What'd you guys think of poodle/golden crosses?

[MysticRealm]

oh and also, when you cross breed to get a new breed you need to have a purpose. oh well they make better guide dogs. um, poodles on their own are highly intelligent, loyal, friendly dogs, that are low shed so better for allergies.
The goldens around here (I did say around here, I don't know bout every where else) are such chickens you can hardly get them off the floor in any new place.
plus you do not usually get the same coat that you would for a poodle so you can get a dog that is more likely to cause allergies.

 

[Psyfalcon]

Poodles do not seem to be very popular guide dogs. I'm not sure why not though. Assuming for some reason they are less suitable than the other breeds, I don't see why one can not responsibly try and create a mix to better serve people.

BYBs are BYBs, puppy mills are puppy mills, purebred or mixes.

 

[ravennr]

Well, since Labradoodles were admittedly a failed experiment (admittedly by their own creators, no less) I do not see how Goldendoodles would be any different at all. Still mutts, and still bred primarily for profit.

I actually have yet to see any poos or doodles as guide dogs, and there are a ton around here.

 

[verderben]

haven't read many responses, but I am against the breeding of mixes specially these 'designer things'
I have know 2 doodle things well and even tho one of them grew up in a dentist office surrounded by new people everyday and was VERY friendly with people she knew both dogs growled at nearly everyone they did not know. And not just a little growl but a good loud growl.
the other doodle thing could also be dominant aggressive.

I believe that. We had one we groomed for awhile at work and this dog got more and more aggressive as it grew up. It got to the point it had to be muzzled the entire time it was being groomed. The owners were at a loss of what to do and tried several different things to try and get the dog on track. The dog ended up attacking thier kid and had to be put down. The other day I was at the dog park and this guy comes in with a 10 month old "labradoodle" . Its going insane barking and growling. So naturally he lets it go and it promptly attacked another dog. Of course the dog was intact because he plans to breed it. I have seen several aggressive ones.

 

[Puppy-Raiser]

oh and also, when you cross breed to get a new breed you need to have a purpose. oh well they make better guide dogs. um, poodles on their own are highly intelligent, loyal, friendly dogs, that are low shed so better for allergies.

As I have said a million times before, the poodles DID NOT work out. They are shy in crowds, and are more of one person dogs. These puppies grow up with one person from the time they're born to eight weeks, then they go off to a puppy raiser and are swapped around alot to get them used to other people, and then have to bond with ANOTHER person for six months while they're in formal training, and only THEN can they go to their final person. The labs, goldens and shepherds are perfectly fine with this, but all the poodles they have used in the program did NOT work. We've been testing the doodles for the past couple years, and we've had a pretty good success rate. (fifty-fifty...The labs are sixty-forty) And this is NOT supporting a BYB, since we are breed them ourselves, FOR A PURPOSE. I am with you guys with the NORMAL breeding of the doodles, but for guide work? Come on! Every breed we have now was originally bred for a purpose. The labs were bred for pulling fishing nets in...Pointers were bred for hunting. Bernards were bred for milk cart pulling. Huskies were bred to get a dog that could do well in the cold, and be strong enough and energetic enough to pull a dog sled. Now are you telling me that we can't use goldendoodles JUST because it's a MUTT?? What's wrong with mutts? And we don't rescue from shelters because we never know what kind of health background the dog would have, whether it is from a healthy mother and father, whether the mother or father had any kind of behavioral issues, etc. We can't put two years worth of time PLUS THIRTY-EIGHT THOUSAND dollars (That's how much it costs to raise a guide dog!!) into a dog JUST because we want to be good and rescue our dogs.

 

[lakotasong]

As I have said a million times before, the poodles DID NOT work out. They are shy in crowds, and are more of one person dogs.

What a ridiculous generalization. :spam:

What organization are you involved with, and what is your position within it? Also, can you provide any proof to your statistics you've been throwing out?

 

[Psyfalcon]

What a ridiculous generalization. :spam:

What organization are you involved with, and what is your position within it? Also, can you provide any proof to your statistics you've been throwing out?

And what are you qualifications to call call that ridiculous? How many poodles have you trained to WORK in public?

 

[lakotasong]

I've never trained a poodle to do anything. Though I have met numerous poodles through my line of work, dog club involvement and dog show competition with my Siberians.

That aside, I simply do not like sweeping generalizations about a breed as a whole from someone who is trying to justify unethical breeding.

 

[drmom777]

I'm sorry, but how can you claim a legitimate guide dog organization trying to breed dogs to suit their needs is a BYB. You are comparing apples and oranges. What's more, the OP isn't even involved in the breeding. Out of the goodness of her heart she raises puppies to be guide dogs for other people. I think doodle breeding is mostly dreadful, here in New Jersey people mail order them like the were boots from LLBean, They seem to think the more it costs the better it is, but this isn't what we are talking about in this thread.

I don't think I or most of the other people posting here are qualified to tell a guide dog association what kind of dogs it should or shouldn't be using. If they don't want to use poodles, so be it. I assume they are breeding for temperament, health, and in this case hypoallergenic coat. I say let them go to it. Their goal is at least as valid as someone breeding as a hobby for the betterment of an established breed.

 

[milos_mommy]

Did we ever figure out why they were breeding golden doodles instead of just goldens? If there is a reason that make golden doodles a better guide dog then fine, if not I don't see the purpose but either way the dog would be born it's just a matter of breed. So I don't think it's a big deal whether it's a litter of goldens or a litter of golden doodles in that case.

i'm pretty sure it's for blind people or their families who have allergies or problems with highly shedding dogs.

 

[lakotasong]

Some food for thought:

http://www.poodlehistory.org/PGUIDE.HTM - Poodle History (Guide dogs, HEDs and special skills dogs.)

http://www.pilotdogs.org/Custom/custom.asp?id=67&cmid=272 - Pilot Dogs: The Breeds

http://www.poodleclubsocal.com/guidepoodle/ - Poodle Club of So. Cal., Guide Dogs of the Desert

http://www.rnzfb.org.nz/newsandevents/publications/outlookmagazine/spring2005/guidelines - Notes from the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind

http://www.shawanoleader.com/articles/2007/08/14/news/news1.txt - Heartwarming story from the Shawano Leader

http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/4154822a22402.html - Guide Dog Catches Eyes

 

[Psyfalcon]

No one said poodles on their own can't be trained to do the job. The links you provided show that only a handful of poodles are being used each year.

Why is that? I have no clue, but it might be as Puppy Raiser stated?

If only (random number) 40% of Poodles started out are suitable but a Poodle mix is better at 50%, then that alone qualifies it as a better guide dog for the company or group raising them. Placing more in working positions rather than pet homes is an important goal...