my favourite is still my NoPoo from the "All I want for Christmas" thread.)

I didn't actually say they bred them just that I know them to be one of the 'breeds' that they utilise as guide dogs.  I know they breed Labs, Lab Retrievers, Goldies and German Shepherds but didn't mention breeding of Labradoodles I just stated that they use the "best of the best dogs and bitches".  Have read my earlier post back and it does read as though I'm talking specifically about Labradoodles when I say that but I'm not :)

Oh and don't forget the the rubbish about good for allergy sufferers!!  You don't know which breed they will go after so more than likely they would be no good for allergy sufferers.  Plus most people are allergic to the dander and not the coat type.

If you are interested in a breed that doesn't molt etc. then go for a Poodle, Bichon, Lagotto, Portugese Water Dog and all the rest of the breeds where you know that they are going to have the non-moulting type of coat, or even a Spanish Water Dog :d

I'm not interested in getting a labradoodle or any of the the dogs deemed good for alergy sufferers but was just curious as to people's opinions thats all :)

I'm sure everyone here will agree that when crossing two breeds you are likely to inherit the good and bad points of both parents.

I had a couple bring a crossbred labrador x poodle to an eye testing session I was holding. It was there as it was having eye problems which it's vet thought might be to do with some kind of hereditary disease. Sure enough it was barely able to see having inherited eye problems from BOTH parents! People breeding crossbreeds, make maximum money because they do not do health tests, which pedigree owners do before breeding.

It is annoying that pedigree dogs get a lot of criticism, saying they are unhealthy have bad eye/hip/elbow problems etc... The truth is pedigree breeders are the only ones testing regularly prior to breeding so our results look bad, where as anyone breeding a crossbred dog does no testing at all and everyone says how much healthier they are. The truth is they might not be.

If you use statisics, and the statistics were taken from my eye testing sessions held over the last 25 years, then you'd find that of all dogs attending, NONE of the crossbreeds passed an eye test, because they only attend when the owners of these "fantastically healthy" dogs notices their dog has a problem. The pedigree dogs would have mixed results, with some affected and others passing their eye tests, because we test our dogs regularly, and always before breeding.

"The truth is pedigree breeders are the only ones testing regularly prior to breeding so our results look bad, where as anyone breeding a crossbred dog does no testing at all............."

Really Polly and where pray tell did you get hold of this "truth"? :shock:

To make sweeping generalisations like this demonstrates that you unaware of the facts (unless of course you are being deliberately misleading).

I think you will find that there are many  breeders of x breeds that DO carry out regular health tests prior to breeding just as there are many breeders of pedigree dogs that do NOT..........

As for breeding labradoodles that is not quite correct either, the GDBA use crosses, one of the most popular ones was the labrador retriever x golden retriever but they did not give it a "name"...............................

Any cross breed litter will not necessarily all look the same, hence you get poodle x labradors that look more or less like one parent and have a coat more or less like one.

The other thing to remember is that it is not the moulting hair that necessarily causes problems but dander........

It may have been a sweeping statement :) and I am sure there are a number of breeders of crossbreeds for activities etc that test but in reality how many do you think it is as a percentage of crossbreds produced?  I'd happily stick my neck out and guess at point something of a percent.

Polly said:

>"pedigree breeders are the only ones testing regularly prior to breeding" ...

I think that's fair comment. I'm sure some people who produce crossbreeds do hereditary testing, but I hazard a guess they'r a very small minority.

"I'm sure some people who produce crossbreeds do hereditary testing, but I hazard a guess they'r a very small minority"

This also applies to many pedigree breeders too, if you look at the stats, I know in one of my breeds the %age of breeders who conduct health checks are in the minority............

It is always wise to ensure that we differentiate between known facts and opinion, the two are not necessarily the same and readers who may not be privy to the information some of us have may be misled into believing that ALL breeders of cross breeds think health testing is irrelevant which is patently not the case.

Personally I do not care who crosses what dogs with what as long as they put the health and welfare of the dogs first.

They can call them what they like too, but it won't make any difference to the actual product which is, after all a cross breed.

Human nature means that people will always want that which appears rare and distinctive until these qualities disappear by their use (eg look at Burberry Checks,) :D

Being opposed to, neutral or even for a particular issue should not blind us to the FACTS or tempt us to mislead people.

Very true, but some of your comments could also lead people to believe that the testing carried out by crossbreed breeders was anything like on a par with the amount done by pedigree breeders which I believe is equally misleading.
I, also, don't think it at all unreasonable to breed crossbreeds for a specific purpose in which they have been found successful, ie activity dogs, guide dogs, lurchers etc. but I see no justification for producing something gimicky for a commercial market which is what we are talking about here.

I run eye testing sessons and have done for 25 years, I know other people running sessions again for as many years, yet we really do not see any crossbred dogs unless they are registered on the obedience or agility registers and all are classified as working sheep dogs, other than that as I said the only crossbred dogs I have seen are ones sent to us by their vets as they have hereditary eye problems.

We do have many pedigree dogs attend every session we run, therefore in my experience pedigree dog owners are more likely to regularly test their stock before breeding, than people breeding crossbred dogs.

Would breeders of cross bred dogs, get the parents checked? Perhaps there are a few who might, but I have never seen one, neither have my friends.

I never mentioned the GDBA dogs since I know they do test their dogs and I would not comment on their breeding policies, since I do not know what their policies are. Whether or not they breed crossbreds is not of interest to me. I  support the work they do by making charitable donations the same as I do for any charity I was interested in supporting.

So I cannot see why you would be shocked at my statements. Yes it is true, not all pedigree dog breeders health test their dogs before breeding, but I did not claim that, I did claim that the pedigree breeders on this forum were responsible people who would test their dogs prior to breeding.

I made a statement which to my mind was true, and was formed from my experience as an eye testing organiser, and as a member of champdogs since it started, I truly believe the breeders of pedigree dogs on the forum here are the type of responsible breeder who will test their dogs prior to breeding. Perhaps you know differently?

I couldn't agree more.

It is true that some pedigree dogs have certain characteristics so exagerated that they cause health problems. Good breeders will not just breed for physical characteristics, but mainly for health and temperament. Thankfully, many things have been put in place to enable the public to research and have support of the breed clubs to guide them into a good puppy/breeder.

There is a BIG difference between a cross-breed (i.e. labrador x poodle) (which can inherit the physical defects of pedigrees, such as hip dysplasia and eye problems - and these can be exagerated depending on the health of the parents) and a true mongrel, which is a survivor and it's 'hybrid vigour' means that the inherited problems of the specific breeds rarely appear.

'Labradoodles' are certainly becoming an 'exotic' breed they are seen as a rare and expensive commodities. It's amazing how people can be silly enough to pay extortionate prices for this type of dog, where it is not known what sort of temperament and health that dog is going to have.

At the end of the day, we know who suffers when there are behavioural and health problems!

Cheers,
Patty

Been thinking a lot on the subject of X breeds and in principal I am totally against BUT a lot of the breeds we now have today are from X breeding to produce different dogs.  If you look for example at a pack of beagle hounds from a working pack and then look at what we show it is a totally different species.  I dont think most crosses are compatable but the fact remains that most of us do have dogs which were originally bred from crosses.   It is not my opinion that I am in favour of this before I get shouted at but just a point.  I certainly think some of the current so called designer x s are appalling.

I would disagree not that many breeds were bred from crosses but evolved from types used for a partucular job. 

These became more standardise and specialised.  In some breeds there are still distinct variations (often based on geography) in type that are sometimes greater than that bewtween some breeds.

Those breeds that have had crossbreeding are largely newer ones or ones recreated whe they had all but died out.

Most of these were created with a specific purpose in mind.  To be honest there is no good reason to try and create any new breed when there are breeds sadly neglected, many with the qualities claimed by the crossbreeders, that need nurturing and true enthusiasts.

Look at the Irish Water Spaniel, Curly Coated retriever, German Pincher, Sealyham Terrier etc etc.

Very good point Brainless.  In some ways it is just as well that these breeds do not attract the attention of the novelty buyer but it is also a shame that some of them are being allowed to drift towards obscurity.

Here I have to put my hand up and admit when I was searching for a breed I was drawn to the less common specifically and away from the run of the mill.  I don't think there is anything wrong with prefering to have a more unusual dog.

As I had already been involved in small livestock I saw the advantages of the numercially smaller breeds being more enthusiasts than producers, easier access to more relevant information regarding characteristics, as smaller gene pools tend to less variability etc.

Also it is much easier to get informati0on on particular breeders and whether they have a good reputaion in numerically smaller breeds, as in these all the breeders are likely to be known.

These peopel who are looking to get involced with an unsual breed can in some cases actually be the saving of some of the breeds.

Allthough I do not have one at present I am a devotee of a breed on the danger list so I do agree these breeds desperately need new devotees but, and I suppose this is a bit snobbish of me :), I don't really class you, myself and these potential devotees with the sort of people that are looking towards the "poo" crosses merely because they are, or they think they are, a novelty.

Ah but most of these people are just gullible, now with the correct info they sould wel shape up into good dog woners or decide to have a sculpture instead :D

How many of us mad dog folk had an idea that we would become so when we bought our first pet????  From little Acorns as the saying goes.

My own puppy buyers have been a revelation.  Some who swore they only wanted a pet have become very involved, others who wanted to show never did, or faded out after realising it wasnt for them.

One pet only owner wnet on to making the dog up, and also it's companion bought from another breeder, and is now well on the way to starting a judging career.  He has shown a great deal of commitment, and I think will be a good judge in time, and useful to the breed.

You are a born optimist, Brainless :)  I suppose it boils down to jolly good vetting from the breeders to weed out those with the right attitude to start with but I can't help feeling few of the "poo" seekers we have on here would pass it.

Brainless couldn't agree more.

My breed has been going for centuries although only in this country for 13 years.  The variation in my breed is quite large, but in some ways that's why I love them so.  They are never absolutely identical.

There are so many breeds in this country now which truly have all the different characteristics, coat textures etc. etc. that people want I just don't understand why people are going for these stupidly named crosses!

>"I would disagree not that many breeds were bred from crosses but evolved from types used for a partucular job. 

These became more standardise and specialised.  In some breeds there are still distinct variations (often based on geography) in type that are sometimes greater than that bewtween some breeds"<

Many breeds will have evloved over a long period of time, the oldest is the Africanis, and they have a specific role in African families, they do vary in size depending on the geographical area where they are living. They also have a variation in build some areas requiring a stockier dog and other areas requiring a lighter built dog. I am a supporter of the Africanis Society who are trying to preserve this old "breed".

>"Most of these were created with a specific purpose in mind.  To be honest there is no good reason to try and create any new breed when there are breeds sadly neglected, many with the qualities claimed by the crossbreeders, that need nurturing and true enthusiasts."<

I agree it is sad people wanting something different are buying these designer crossbreds when so many of our native British breeds are dying out due to lack of interest from pet buyers.