@S1969: I have a two year old Aussie male named Keen that is doing exactly what your pup did in the show ring. He is so enthusiastic that he leaps straight up in the air like a pogo stick…boing boing boing. The ASCA judges chuckle, the AKC judges, well, not so much.
I think he finds trotting around a ring boring 
Going to do some rally with him this year, although I suspect agility may be his ultimate calling.
Love your new pup!
If I were a poodle fancier I would be furious at these doodle crosses. As an Aussie breeder I turn into a raving lunatic when I hear Aussie Doodle. And now there are Aussie-Berners…if you want a Bernese Mountain Dog, get a Bernese Mountain dog, if you want an Aussie, get an Aussie. If you want a poodle, get a poodle!
I would be furious especially because all the reasonings for all these crosses are perfectly fulfilled BY AN ACTUAL POODLE. But they’ve had such a smear job done on them for so long that nobody wants “a foofoo dog like that.”
Poodles are kind of the perfect dog for most people wanting a pet dog, honestly. Decent Poodles, anyway. They’re smart, friendly, biddable, trainable, playful, and don’t drop much hair at all. The only negative is the grooming, and you get that with all the doodles so…
Heck, since I’ve been thinking about it, I might get myself a standard someday when I have more time 
My niece, who is a dog groomer, messaged me last night that her husband had given the ok to acquiring a standard poodle puppy from the next litter her boss’s bitch has.
This added to the almost hairless trainwreck terrier mix (I believe he was the result of “let’s get the most pathetic looking dog in the shelter”) and pug she already has.
She’s over the moon–loves grooming poodles!
While they do require grooming, they have a predictable, single coat. The doodle mixes that really suffer are those that inherit the curly poodle coat AND the double coat of the other breed. That’s a disaster for everyone - groomers included.
Even the typical pet owner can learn to clip a poodle, if they want. It would take practice, but it could be learned. Double coated doodle mixes need a lot more coat care than a poodle.
That’s what I mean, the only thing easier would be a short coated dog, if the grooming is really off-putting. Which, after keeping up a Cocker for years and years, I can see lol.
I recently adopted a puppy from the shelter. We got to meet the mama, a sweet lady they were calling a bloodhound/shepherd mix. Maybe? Anyway, new puppy is a mystery breed. But, clearly adorable.
I’ve been bringing her to a puppy play group 3 times a week, and so far, she is the only “mutt” that we’ve met! And I’ve never seen so many various “doodles” in my life: berne-doodles, golden doodles, labra-doodles, and finally, to top it all off…a mini sheepadoodle! I was like, who had that idea!?!
I’ve taken my dog to puppy through novice agility classes for almost a year and a half now, and I’ve somehow avoided any “doodle” dogs in any of our classes. Not many mutts at all, actually. Mine is 5 breeds, and is in the picture up thread that looks like German Shepherd skin stretched over a coonhound body. Our classes have all been about 50% Australian Shepherds (which the trainer also breeds and competes), a couple border collies, a Frenchie, a Visla, a bearded collie, a sheltie and in puppy class there was a beagle/cavalier king charles mix who I never saw beyond that class. My dog used to be very frightened by new dogs, so having all those Aussies helped because now she just tunes them out even if they’re new, since it’s “just another Aussie”. She was most freaked out by the poofy bearded collie, but his owner won her over with treats.
It’ll get you blackballed from the play group if you point it out but every single ones of those pups is ALSO a mutt. So tell your pup to hold her nose up high - her “pedigree” is just as good and she’s cute to boot!
Well, some people need to be a hero. As long as other people pay for it.
I live in Canada. It may be easier up here.
In my breed I can name at least three “show breeders” in my province. They are like the “greeders”, you know the greedy breeders, but buy in great dogs from others. Sometimes people only hear about them when things go bad.
These “breeders” have big egos and do not really care about the dogs they just want to be thought of as winners. They do not have enough money to play the game but are addicted to showing. I think it maybe so that they can feel good about themselves.
If you have been in dogs long enough you will find some of these people.
There was a case of abuse here in Ontario a few/many years ago, (sorry - time flies the older I get), It was a “highly regarded” breeder of wonderful show dogs who was charged with abuse. There were a lot of dogs housed in a rented house. Everything was fine until a whistle blower outed the breeder. I believe the breeder had a problem hiring help and the dogs were not looked after properly. Everybody was “just shocked” but people knew that an overabundance of puppies were produced. I think there were over 100 small/medium breed dogs living in that rented house.
I can name two people, not in my breed, who live in my area and they brag about the amount they make in puppy sales but because they show dogs and win it is overlooked by many. I can name one in my breed. but different province.
My bona fides: I am a Canadian Kennel Club breeder. My kennel name is permanently registered. I have been breeding one breed for over 28 years. I do not have many dogs at one time. They are/were all pets that live with me, but the majority are/were finished Canadian or American home bred champions. I pay a handler and do not show my own dogs.
I suppose some of the people I know must be people like this, but I honestly can’t think of anyone off the top of my head. I’ve been involved in my breed for 25+ years, but only seriously involved at the regional/national level for the last 12 or so. Our breed is kind of small and close-knit; there is definitely a solid breed club presence in the ring and in the field…so that may be different in other breeds.
I can’t really think of anyone who buys great dogs and then breeds them and calls them their own breeding. Of course people incorporate other lines into their breeding program. I’m sure there must be people like you are describing out there…but not sure where.
Side note - my 12 year old’s sire is an Am/Can Ch and lives in Montreal (I believe he is 16 now?) We do have a lot of crossover Am/Can breedings especially in the northern regions.
I’m picturing a sheep 
looking dog!!!
I know, and I despise it!
When I think about how many dogs (who actually could have gone on to have a good quality of life) could have been helped just from what those “rescuers” (gag me that hurt to even type) in the example I posted above spent on that one miserable dog, it makes me irrationally exasperated and angry. That pup should have been given as many snuggles and treats as he could handle and sent over the rainbow bridge painlessly.
I always think about what recovery is like for that sort of “rescued” dog. Someone finds a poor, mangled dog on the roadside who’s been hit by a car. Maybe he has a broken pelvis and ribs. Who knows what else. But they raise money for his surgeries, which he undergoes. We all know the recovery is months of pain and agony for that poor animal, if he even survives. WHY put him through it?
“show greeders” just like regular greeders only with a specific expense in mind…
The doodles generally make me ragey, charging that kind of money for the utter unpredictability of an F1 cross should be a financial crime. Also if you EVER met a standard poodle why would you settle for half of one?!?!
As an aside, I have renamed the entire genre AFDs as in “Another F*cking Doodle”
Our Standard female is the perfect companion. My friends doodle is high maintenance, hyper and obnoxious, why try to breed out the good stuff?
In my area, the Amish breed for a specific clientele- the English. From my experience, they breed family dogs- goldens, labs, etc. AND every possible tiny little foo foo dog that they can. This has meant that they cross poodles on EVERYTHING! They are breeding for the 55 and up crowd- who want a small dog, preferably that “doesn’t shed” (ya, right…). They breed litter after litter. Farm raised with children! So, from my perspective, a bunch of these mixes come from right up here in SE PA. 
I have two labs that i found on the gravel road up by my dad’s house. They are great!!! i also have three PWDs. And until finding these wildings, i’ve always had PWDs…My breed is a froo-froo breed (Portuguese Water Dogs) and their grooming for show has become evermore absurd. It’s kinda a turn-off. I’m in the breed for it’s working temperament and for me, the best animals for breeding wouldn’t be the straight show dogs, but those who have working credentials. Thankfully a whole lot of top breeders strive toward those working titles. But a lower energy show type has gained a lot of popularity …esp in that the non-“show quality” individuals are a much more mild dog and make better pets. So we have a growing divide. I don’t want to hate0n the show dog breeders who try to maintain the working attitude in their breeding, but there just aren’t that many of them left. AND…most homes aren’t working homes, i get that. Most homes are pet homes. So demand and supply… i get that too.
Found this on a friend’s facebook this morning. a LONG rant, but interesting if you’re like me and not exactly a show dog aficionado:
DOG Show or Dog SHOW? By Wayne R Cavanaugh
"When trying to understand the ever increasing shift in what it takes to win at American dog shows, I keep coming back to the same bunch of questions. If dog shows are about evaluating breeding stock, why must a dog “nail the free stack” from 10 feet away, regardless of the breed? Why must a dog lead it’s handler by 10 feet going around the ring, regardless of the breed? In breeds where markings do not matter, why do they? If a breed requires a dense, water resistant coat, why do they have to be blown dry backward and covered in mousse? Do we underestimate the ability of judges to find good breeding stock based on breed type and merit alone?
Little by little, maybe unknowingly, we participate in the subtle shift in emphasis from the dog to the show. We watch from the sidelines as the evaluation of breeding stock turns into the canine version of America’s Got Talent. The goalpost gets moved a few inches at a time until it requires an entirely new field. It’s called incrementalism. I know that we are better than just poses, sequins, speed, and spotlights.
Rewind 30 years ago to the Houston shows at the Astrodome. Huge entry, great dogs, great judges. The Best In Show line-up was brilliant, thick with quality. Ringside was three deep. One of the best judges in history was adjudicating. The judge went back and forth and then asked each handler to step out into the middle of the ring with their dog. While this might not have been the first time, it was definitely a new thing. Breeds like Dobermans are naturals but surely not all breeds and dogs were trained for such tricks and neither were the handlers. For those who remember the era, can you imagine a judge asking Bob Forsyth to come out and “nail the free stack” from afar with an Old English Sheepdog or Great Pyrenees? Neither can I.
On that day, most of the dogs just walked out and kind of stood there as if to ask the handler what they heck they wanted. The scenthound was interested enough in liver to at least stare at it and drool a little. Another, a terrier, marched out, defied the handler and its bait, and fixed her eyes on something in the crowd as only a good terrier could. She was Best In Show. Just like that. Perhaps it was a tie breaker, or the judge was biding time, or the judge correctly guessed the terrier would handle the request and wanted the ringside to see its correct terrier spunk. Either way, soon thereafter, every handler began to train all breeds for “nailing the free stack,” even in breeds in which the temperament to do so seemed contrary.
Not too many years later, a magazine ad appeared for the Westminster winner that read: “The Stack Heard Around the World”. Clever enough and it was indeed quite the memorable ten-footer. It was game on; if you want to win, dogs have to cock their heads from afar while standing very still. Icing on the cake, regardless of the breed standard, is standing with hindquarters stretched out enough to slope the topline for no apparent breed-specific reason. Running ten feet in front of the handler became the norm, even in breeds where speed is clearly not a requisite. And, of course, you better have the same markings and colors as the other dogs, even in breeds where color and markings absolutely do not matter.
I have to wonder if the average exhibitor of other breeds, or even novice judges from another group, realize that open-marked beagles are perfectly acceptable and are allowed to win. Same goes for blue, lemon and red beagles and beagles with a brown front leg on the show side. In fact, the entire breed standard for color in beagles is four words: “Any true hound color.” Hound judges who haven’t been to Crufts may not realize that the majority of beagles there, in the motherland, are open-marked.
For pointers, the standard for color says: “Liver, lemon, black, orange; either in combination with white or solid-colored. A good Pointer cannot be a bad color.” While liver and whites once ruled the rings, today you’d think orange or black are the only allowable colors. And yes, solid-colored pointers are correct as are pointers without matching bilateral head markings and broken blazes. In fact, neither the beagle or pointer breed standard even mentions markings. In English springer spaniels, you’d be hard pressed to special an excellent open-marked dog with ticking, you know, the ones that win everything in their country of origin. Unfortunately, that road is often a big dead end for those correct but unfashionably colored dogs in the show ring. More concerning, it can also lead to a dead end in the whelping box.
To be clear, I’m not a stick in the mud and understand why people like the suspense and drama of dazzle. Dog shows should be entertaining and fun. Great presence in the ring is definitely a sight to behold and admire. When a judge puts on a good show, the audience gets involved and newcomers love it. But what happens when showmanship becomes more important than the dog itself? What happens when judges feel like they have to make every dog put on a show? What if the dog they consider to be the best breeding stock doesn’t seem to want to do the dance?
It’s not that I don’t like a good show, but not at the risk of eliminating dogs from the ribbons and whelping boxes that aren’t born to be free stackers or head cockers. Eliminating those dogs, and dogs with acceptable but unfashionable markings, can leave some really good dogs out of the gene pool. I’m not suggesting for one second that we should intentionally breed for non-winning markings and colors. If a breeder is trying to breed dogs that can win, no one could expect them to strive to breed to a non-winning color. If the best English setters of an era are all orange beltons without an ear patch, by all means those are the ones from which to breed. I am, however, concerned that when a really good one comes along in a different but correct color or pattern–a dog that can really help the breed–it likely will not be shown and titled, and consequently, won’t be bred.
Instead of testing the tie-breaking ability of a dog to run fast and stand still from a distance, perhaps new judges could use that time to stand back and seriously ask themselves which dog would be most important in a breeding program? I know the very best judges can balance both without even thinking about it. I’m just not sure how many there are.
It certainly wasn’t one show, one judge, or one ad that helped jumpstart these trends. It was a multitude of factors. Obviously, fashions change and incremental exaggeration happens. To stand out in a crowd where the judge gets two minutes a dog, maybe a glitzier presentation has the most impact. Those realities are all contributing factors. A factor I also wonder about is the influence of the judging system itself. Follow me on this one for a minute.
As I’ve mentioned before, there were 437 more dog shows last year than there were in 1996, 23 years ago. The average entry last year was 773, about half the average entry from 1996. With more shows and fewer entries per show each year, clubs understandably hire judges with at least two groups to remain solvent. The system, consciously or not, continually adjusts to meet supply and demand. Accordingly, more breeds are granted to more judges. Does this mean there are enough competent judges to evaluate breeding stock? It doesn’t take a breed expert to see showmanship and glitter. Anyone off the street can do that. But it takes serious effort, knowledge, and confidence to find the whole dog giftwrapped in breed type. There are methods that insecure judges can and do lean on to please the masses and get more assignments. One is to find the top winning dogs they see in magazines and award the one they consider to have given the best performance. By that I don’t mean the dog that exhibits the most correct breed character and temperament. I mean the fastest running, handler leading, free stacker from the farthest away. Not one of those factors contributes one-millionth of one speck of a chromosome to improving breeding stock or advancing the future of a breed. But as we all know, it happens every day. The perpetuation of the showy but generic dog is a drag on the species.
We do have a good number of multi-group judges who can and do recognize breed type and breeding stock and award accordingly, so we know it’s possible. For that group of judges to become the majority, however, is not probable in the current system. Until then, let’s hope the most correct dogs, the ones that are the best breeding stock, are always the ones that have a big enough bag of tricks to win. And let’s hope that 10 feet doesn’t turn into 20 feet, final laps don’t turn into demolition derbies, and dogs aren’t eventually expected to stand on their hind legs and sing Think of Me from Phantom of the Opera.
One more hope. When interviewed, consider not saying the reason you gave a dog Best in Show is because it “asked for it.” I promise you, “asking for it” is not required in any breed standard for any breed. If you want to impress those in the sport who know best, consider something breed-specific, something essential for the breed, some knowledge to impart. Save “he didn’t put a foot down wrong” for when you are asked to judge Dancing With the Stars. You will impress the serious dog show enthusiasts and amaze the audience. Who knows, you might even start a trend."
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