Designer dogs:
Just what are these designer dogs? Should you buy one instead of a purebred dog? And are they real puppy breeds? These questions - and many more! - are answered below.
On this page: Do you know where your
dog comes from? What are designer dogs?'Designer dog' is a term often given to a crossbreed dog that comes from two purebred parents - for example, a Labrador and a poodle. The breeders of these dogs hope they will get a breed of dog that combines only the best characteristics of each purebred parent. For example, people who breed 'labradoodles' - dogs that are bred from a cross between either Standard Poodles or Miniature Poodles and Labradors - hope the puppies will have the temperament of a Labrador and the non-shedding coat of a poodle.  A purebred Standard Poodle Poodles (standard, miniature and toy) are the most popular breed to use to produce designer dogs ('oodles') because they don't shed their curly coat and many people prefer a dog that doesn't shed hair all over the house and car. Designer dogs usually have made-up names such as:
Are designer dogs registered breeds?To be registered with a national kennel council, a breed of dog usually must show the same, easily recognised characteristics (eg height, coat, temperament and body shape) over several generations. That is, they should breed 'true' - if you mate two dogs of the one breed together, you should get a puppy that looks and acts as if it comes from the same breed as its parents. It takes many years to establish a new breed of dog. Unfortunately, despite all the years of trying to establish the 'labradoodle' as a breed, a cross between a labrador and a poodle just ends up being - well, a cross between a labrador and a poodle! The puppies in any one litter may look completely different from one another: some look like the ideal 'labradoodle', some look mostly like Labradors, some look mostly like Standard Poodles. Even if you breed together dogs that look like the ideal 'labradoodle', the puppies may still look like the grandparents instead of the parents! 'Labradoodles' have never bred 'true' and they are not a registered breed at any national kennel council. The same goes for 'cavoodles', 'spoodles', 'pugaliers' and all the other crossbreeds with clever names marketed as 'designer dogs'. The puppies might inherit the best of both breeds - but they might inherit the worst! TopHypo-allergenic: the myth'Designer dogs' are often marketed as 'hypo-allergenic' dogs. Hypo-allergenic means that something is not likely to activate allergies, so a hypo-allergenic dog is one that will not cause an allergic reaction in people sensitive to dog hair. Marketers of poodle-cross dogs sometimes claim that their dogs are hypo-allergenic because poodles don't shed their hair. If the hair is not shed, the theory goes, there shouldn't be hair lying around to irritate people's allergies. But it's not just the dog hair itself that can cause allergies - it's the dry scales of skin (the dander) that is most likely to cause allergic reactions. Poodles do produce dander, though not as much as many dogs. Since the hair is not shed, the dander is less likely to come out with it. Allergic people are therefore less likely to have trouble with a non-shedding dog. There are plenty of 'hypo-allergenic' dogs already in existence. They either don't shed or have less dander. These include Yorkshire Terriers, Wire Coated Fox Terriers and Portuguese Water Dogs. But allergy suffers still need to be very careful when purchasing a purebred 'hypo-allergenic' dog. If you
are allergic to dogs, you must
test yourself with any dog you
intend to buy - even if it comes from one of the hypo-allergenic breeds.
The only way to be sure you won't have a reaction to any particular dog is to test yourself, either through a formal allergy test or by remaining in a closed space with the dog for half an hour. This goes for purebred poodles, wire-coated dogs, 'labradoodles', 'cavoodles', 'cockapoos' and all the other 'hypo-allergenic' dogs out there! Top'Easy to groom': the mythPoodles don't shed their hair on the floor but they do shed their hair into their own coat. They must be combed, and because their hair grows and grows it must be clipped. Some poodle-crosses end up with a coat that combines the worst from both parents: long, unruly, curly coats that matt very easily and are hard to clip. Sometimes, the dog groomers can't even get the clippers through the hair of poodle-crosses. The only way to trim the coat is to cut it off with scissors - not a good look! Trips to the dog groomer can become very expensive! If the dog inherits too many characteristics from the non-poodle parent, they may even shed some hair on the floor while the rest of it stays in the coat and gets matted! When
buying a 'designer dog': The ideal 'oodle' dog has a coat that is a nice mixture of the tightly curled poodle coat and the softer, smoother coat of the other breed. It doesn't shed hair and needs nothing more than a quick comb and the odd visit to a groomer for some trimming. Unfortunately, the ideal 'oodle' is hard to find! Many former 'oodle' owners have given up on the crossbreed due to the grooming problem and turned to dogs like Portuguese Water Dogs for an easier-to-groom, curly-coated dog. Do you know where your 'designer dog' comes from?The 'designer dog' craze has become so popular that there are thousands of unscrupulous people now breeding all sorts of crossbreeds, giving them a fancy name and selling them for much more than any plain old 'mongrel' would fetch. Although there are some breeders, particularly some 'labradoodle' breeders, who are health testing their dogs before breeding, many designer dog breeders are nothing more than puppy mills or puppy farmers (check out our Where to Buy Puppies page for more information). For a good mixed
breed or crossbreed dog, visit your Designer dogs can be churned out by the thousands for high prices, with no regard to the health problems they may be carrying. Vets and animal shelters around the world are becoming inundated with the terrible results of this indiscriminate, money-grabbing breeding. More puppy info at PuppyPrimer.com
So don't buy designer dogs - if you need to find a hypo-allergenic dog, look among the puppy breeds that already exist and avoid paying huge sums for dogs with fancy names. And if cost is an issue, you'll find plenty of designer dogs waiting for puppy adoption at your local pound or shelter - where they'll be called plain old mixed breeds!
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