The Doodle Craze

What is a doodle? "Doodles" or "Oodles" are defined as the crossbred offspring from a poodle and any other breed. In 1989, Wolly Conron of Australia wanted to create a "hypoallergenic Service Dog". He crossed the low shedding poodle, with that of double coated breeds such as the golden retriever and labrador retriever with the idea that he was creating a "hypo-allergenic super dog". His results were the Labradoodle and Goldendoodle. Since the experiment in Australia we now see ‘Poodling’ of pretty much everything. Bernerdoodles, Borderdoodles, Cairndoodles, Dobedoodles, Cockadoodle, Cavadoodle, Mini Poodle Goldendoodle, Aussiedoodles, Mini Aussie Goldendoodle, Jackerdoodles, Teddy Bear Doodles, Double Doodles, Mini Doodle Double Doodle, etc.

However, Conron's experiment was ultimately a failure. After three decades, he made public statements explaining his regrets about ever doing this, calling doodles "Frankenstein mistakes".

In simple terms, doodles are mutts. Many pet owners may ask "So what? Mutts are great dogs!". Mutts (aka mixed breeds) are in fact excellent dogs. However, the problem is that many doodle "breeders" claim that doodles are a new breed. They are not a breed because they do not have a breed standard or genetic consistency. Pet owners may then ask, "Why are breed standards important?:. Breed standards are important because they help ensure breeds stay healthy, have structural function, and predictability in temperament. Without a standard to breed towards or the unbiased guidance of conformation judging, doodle "breeders" don't have a responsible goal for how their dogs should behave, structurally function, and appear. The entire point of an ethical dog breeder is to create specimens that represent the breed standard and exceed in portraying optimal health and abilities. Without that standard, a breeder is simply creating inferior and severely inconsistent animals without any direction to go off of. Doodle breeders have zero knowledge of how genetics work. They often incorrectly assume that the term "well-bred" is inferred to mean "well behaved". These are two completely different terms that have two completely different meanings. A "well bred" dog is not classified as one that is well behaved, but one that is proven and titled to have a body with correct conformation/proportions in order to have full skeletal and muscular function, a level temperament/mental capabilities, a solid working/purposeful drive, and is sound in health/OFA tested against genetic health conditions. There is no such thing as an ethical/responsible doodle breeder. They are simply people who think they can make money off a current trend, or, they are people who are blissfully ignorant of the negative genetic discord they are creating. Some doodle breeders may have their hearts in the right place, but their knowledge and education is severely lacking.

The Doodle Craze: Doodles have been made popular because they're marketed as "hypoallergenic", "non-shedding", "perfect family dogs", and "healthier than purebreds". One can see that these marketing terms would be highly attractive to the unknowing public. Doodles are also sought out for their super fluffy appearances and goofy personalities. These sales pitches herald doodles as some sort of wonder dog, garnering a great deal of attention. However, a major problem when certain dogs become popular, is that the wrong types of breeders and people get involved by taking advantage of public demand. A tremendous amount of careless breeding practices occur without paying attention to health, structure, or temperament - all while aiming for the mighty dollar. These unethical breeders, along with puppy mills and pet stores also encourage and propagate the marketing claims surrounding doodles and misconstrue genetic principles of breeding. These claims of seemingly wonderful advantages are far, far from the truth. The amount of blatantly incorrect information online, and the near cult like following it garners, has been astonishing. And the result is that these dogs end up being paired into homes that are inadequately prepared and equipped to take on their vast needs and maintenance.

Below, are some of the outlined claims surrounding the doodle craze -

The Hybrid Vigor Claim: There's a common public belief that hybrid dogs are much healthier than purebred dogs, a phenomenon known as "hybrid vigor" or, in scientific terms, "heterosis." This phenomenon has often been used by unethical breeders to advertise their hybrid dogs as "superior specimens", all so they could ask for exorbitant prices. Claims by unethical breeders stating that hybrids are healthier and get the best of both worlds from their parents are quite unfounded. “It's a nice story, but when you tell it, geneticists laugh," claims Stanley Coren, a professor at the University of Bristish Columbia. "A new study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, indicates that mixed breeds don’t necessarily have an advantage when it comes to inherited canine disorders." — UC Davis Press Release. According to a large, five-year-old study conducted by Thomas P. Bellumori et al. and published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, after analyzing more than 90,000 health records, it was found that no difference was seen between purebred and crossbred dogs when it came to the incidence of 13 heritable conditions. There were only a few exceptions where it was actually found that some hereditary conditions remain isolated to specific breeds, but other than that, the superior health benefits claimed by doodle breeders is largely a myth. when considering the first generation of a crossbreed like a Goldendoodle, hybrid vigor simply means that the puppies are less likely to have the same genetic combinations that would cause loss of vigor in the purebred they are from. It does not mean that these first-generation hybrids are less likely to have the inherited conditions that are already in the genetic make-up the parents, which is the myth often touted by breeders of doodles. This myth is used to justify breeding dogs with bad hips, bad eyes, skin conditions, and other genetic problems of the purebred parents, by making the assumption the offspring cannot have these conditions. This is blatantly false; the complex genetic make-up of both parents will influence the traits of the offspring including characteristic such as hip dysplasia. The likelihood of actually creating bigger problems, is extremely high. For instance, if Labradors that are prone to hip problems are crossbred with Poodles who are prone to eyesight problems, you may end up with puppies prone to both conditions. Over the past decade, veterinarians are seeing a massive influx of doodle *puppies* coming in with advanced hip dysplasia, joint issues caused from poor conformation, heart conditions, cognitive dysfunction, and cancers. Again these are puppies, not older dogs. Instead of breeding out problems, clueless and unscrupulous doodle breeders are breeding them in. For every "perfect" doodle, you're going to find a lot of crazy and unhealthy ones.

The Family Dog Claim: The majority of doodles are high energy and slow to mentally mature. Not all, but most. Many doodles are "stuck" in puppy mode, failing to grasp boundaries and self control. Having a 100lb out of control dog around a family with small children can be a recipe for disaster. Add in the fact that many doodles are heavily matted, which causes pain, and they can become aggressive and irritable whenever touched. Their high energy has to be managed with frequent exercise, behavioral training, and mental stimulation. Otherwise, they can develop unhealthy or destructive habits like attention nipping, jumping up on people, eating furniture, digging at the carpet, etc. Doodles often have conflicting or extreme personality traits based on the personalities of their parent breeds. A Goldendoodle and a Labradoodle for example, are in fact two types of hunting dog in one dog, and this is most of the time a lot of dog for a person looking for a nice dog with a fun name. Or worse, you can end up with a dog that has wildly unpredictable and varying personality traits. When you cross one breed of dog that is created to be calm and collected, with a different breed that is hyper, reactive, and aggressive, you can end up with offspring that exhibit all of those traits combined into one mental wreck of a package. This can make it extremely difficult for them to control their reactions and behaviors, because one side of their brain wants to do one thing (such as remain calm and collected), and the other side wants to do the total opposite (reactive and aggressive) in any given situation. Because of this cluster of conflicts, professional trainers struggle to pinpoint and correct out of control behavior issues in these dogs. The United States has seen a massive rise in households that have out of control dogs, with the majority being doodles. Remember, behavior problems, are safety problems. The number one reason people surrender their dogs to shelters, is because of unmanageable behavior problems. In recent years, shelters and rescues have seen a massive rise in the amount of doodles being surrendered due to behavior problems.

The Hypoallergenic Claim: The idea that a dog can be hypoallergenic is something many allergy sufferers find highly appealing. And vets cringe at the term every time a pet owner brings it up. The truth is, no dog is hypoallergenic. The very same allergy causing enzymes that are in the fur, are also in the skin cells, saliva, and urine of a dog. The causes of allergies also can and do extend past the dog itself and can be found in the dust and pollen that collects in the coat. Additionally, not every person with allergies is going to be allergic to the same thing. While one person may be allergic to dog fur, another will be allergic to the dust and pollen that collects in the coat.

The Non-Shedding Claim: There is no such thing as a non-shedding dog. Some dogs shed a lot, some shed less. Even hairless breeds shed skin cells/dander. Point being, *all* dogs shed to some extent or another. Poodles for example, are low shedders. Their coats are dominated by the anagen, or growth phase, of hair and each individual hair may grow for years. The hair shafts are curly. However, when that low shedding poodle is bred to a heavy shedding breed with a double coat, such as golden retriever or lab, the resulting hair type is a disaster. It is often a varied mix of fine wavy top coat hair of a poodle and dense undercoat of the other breed. This is a perfect recipe for *severe* matting or pelting. The wavy top coat trapped the dense undercoat and doesn't allow it to shed out like it normally would in a double coated breed. When it comes to a Doodle’s coat, you need to know that it is impossible to predict how exactly it will end up. Being a mixed-breed, there is a lot of variety among Doodles, even from the same litter! You cannot guarantee low shedding if one parent is a high shedder. Genetics don't work like that.

The High Maintenance of Doodle Hair: Doodle hair is extremely high maintenance. It requires daily brushing to the skin and frequent grooming. Many doodle "breeders" and pet store employees will tell puppy buyers that the doodles are low maintenance and shouldn't be groomed or bathed until the doodle is 1 or 2 years old. Or worse, they don't even tell the owners at all, about the care doodle coats require. This is extremely unhealthy for the dog. As a result, the majority of doodle's coats are neglected and pelted (severely matted all over the body.) In many cases, the doodle coat is so thick that it is nearly impossible to get a clipper or brush through it, even when properly prepped. Coats like this can be far more challenging to maintain than the coats of the purebred originators of the doodle ever were. Add to this biological botheration the fact that a high percentage of doodle owners are determined that their dogs boast a long, fluffy style yet cannot understand the intense level of work that goes into achieving the look they desire. - And the result is a high frustration level for both groomers and doodle owners alike.

Now, let's please steer away for a moment and talk about mats;

• Many dog breeds were selectively bred and developed by mankind to have abnormal coat types. These unnatural types consist of curly coats, fine coats, coats with over producing under layers, and doodle coats that are combinations of all of these coat types. They do not shed or grow like a natural coat does. In a natural coat, the lose and dead hair sheds out on its own. In curly, fine, and heavily under layered coats, the lose and dead hair instead gets trapped, tangled, and impacted. Since dogs with these coat types cannot self regulate, they require maintenance and attention from their owners. They should be brushed to the skin, at least 1-3 times a week. And they should be washed and have their undercoat blown out at least every 4-8 weeks. If this preventative responsibility is neglected, the impacted hair turns into mats. Mats can also occur when the coat becomes damp (such as after the dog goes swimming or is left out in the rain) and the hair isn't properly dried and combed out.
  

• Dog with these hair types absolutely have to be brushed out on a regular basis. Keeping them brushed in between their grooming appointments is like brushing your teeth in between your dental appointments, exercising and eating well in between your doctor appointments, and washing/brushing your hair in between your salon appointments. Daily at home care is apart of routine responsibilities. It is not your dentist's responsibility to brush *your* teeth every day. It is your personal job. Likewise, your dentist is not at fault if you develop cavities because you decided not to brush your teeth every day at home. You can't get mad at the dentist when they have to do hours of extensive work and charge you a high bill for having to fix those cavities.

• Mats cause extreme pain and damage to your dog's skin. They start at the base of the hair shaft, and over time, they twist and pinch the skin up into knots. Blood and air flow becomes severely restricted from reaching the skin. Additionally, mats trap moisture, feces, and urine in the hair. Mold, mildew, fungus, or bacteria then grows through the skin. Parasites such as fleas, ticks, maggots, and mites also thrive in mats. In severe cases, the mats become so tight around the limbs that they completely cut off blood flow. They can also block sanitary areas and prevent the dog from eliminating.
  

• It is impossible to wash, dry, and style the coat when it has mats in it. Just imagine trying to wash and style your own hair if it was full of dreadlocks.

• Once mats form, they can be extremely difficult/impossible to remove with a brush. Attempting to simply brush out mats is not only futile, it would be immensely traumatic, time consuming, and unsafe for your dog. Brushing mats literally tears the dog's skin into shreds. As you can imagine, that would cause the dog to develop aggression, anxiety, and stress towards being groomed. You wouldn’t be happy either if your skin was being torn apart. Understanding this, you can appreciate just how detrimental and inhumane it is in attempting to brush mats out. In order to avoid your dog experiencing unneeded agony and trauma, shaving is the ONLY HUMANE option to removing mats.

• Despite it being the most humane option, and no matter how careful and experienced your groomer is, removing mats can pose inherent safety risks. Because dogs with mats are already in pain, they do not want to be touched. So they are rarely compliant in standing still while sharp objects are being used around them. It is rare, however accidents can happen. After-effects of mat removal can include itchiness, redness, self-inflicted irritations, abrasions, or failure of hair to regrow. Removing the mats can also expose bruises, infections, and wounds that were caused from the mats themselves.

• In some cases, dogs may also exhibit brief behavioral changes after mats have been shaved out - they are feeling air against their skin for the first time in a long time. Imagine wrapping your body in duct tape. It’s so tight you don’t have full range of motion in your arms and legs and you get used to it. You get wet and Bacteria starts to grow under the duct tape making you itchy but you can’t scratch it. You get used to the air never touching your skin. Then you get all that duct tape removed. The air is suddenly hitting your skin making you cold, the trapped bacteria is exposed and washed away leaving your skin tingly, and you now suddenly have full range of motion in your arms and legs - making those unused muscles sore. All of these things happening at once can make you scared or depressed if you don’t understand why it’s happening. Now, do you think it's the groomer's fault for removing the duct tape? Or the owner's fault for allowing the duct tape to be there for so long? Please know your dog's behavior change after being shaved is not an indication that your dog is “embarrassed” by being shaved. That is an anthropomorphic assumption, and does nothing to encourage the dog's health. In many cases, their behavioral change is more a direct reflection of how their owner is reacting to their new appearance than it is to their new sensations. If you act upset, angry, or anxious upon seeing their new hair cut, your dog is going to think they're in trouble/that your anger is directed at them. They don't understand that you're upset about their aesthetic. All they know is that you're upset, and they may cower and act submissive in response to that. Dogs do not have any concept of vanity. What they do understand is emotion and what makes them feel physically and mentally good. So if you treat your dog as you would any normal day - with affection, a smiling face, warm demeanor, and acceptance - they will behave in accordance to that.

• Having to de-mat/shave a dog is not a pleasant experience for your groomer either. It is literally a back breaking process that requires spending hours in a bent position and manually restraining an unhappy and uncooperative animal. Just imagine trying to hold still an 80lb - 2 year old child who is literally kicking and screaming with one hand, and trying to carefully give them a hair cut with the other hand. Now imagine, you had to do this for 3 hours straight. Furthermore, the dirt, oil, and debris trapped in mats can damage expensive grooming equipment ( It can burn out the motor in a $400 pair of clippers in 15 minutes). With that in mind, please know that we do not want your dog shaved any more than you do. We do not want to damage our bodies, destroy our equipment, or have your dog associate us with an unpleasant experience. Rather, we would love your dog keep a long and fluffy coat and associate grooming as something fun and positive. However, that can’t happen if your dog is not provided routine preventative maintenance and is allowed to become matted. When a groomer has to shave your dog, it is not because they are “lazy” or “don’t care”. Groomers shave your dog because they are concerned more about your dog’s health and well-being, than its vanity. They do not want to subject your dog to hours of torture.

After reading about mats, one can appreciate just how detrimental they are to both the dog and groomer.

Impacts of Doodle Popularity upon the Pet Industry and Professionals: Unfortunately there exists a vast amount of misinformation, lack of education, and blatant refusal about proper coat care and grooming needs for doodles. A sort of stigma against pet professionals has development exclusively out of the doodle craze. Many doodle owners are verbally aggressive and abusive towards vets, groomers, and trainers, arguing and defending their own willful ignorance and flagrant neglect. This creates immensely jaded burnout, frustration, and compassion fatigue to pet professionals who once loved their jobs. In a recent study, when asked the reason why many pet professionals quit their jobs, the number one answer across the United States was "Doodle owners". We greatly wish this wasn't true, however it's a highly common and growing occurrence. Many trainers, vets, and groomers have stopped accepting doodles. Vets are desperately advocating for potential dog buyers to get their dogs either from responsible breeders who health and temperament test and provide dogs only with families that can correctly care for them, or from reputable shelters and rescue organizations that have plenty of mixed breeds who need loving homes. - And not buy into the massively over produced doodle craze, which often just leaves owners overwhelmed with sick, costly, and out of control dogs. We absolutely hate to see dogs and their owners set up for failure. It's not fair to either. We do not want there to be a wedge between professionals and owners, however that can't happen if science, education, and advice from professionals is ignored.

Groomers especially are feeling the doodle craze hard. Not only are they dealing with the overbearing stress created from doodle owners, they are killing their bodies to groom said doodles. Unfortunately, many doodle owners *choose* to not maintain their dog's coat, and only bring their doodle in for grooming when the coat is severely matted and beyond any level of help. Many groomers are forced to retire early due to health issues directly linked to years of constantly de-matting doodles. Before the popularity of doodles arose, groomers would have to de-mat around 1-5 dogs a year. However, now that number has increased to 3-10 dogs a *day* - all of which are doodles. Seeing those numbers, one can appreciate just how quickly it can drive a groomer into an early retirement with a broken body. Severe arthritis, carpal tunnel, advanced degenerative disc disease, and torn tendons and muscles are just some examples of the conditions groomers sustain and have to retire for. The more doodles they have to groom, the less time they can spend in the industry. This has left the grooming world with fewer groomers than what can meet demand. The few groomers that are left, are booked to the max with the overwhelming number of pet owners. Many owners are feeling this, as they may have to wait months to get their dog into a groomer. As well, this has left many pet owners with "bottom of the barrel" options for groomers. Some of the most experienced and compassionate groomers, are the ones who are leaving the field. And this leaves owners with groomers who may not have the most patience or caring intentions with their dogs. This is hard to watch for the few caring groomers that do remain, because we do not want to be lumped into that same group.

Parting note for doodle owners and people considering getting a doodle

Doodles *can* be great pets. Like all dogs, they can be loving, devoted to their families, goofy, fun, and sweet. And every dog on this planet, regardless of it's background, deserves love and care. However, it's important to understand that doodles are going to be more high maintenance to care for compared to most other types of dogs. And there is a large risk for unpredictable temperament and health problems with these dogs, since their genetics are always a gamble. You may end up with a perfectly behaved dog, or you may end up with a neurological mess when you get a doodle. If you are a current doodle owner, please listen to the advice of your vet, groomer, and trainer when it comes to the care of your doodle. They are trained and licensed professionals for a reason, and have your dog's best interest at heart. Please do not listen to the "advice" of doodle breeders, pet store employees, and key board warriors on the internet. If you are considering adding a doodle to your family, please do your research first. Please consider the impact your are making, when you give money to doodle breeders. Please consider the amount of time, care, and devotion you'll have to provide your doodle. Ask yourself if you are willing and realistically able to brush them daily. Ask yourself if you are financially prepared to cover their high and frequent grooming costs. Ask yourself if you are financially prepared to cover any unknown health or behavior problems your doodle may later develop. And prepare yourself for the growing number of vets, groomers, and trainers who are now refusing to accept doodles.

​There are literally hundreds of different breeds out in the world. All of whom have been selectively and carefully developed into their own unique populations. There is a breed for everyone and every lifestyle. Poodles for example have many of the characteristics that doodles are claimed to have, but with less maintenance. Labs and goldens have many of the personality traits that families look for in a calm and child friendly dog. There are many ethical breeders of these different breeds, who are happy to place each healthy and well trained dog into the right home. Unethical doodle breeders who create and charge people ridiculous prices for high maintenance, unhealthy, and out of control mutts is not necessary. It's not fair to the dogs, and it's not fair to the owners. If people want mutts, there are plenty in the animal shelters that they can adopt.

Von Paws Doodle Disclaimer

Due to the extremely high maintenance, extensive time and physical demands required to groom, unrealistic expectations from owners, inconsistent grooming schedules, and failure of home care by many doodle owners - Von Paws does *NOT* accept doodles.

Please know we at Von Paws love all dogs, including doodles. - We know it's not the fault of the dogs for being high maintenance and neglected by their owners. And we *REALLY* appreciate those few doodle owners who do understand their dog's needs and provide them with proper care. We wish their were more doodle owners like that. However, for every one well behaved and properly cared for doodle with a logically minded owner, there are 200 poorly behaved and poorly cared for doodles with irrational and illogically minded owners. If owners actually took responsibility for allowing their doodles to get matted, actually listened to pet professionals, brushed their dogs, didn't wait until the last second for grooming appointments, and composed themselves with grace, we may not have this current situation.

We have to put our foot down when we consider the detrimental impact grooming doodles inflicts upon our own physical and mental health. Please understand that we have to ultimately do what is best for us. We are the ones grooming multiple dogs every day.

Otherwise, constantly de-matting these dogs puts extreme physical strain on our bodies, creating permanent health conditions. We would rather not have to retire early due to injuries/wear and tear to our bodies. We cannot continue to do what we love and provide years of service and exceptional care to dogs, if we are out of commission. Additionally, because many doodle owners choose to place their dog's vanity over its health, we cannot continue to endure the endless frustration, anguish, and compassion fatigue associated with that. We kindly ask that doodle owners be empathetic to this. We are always happy to provide resources and references to doodle owners.