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(By the way, my dog is a mutt--got her from the shelter, and she's my baby and the love of my life. I think mixes are wonderful dogs--but my mix is COMPLETELY different from her siblings. You'd have no idea they were even related)
Of course your dog is a mutt! According to your definition, every dog is one: Shar Pei, Doberman Pinscher, Shetland sheepdog etc. What about the Bulldog? Some say it could be the cross of a Mastiff and a Pug? Oops, could it be another mutt??
"Show me a goldendoodle breeder who is doing all the required health testing, performance proving, selective breeding necessary. I don't know a single person who has a championship golden retriever proven in the field who is OFA/CERF tested, temperament tested, and within standard who is going to breed it to a similar quality poodle."
Oh well, I guess if YOU don't know a single person like that, that means such breeder doesn't exist then. I am sure that you really looked into it.
No, those dogs aren't mutts because there are breed standards for them. They have been bred for generations and generations, until you can guarantee will fairly high accuracy that a doberman will be between x and y inches tall, will have a certain temperament, and will have the instinct for their job (as they are a working breed).
If there were a golden doodle breeder who had a set standard (and "friendly puppies who make nice pets" isn't a standard) that they were working towards, I wouldn't be against it. The problem is, you can't just breed two different types of dogs and say you have a new breed. Heck, the AKC even says every breed must have more than 2 other breeds in it. (Not that the AKC is the end all be all, but it's a good place to start).
If you take two golden doodles and breed them, you don't get another goldendoodle of the same sort. You get a dog that is slightly closer to poodle or golden retriever. Each generation reverts back more closely to the original breeds. The only way to standardize a breed is to breed MANY MANY generations with multiple types of dogs, cull your breeding stock, balance out traits in dogs, etc etc. It's not as simple as finding a good poodle and a good golden.
Maybe there is a good golden doodle breeder out there. In all my years in the dog world (rescue, showing, agility trials), I've yet to see one even come close. If you know of one, I'd love to see their site.
There were some breeders in Australia trying to standardize the labradoodle. There were soooo many breeds involved.
Quote:
The Confirmed and Approved Parent Breeds of the Australian Labradoodle are the Poodle (Standard, Miniature, Toy, Labrador Retriever, Irish Water Spaniel, Curly Coat Retriever, American Cocker Spaniel and English Cocker Spaniel.
I don't remember what the result was, but last I heard they had pretty much given up on standardizing it.
Seriously, if someone is doing it right and is truly trying to create a new breed with all the requisite health testing and trialing and temperament testing, please point me in their direction! I'd be VERY interested! Everyone I've seen is just breeding poodles to goldens and calling it a day.
I agree with you that standards need to be set but it will take time. Golden doodles have been around for about 20 years I believe. I don't think there were strict standards for the Golden Retriever - or for any breeds - 20 years after it has been developed either.
Are some Golden Doodles breeders in there for the money only? Most definitely, but isn't it also the case for some purebred breeders too?
Are there doodles with bad temperament? Probably - although the ones I've seen were very friendly dogs - but how many ill-temperament purebred dogs are out there?
Purchasing a purebred doesn't mean purchasing a guarantee of temperament and health. How many of them have serious health issues?
I simply don't think that designer breeds should be looked down upon as inferior just because there are no specific standards they should conform to. Especially when we see so many low quality purebred dogs out there...
I agree with you that standards need to be set but it will take time. Golden doodles have been around for about 20 years I believe. I don't think there were strict standards for the Golden Retriever - or for any breeds - 20 years after it has been developed either.
Are some Golden Doodles breeders in there for the money only? Most definitely, but isn't it also the case for some purebred breeders too?
Are there doodles with bad temperament? Probably - although the ones I've seen were very friendly dogs - but how many ill-temperament purebred dogs are out there?
Purchasing a purebred doesn't mean purchasing a guarantee of temperament and health. How many of them have serious health issues?
I simply don't think that designer breeds should be looked down upon as inferior just because there are no specific standards they should conform to. Especially when we see so many low quality purebred dogs out there...
Yes, it does!
If you go to a good breeder, the contract will have a health guarantee in the contract. (And not just for the first year or two!) That's what all the screening and xrays are for. If momma and daddy both have good hips, there is a MUCH higher chance that the pups will as well. Fluke things happen, but you can prevent a lot of issues through proper tests and screening.
Same with temperaments (although this is fuzzier, since so much of it is environmental). If mom and dad are both drivey, the pups are likely going to be too. I have most of my experience in the agility world, where people actively go searching for really drivey dogs to breed, in the hopes of getting even more drivey pups. Similarly, if mom is shy and timid and scared of people, that could very likely be passed on to her pups. Each breed has a standard for disposition as well--which is what should be bred towards.
I agree with you that there are horrible examples of purebreds out there. Backyard breeders abound in every breed and mix. If you search hard enough though, you can find a breeder in every breed who does all the requisite health testing, selectively breeds for a purpose to better the breed of dog, and turns out stable and hearty dogs every time. If there is such a breeder in the golden doodle world, I would love to see it.
I have absolutely nothing against mixes. I think they are wonderful dogs. I do not think they should continue to be bred willy nilly the way all of them I've seen so far have been. Without all the testing and planning and genetics and whatnot that goes into a breeding, a goldendoodle is no more likely to be healthy or stable than any other mutt out there. The only guarantee in a mix is that every dog is going to be completely different.
Well we've been approved for the Humane Society of Charlotte for adoption. We will see if we make it over there this weekend. I kind of feel like this is moving fast . Application good for 90 days so we have some time to think it out.
Yes it is right around there. Will report back soon
chicago, did you know that they have a website where you can look at the available dogs and choose "from home" so to speak, so your emotions don't get away with you?
home (http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Animal+Control/Adoption/home.htm - broken link)
We went to the Humane Society today and found our dog!! He is a black labrador retriever mix?, 3 months old. We could not take him home yet thought b/c he is to be neutered on Tuesday .
I say mix? b/c he looks completely like a pure bred. He is already 20 lbs and is going to be a big boy when he grows up! He's got a shiny black coat with shorter hair, maybe from the working line of labs.
Once you adopt a dog, that dog is no longer really taken out to see any one, so that no one will "fall in love". So we will be visiting him again tomorrow so that we can play with him for a bit since he'll be by himself. I suspect his brothers will probably be adopted by then as well. They were all so cute
We made a stop at Petsmart to get some supplies. I need to check through my old box with our previous dog's stuff that we kept. But for the most part, we have new things.
He is so beautiful and sweet. I found out the history is that he and his other 2 brothers were brought in just yesterday by someone whose dog had puppies. So this is not the scenario of abandoned/abused dogs.
Thanks to everyone who posted encouraging me to check on shelters and such b/c honestly I was not planning on this being our first route. But after seeing so many dogs in need of a home I had to give it a try.
We are in love and hope to bring him home asap
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. Application good for 90 days so we have some time to think it out.
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