Recently, the media has hyped the emergence of a number of designer dog "breeds." These include the long popular cockapoos, and other small breed crosses, and now the newly emerging large breed doodles. Much of what these "breeders" say to promote their puppies is misleading, if not downright false. The breeders of the various "doodles", including the Goldendoodle, which most concerns fanciers of the Golden Retriever breed, perpetuate a number of myths in their quest to sell puppies. Please inform yourself about the reality of these crossbreeds
1. Goldendoodles are not a breed.
Golden doodles are a first generation cross between a Standard Poodle and a Golden Retriever. In order for a type of dog to be a breed, there must be a written standard describing the conformation of the breed, and a studbook must be maintained listing all members of that breed registered. In order for that studbook to be accepted by the kennel club, breeders must have gone through a rigorous process by which the breed is accepted for consideration for recognition and voted on by the club membership. Before even getting to that stage however, the breed club must provide evidence that the dogs in question are a breed. That means in a newly created breed (and there have been some since WWII, such as the Cesky Terrier) records of the breeding program resulting in the new breed have been maintained, and once the phenotype has been set, like bred to like produces like for several generations, proving that genotype has also been set.
This is a very simplified explanation of a complex process. But essentially, since "doodle" puppies result from the mating of one breed to another, and not back into each other with an eventual goal of setting breed type in mind, and the puppies produced vary wildly in conformation, they are not a breed.
2. Goldendoodles are not guaranteed hypoallergenic.
The puppies may inherit the coat of either the poodle or the Golden or a mix of the two. You may get a pup that sheds, you may not.
3. Goldendoodles are not free of the inherited conditions of poodles and Goldens due to "hybrid vigour."
The term "hybrid vigour" technically refers to crossing different species, such as a dog (Canis familiaris) to a wolf (Canis lupis). Poodles and Goldens are both breeds within the same species, so hybrid vigour would not result. Furthermore, Poodles and Goldens are actually prone to some of the same or similar inherited conditions, such as problems with skin, hips and eyes. These have mostly polygenic modes of transmission, meaning many genes are involved. Crossing these breeds together therefore means that you are potentially throwing more genes into the mix, and increasing your chances of ending up with one of these conditions. Doodles are already showing up in rescue with hip diysplasia, and terribly allergic skin conditions. They are proving wrong the doodlers who claim it is unnecessary for them to do clearances and genetic testing on the dogs they breed.
4. Doodles are not a legitimate breeding activity.
In order to obtain their breeding stock these people have either bought poorly bred dogs from backyard breeders or puppymill auctions, or lied to reputable breeders. No reputable breeder of Goldens or poodles would sell a puppy to someone who had told them they intended to use the dog for crossbreeding.
Please do not support the unethical practices of the doodle breeders by buying into their deception. If you want the Golden look and personality, get a Golden. If you need a non-shedding breed that is loyal and intelligent, consider a standard poodle.
Protect the integrity of our breeds. Get your purebred puppy from a reputable breeder, or adopt a shelter dog and save a life.
For more information see:
GRCA Breed Education
GRCA Doodle Response
Good breeders do not breed to have pups to sell. They breed because they hope to accomplish something through the combination of a particular male and female. A good breeder will be able to explain clearly their goals with the litter.
A good breeder will abide by the code of ethics of the national or regional breed club. With the GRCC, this means doing testing for heritable conditions including hip dysplasia, and cataracts, as well as heart conditions and elbow dysplasia., through qualified veterinary specialists in orthopedics (OFA, OVC, PennHip, etc), opthamology (CERF), and cardiology (CERF). There will be certificates to prove these clearances. It means not breeding females before the age of 18 months at the very minimum, and preferably not before 2 years of age. It means keeping dogs in clean, sanitary conditions, and feeding nutritious food. It means screening buyers carefully, and being willing to take puppies back if things don't work out. It means not sending puppies to their new homes before they are 7 weeks old. It means selling all puppies registered with the Canadian Kennel Club, and not asking extra for the papers. It means placing pet puppies on non-breeding contracts.
If someone asks you to pay one price registered and another unregistered they are breaking the law. In Canada, the Animal Pedigree Act requires that any animal represented as purebred be sold with its registration papers.
Good breeders do not sell pups through pet stores or raffles. Pet store puppies are of questionable quality, often more expensive than pups from a reputable breeder, and are most certainly coming from puppy mills.
Beware of anyone using phrases like "rare" or "white" or "extra-big and blocky" to describe their breeding stock. At their palest, Goldens are cream, and this English-style characteristic is by no means rare. If the dogs are extra big, or white, they do not fall within the breed standard, and therefore should not be bred!
Also beware of anyone offering mixes for sale alongside purebreds. This is a violation resulting in loss of membership in the CKC, and therefore, reputable breeders will not be doing this! See the next column for some information on the myths perpetuated by the crossbreeders.
Golden Retriever Club of Canada
Another useful article on reputable breeding practices:WHO CARES?
GRCA Statement on"Rare &White"