What Is It With Designer Dogs?

[Wellspotted]

Shelters are so full they can’t take any more animals.

Adult dogs–yes, the housebroken, trained, restful ones, the ones that don’t surprise you with how big they’ll grow because they’re already grown–aren’t being adopted.

And yet …

I saw an ad in the paper the other day for a “Cavachon”. One parent is a Bichon Frise, the other is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. The pups are selling for $900 each and–get this–are registered. With a hybrid dogs association.

:eek: :no: :rolleyes:

There is a Bichon Frise rescue here. Probably a Cavvy one too. Yet the mixed puppies of this accidental? mating are advertised for $900 each.

I don’t get it. Can someone explain it to me? Don’t want a train wreck; I would just seriously like to understand this philosophy of breeding. I realize that several of our current recognized breeds were someone’s “invention” and are now considered useful, good breeds with long histories.

But “Puggle”? Maltipoo? (I am seeing posters for these puppies all over the place these days).

If people want a mix, why don’t they just go to the shelter and rescue one?

No wonder southern shelter dogs are being shipped up north for adoption where–according to one COTHer–they actually have neuter/spay laws.

[Marshfield]

You can count me in as among those that don’t get it either. I have heard that one reason for so many of the Cavalier mixes has to do with the high incident of heart disease in Cavaliers. That said, most of the mixed breeds that I see as a veterinarian (that are purchased through the pet store, etc) certainly aren’t any healthier than a shelter dog or purebred from a reputable breeder.

[SaturdayNightLive]

I don’t know, but I work in a vet hospital and we see them all. the. time. Cavachons, maltipoos, yorkidoodles, you name it, someone has brought it in and given it a “designer” name. Nobody owns a mutt anymore.

And they all get super offended when our computer program won’t let me put in whatever goofy breed name they’ve come up with (our program only has AKC breeds, a few common non-AKC breeds, and breed name crosses. No designer breeds to be found). “He isn’t a Cavalier Cross, he’s a purebred CAVACHON!” :rolleyes:

[threedogpack]

Not a clue from me either, at least most of the time.

There was a short period of time when I heard ranchers were crossing Corgis with Cattle Dogs because they wanted the size of the heeler but were hoping for a more mellow temperament from the Corgi (quit laughing) w/o getting a field dog temperament. At least they had a reason to make that cross. Don’t think it went anywhere tho.

said as she watches the Puggle foster behind her. Another “why would you do this?!” cross.

[Cammie]

Perfect timing of your post. I just snorted over this ad on CL-

“THEY ARE COCKER SPANIEL, DACHSHUND, TERRIER, CHIHUAHUA OR OTHER KNOW AS COCKER CHEWEENIE TERRIER’S”.

Ah yes, the rare and exclusive breed that is impossible to find. :rolleyes:

Pekitese, Shih-poos, Maltipoos, PomChi’s, Puggles, Schnoodles, Choodles, Chiweenies, etc…the fantastic combinations are endless on CL. :sigh:

[SquishTheBunny]

Or the $2500 Goldendoodle. Really, $2500???

I have no problem with people getting crosses from rescues etc. but to purpousfully breed them and sell them at these prices is just rediculous!!!
You can ask those prices for dogs with lines, who can show,be AKC/CKC registered and have had genetic medical predispositions tested for.

[Lin]

Puppies lose value faster than cars

[aucowwy]

[QUOTE=SaturdayNightLive;6554037]
I don’t know, but I work in a vet hospital and we see them all. the. time. Cavachons, maltipoos, yorkidoodles, you name it, someone has brought it in and given it a “designer” name. Nobody owns a mutt anymore.

And they all get super offended when our computer program won’t let me put in whatever goofy breed name they’ve come up with (our program only has AKC breeds, a few common non-AKC breeds, and breed name crosses. No designer breeds to be found). “He isn’t a Cavalier Cross, he’s a purebred CAVACHON!” :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

Ame here- I always want to say so you have a MUTT

[Alagirl]

@Lin;6554102

Puppies lose value faster than cars

No kidding…:no:

Yeah, ‘designer breed’

But hey…if people want to pay top dollar for a mutt…

I just loathe the people producing them…
Need to be tared and feathered!

[kdow]

[QUOTE=aucowwy;6554114]
Ame here- I always want to say so you have a MUTT[/QUOTE]

I do not, I have a “Fressenhund”!

(Pirate the possible-lab-mix. My mom dubbed him a ‘fressenhund’ right after I brought him home because he was all ‘fooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood’ about EVERYTHING. Thankfully now he’s learned he will get tasty food all the time, he has stopped trying to eat everything in sight.)

He’s totally a mutt. Or if pushed, a lab mix. But I’m not sure about that, so. Mutt.

[GraceLikeRain]

I don’t think any of us will ever truly understand. The type of person who buys into the designer breed nonsense is a very different type of dog owner than the average COTHer who found this forum in an attempt to connect with a dog community and further develop their knowledge base. We are apples and oranges. Nonetheless it never ceases to blow my mind that people are so incredibly ignorant about designer dogs.

[kdow]

[QUOTE=GraceLikeRain;6554198]
I don’t think any of us will ever truly understand. The type of person who buys into the designer breed nonsense is a very different type of dog owner than the average COTHer who found this forum in an attempt to connect with a dog community and further develop their knowledge base. We are apples and oranges. Nonetheless it never ceases to blow my mind that people are so incredibly ignorant about designer dogs.[/QUOTE]

Even when you’re related to them. My aunt has a Pomapoo AND a Cockapoo. I have explained things to her MANY MANY times.

Never works. Sigh.

[Alagirl]

@kdow;6554141

I do not, I have a “Fressenhund”!

(Pirate the possible-lab-mix. My mom dubbed him a ‘fressenhund’ right after I brought him home because he was all ‘fooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood’ about EVERYTHING. Thankfully now he’s learned he will get tasty food all the time, he has stopped trying to eat everything in sight.)

He’s totally a mutt. Or if pushed, a lab mix. But I’m not sure about that, so. Mutt.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
That is a rare breed indeed.
I hear it is closely related to a Hungerleider

I don’t think you can get it across tho to people that anything with a poo or an oodle at the end is indeed not a real breed. It might have started with a serious dog owner trying to find homes for an oops litter, making up a fun name for the mistake.

Of course…some crosses are better than others:
I mean, when you cross a bulldog with a shit tzu, You can’t really call it Bullshit… (I know, old…it was old when they used it in Dumb and Dumber)

[Bicoastal]

AUSTRALIAN Labradoodle

[QUOTE=GraceLikeRain;6554198]
I don’t think any of us will ever truly understand. The type of person who buys into the designer breed nonsense is a very different type of dog owner than the average COTHer who found this forum in an attempt to connect with a dog community and further develop their knowledge base. We are apples and oranges. Nonetheless it never ceases to blow my mind that people are so incredibly ignorant about designer dogs.[/QUOTE]
Amen.

And Australian Labradoodles? Not just any old run of the mill doodle, oh no!, “a purebred Australian Labradoodle.” Me: “Hm. Where’d you get her from?” “A farm in Pennsylvania. Want their website?” :lol:

Lots of those doodles grow up to shed like I’ve never seen! And owners never put a brush to them because greeders lie about care-free coats. Groomers get quizzed on now how to groom a fill-in-the-blank-oodle like it’s been in the AKC breed ring for 75 years. “They are supposed to be scruffy.” “Don’t make him look like a Poodle!” Of course the pup has a skin-tight pelt of matted undercoat.

What is so bad about a Poodle or Bichon? It’ s just hair: clip it anyway you want.

[paulaedwina]

The answer is simple -market demand was created and enterprising types generated the supply. People want what they want when they want it, and there are those who will happily supply it for a profit.

Paula

[Larksmom]

Just a comment about what to put down as a breed at the vet

Not to hijack, but All my dogs, past and at present have been deemed to be shepard mixes. Amy, the departed lab, was a shepehrd mix, according to vet records. Now she wsn’t a purebred, but you could look at her and see nothing but lab. She was listed as Shepard mix. Snickers, Who is anyone’s best guess, is also listed that way. But I really objected whan I saw that Toffee was listed as a Shep mix. Really? She is about 24 inches, has NO tail, not even a stub. and is sort of square. My best quess is head-Beagle, body by Rott. I told them to change it. And yes I am aware they are both mutts, and proud of them, but know they are not specialty breeds.

[SaturdayNightLive]

Larksmom - I do try to get as close as I can. I ask the owners what breed the dog is every time. If I get “oh he’s a lab cross”, I put that down (because our system allows breed crosses). If I get “Oh, he’s a purebred Maltipoo”, I generally put maltese cross because our system doesn’t know the word “Maltipoo”.

Funny story though, when my KWPN gelding had to go to CSU for colic, all of his paperwork came back claiming that he was an AQHA stallion. So close…

[PRS]

I have a coworker who was bragging on her mom’s new puppy. When I asked what breed it was she spouted off with one of those dumb “designer” breed names. I said, oh you mean it’s a mutt. She got all huffy and said it’s not because her mom paid $600 for it. I told her her mom got taken for a ride, it’s a mutt. She didn’t speak to me for the rest of the day. No loss there

[tarheelmd07]

Count me in as another who doesn’t get the whole designer-dog thing…though my in-laws have unfortunately bought into the craze and are now devoted cockapoo fans sigh.

They were encouraging my husband and I to buy into the cockapoo craze so we could all have matching parti-colored cockapoo pups…thankfully, we declined and adopted a lovely mutt from our local shelter. She’s definitely part Boxer…and part something that points and hunts (our best guess is English Pointer or GSP given her spots and the shape of her head…picture a boxer body with pointer-patterned markings and a pointer head stuck on the front…but her spots are brindle and white…she’s really quite cute).

However, our designer-dog relatives have encouraged us to call her breed something cutesy…They’ve even gone so far to point out this sketchy-looking American Hybrid Kennel Club registry where you can register your mutt as any of the following breeds:
http://www.achclub.com/modules.php?name=Breeders

We will not be “registering” our girl as a “Boxapoint” with this made-up registry…calling her a boxer-cross or a mutt is just fine with us, as we love her regardless of her breed :yes:

[ParadoxFarm]

The sad thing is…people are PAYING these high prices… Whatever. And you just never know what you’re going to get when those dogs grow up. Will they follow “x” breed, or the “y” breed? Or a mix of both? To me, it’s like people around here who breed their TWH or Spotted Saddle Horse to a trotting breed (usually Ap or QH). You just NEVER know how that horse will turn out, and then they try getting rid of these poor guys. I hate that. See it on CL here in TN all the time. Sorry, I forgot, this is about dogs!

I will say, about these designer crosses, not all are new. My aunt had a cockapoo back when I was very young. I’m talking 35 years ago or so. So it started a long time ago.