I know there is much debate about whether they should be bred etc etc but what do people think of this?

(I have only got this info after talking to my friend so it is not first hand but I think it is correct ;-))
My friend got a fabulous lab puppy last year from a lady that also breeds the occasional litter of 'labradoodles'.  She uses health tested stock and home checks thoroughly.  She does not advertise the pups as non-shedding or suitable for those with allergies and will take a puppy back if the need arises.  She also states that size and appearance cannot be guaranteed as they are a cross between two breeds and they are sold for around £200-£300 (not totally sure of price).
I believe the reason she has for doing this is that there is demand for these dogs and people will buy them from anywhere and pay almost anything and as they are essentially crosses she cannot justify the extortionate prices some people charge - and no health tests done either.

Opinions please!!  I do not know the lady but as this is the first case I have heard of crosses being bred in this manner I am interested in what people think :-)

Personally I have no problem with cross breeding as such as long as all health tests on the respective breeds are done as well as everything else that a reputable breeder would do.

Vera

I can't believe she would sell them for so little.  I am led to believe that such crosses cost more than the pedigree puppy of either breed which seems nonsense to me.  I have no doubt there is a demand for such 'designer' dogs - but how long will it be before we see a fair proportion of them in rescue centres when the new owners find that they still moult and are very strong - especially if they favour the Labrador.    I have a Goldendoodle starting in my puppy class tonight and I am keen to speak to the owner about her reasons for getting such a breed and how much she paid for it, plus how it was reared etc.  We have previously had a Labradoodle at club and it was such a scruffy article - should have been trimmed out - not necessarily in a poodle cut, but definatley needed something done with his coat.

I guess she is selling them for a lower price (much lower than most you see advertised) in order to try and encourage people who REALLY want one of these dogs, those where nothing is going to change their mind, to at least get a pup from someone that has done some health tests etc etc and will state that traits such as coat/size/temperament cannot be guaranteed.

They're still priced on the high side for crossbreeds (pedigree mismarks can be round about that) but at least they're not the usual rip-off price. But I still can't really see the point.

When I breed it isn't to satisfy a certain market but to satisfy myself and the btreed standard.  People wanting a crossbreed is no business of mine, they can get plenty in the dog home.

It might be lower than that still.  I don't get it either though, I just wondered what all you guys thought!!

My question would be why do it? 

Breeding should not be just for a demand but for improving the breed.  Why waste the breeding potential (and the health risks to the bitch) of her health tested bitches and dogs on producing Cross breeds? 

Health tested or not if her Labs are not good enough to breed good quality labs then they should not be bred from at all.

I'm not sure as I don't know the lady but I agree with you on this.  She does breed nice labs though so I don't know why she would go down the lines of cross breeds.

I just thought it was quite interesting as this is the only person I have heard of that has done this rather than 'any dog and bitch and lets see what we get....and how much money we can make'.

I wouldn't risk my bitches to fulfil some silly need of some people for something novel,

Totally agree, Brainless. People in the main want these dogs because they "saw one and thought it was lovely". Supply comes before demand and I could never condone purposely crossbreeding.

is she in west somerset?

No - miles further up North than that

It is my understanding that this particular cross was initially bred by instruction from the RNIB, they wanted the the dogs to be trained as guide dogs and get the best of both breeds. The traditional lab with the intelligence of the poodle!! (I have a poodle and I think that she was at the back of the queue when brains were handed out, love her to bits though!!:rolleyes:

Personally I think that sometimes, the attitude towards crossbreeds verges on snobbery.

What if - bear with me here, it's radical I know - what if, people CAN'T always afford or justify £800 for a pure-bred dog? What if none of the breeds within their price range appeals to them, or is right for them? What if they DON'T want a dog from a rescue? What if  (shock horror)  they want a dog now, and don't want to wait for fifteen years for the  "right"  puppy to come along?

I mean come on, I can see where some of you are coming from but really - are crossbreeds SO dreadful??

We can't all be blonde haired and blue eyed, after all  :rolleyes:

Nothing wrong with crossbreeds at all - I think what most of us on here object to is people who breed them deliberately and without any health tests, and then charge 2 or 3 times as much as a pedigree dog, calling them 'designer dogs' rather than crossbreeds or mongrels! :-)

>what if, people CAN'T always afford or justify £800 for a pure-bred dog?

Then they certainly won't be able to afford the £1000+ that some of these deliberate crossbreeds are priced at!

No, they won't be able to afford £1,000 for a cross if they couldn't afford £800.  And I join you in thinking that it is LUDICROUS when breeders demand ridiculous prices for trendy crosses. Having said that - it's up to the individual, isn't it, how much they pay?

But the money isn't the whole  issue, is it?

The attitude here is that crossbreeds are wrong, full stop. Or at least, they are not as  "right"  as pedigrees.  But it's all a matter of taste.  If I wish to spend my money, however much that may be, on a crossbreed then that is my choice and my right. 

Hi KateC

>The attitude here is that crossbreeds are wrong, full stop. Or at least, they are not as  "right"  as pedigrees

strictly speaking the above is quite incorrect :)  You will notice this forum is an extension of a website for breeders, exhibitors and owners of pedigree stock :)  Those who strive hard to retain good type, health and temperament in their individual breeds feel quite naturally strongly on issues which relate to a breed (even ones not owned directly by them) being exploited by deliberate crossing :)  Good breeders breed for one reason alone - to *improve* the breed dear to their heart.  There is no such feeling behind the "deliberate" crossing of breeds, hence your misinterpretation of why breeders responding to threads of this ilk seem upset (often to the point of outrage ;) )

Many of us have owned, still do and will again own crossbreeds, mongrels, good old heinz 57's - we, as in responsible breeders, would however NEVER exploit them for cash, fashion or anything else :)

regards Teri

But it all comes down to choice, doesn't it?

You might want to improve your chosen breed. Great. So do just that.  But why do pedigree breeders have the monopoly on noble motives??

What if someone has bred a litter of crosses and they turn out just fine? Good health, nice temps and great family dogs? What if that person is very picky about what homes they go to? Why is that breeder doing somehow a lesser job than someone who breeds pedigrees?

What if someone has bred a litter of crosses and they turn out just fine? Good health, nice temps and great family dogs? What if that person is very picky about what homes they go to? Why is that breeder doing somehow a lesser job than someone who breeds pedigrees?

Because the only reason a deliberate crossbred litter would be born (apart from working lurchers, etc) would be to produce puppies for puppies sake.  The reason an ethical breeder would breed is to further their breed and try to get as close to it's breed standard as possible.  Crossbreeds have no such breed standard therefore there is nothing to approve upon.   So why breed them?  It's just producing more and more dogs.

Debs

Hello again KateC

I made the effort to respond to your post in, I believe, a diplomatic and polite tone when referencing your wholly incorrect summation of the membership on this forum.  However it seems that your reason for further involvement on this point is one which is intended to be confrontational - not an entirely novel approach but hardly worthy of further explanation :)

Teri

i can see why lots of people do breed cross bred dogs as there is a use for some of them, however the labradoodle just doesnt make sense to me ive seen some advertised from £600 all the way up to £850   i just dont get it.

OK Hayley, fair enough. You don't get it. So don't get a crossbreed then.

I don't get lots of things.  I don't get why "Dad's Army"  is funny. I don't get the offside rule. But I don't roll my eyes at those who do.