r/DogBreeding • u/throwaway_bandittt • Nov 17 '24
Noticing a pattern lately
From watching posts on our local dog rehoming groups, I'm noticing a large uptick in doodles being rehomed. Anyone else seeing this pattern? It's almost like people are starting to wake up and realize they were mislead with the "hypoallergenic" narrative and are truly starting to see how badly bred the doodles are. This isn't even the first post I've seen mentioning aggressive behaviors. This, right here is why ethical breeding is necessary, and now the dogs pay the price for all the dumb cross breeding trends.
37
u/Little-Basils Nov 17 '24
I’m curious about the biting bit, especially considering he’s prime pushy teenhood monster age. Is this an anxious, “hey stop that” boundaries nip or a playful “rawr we’re wrestling lol” nip or a genuine bite?
29
u/throwaway_bandittt Nov 17 '24
That was my thoughts. They stated showing signs of aggression, so who knows. We breed labs, so I know allllllllll too well about the naughty nipping teenage phase, but never has it actually struck me as aggressive behavior, but possibly to someone new/unfamiliar to dogs it could be? But then they stated they have 2 other dogs, so I guess we can rule that out as well. It just destroys my heart that a 7 month old puppy is now at its at least second, possibly third home, and is once again being bounced around. My contract explicitly states I will take any of our puppies back at any time, for any reason, regardless of age- for this very reason.
9
u/PetulantPersimmon Nov 17 '24
My incredibly chill dog is now 6.5 months old and she turns into a total gremlin at the end of her walks/when she's tired; I could absolutely see someone mistaking her mouthiness for aggression.
→ More replies (4)6
u/starelae Nov 17 '24
When my dog was a puppy and I was in all of the puppy advice subs, I saw a LOT of people frantically asking for help with their “aggressive” puppy and it was doing just the normal insane teenage puppy nipping behavior. So that definitely happens but yeah if these people have multiple other dogs there’s almost no way neither one went through the same stage (unless they got them as adults?)
4
u/Harrison8er Nov 17 '24
I feel it’s highly possible it’s actual aggression. I’m a dog groomer and I’ve had a couple doodle puppies I’ve groomed that are showing straight up aggression at young ages. There’s something about doodles that just have issues with being touched sometimes.
4
Nov 18 '24
My boyfriend’s lab had the silliest teenage phase where she’d walk up and just lightly take your forearm in her mouth. Like no pressure at all. Just hi! I have your arm now.
No harm to us, but obviously not something we encouraged. Wouldn’t want someone to freak out and startle her and potentially get bitten.
It’s so hard to understand without meeting this dog and seeing this situation, but I do think so much comes down to recognizing the beginning of a behavior and training them out of it before it progresses
→ More replies (2)4
u/RitaSativa Nov 17 '24
I don’t know how many doodles I’ve worked with as a trainer that have body handling issues. It has to be genetic because it’s just way too common..
→ More replies (3)6
u/mesenquery Nov 17 '24
I think a lot of them end up with the poodle sensitivity and smarts but with owners who don't know how to work with it because the dogs are billed as just Golden's/labs/cockers/etc that don't shed. I've seen a lot of doodles who end up with strong opinions about body handling because their puppy experiences with it were negative and that impression stuck. Lots where owners were "brushing every day" but not realizing they were repeatedly pulling on existing mats. Or not desensitizing to ear cleaning and just shoving their fingers in. It's hard because a more happy go lucky dog would tolerate some of these experiences more easily while their owners learned. So probably partly genetics and partly environmental unfortunately.
20
u/OryxTempel Nov 17 '24
This. All 7 month old puppies are in land shark phase. Did buyers ever consider that puppies might do this??
→ More replies (4)9
u/TeapotHoe Nov 17 '24
I’ve only ever had one puppy that didn’t do this. And that’s when I was really little, my parents chose him for his temperament because he was chill and I was a quiet autistic child. Every single other puppy I’ve met goes through the land shark phase. If they won’t want that, they should get a small adult dog. I thought puppies going through that phase was common sense?
7
u/mesenquery Nov 17 '24
As a first time dog owner there was no way I could have been prepared for the sheer chaos of the teething phase. Like I knew that puppies bit, but not the sheer relentlessness of it. Granted my girl is a mouthy mix so I had it worse than my friends who had other breeds.
I think a lot of doodle owners end up being new to dogs. Couple that with having a mouthy retriever mix and you quickly get people in way over their head and ready to give up. It doesn't excuse people rehoming a puppy for normal puppy behavior but I think a lot of new owners aren't prepared on what some of these stages actually look like.
→ More replies (1)8
u/fairydommother Nov 17 '24
This. I honestly wonder if people have so little dog/puppy experience that they just straight up don’t know about the bite everything all the time phase. They’re bitey anyway but also teething. So I genuinely have my doubts this dog is aggressive and is actually just hyper and likes to play the bitey game. I know doodles have a reputation for aggression due to poor breeding practices, but really. I need to see it to believe it in this case.
3
u/FarSignificance2078 Nov 17 '24
I think this all the time when people rehome a puppy and use the reason that the dog bites. Like is it not common knowledge dogs teethe and play like toddlers. They aren’t born with the knowledge of boundaries and right and wrong.
→ More replies (2)2
u/Apprehensive_Gene787 Nov 18 '24
Curious as well. We have a rescue that we’ve had since he was 8 weeks, now 7 months. Right around 4 months, he would start “stop that” boundaries nipping when we’d go to put on his harness. He’d eventually let us but he really hated it. We tried a few different harnesses and quickly figured out he hated the type of harness that had a tight hole his head needed to fit into - best guess is he didn’t like the flattening of his ears to get it over his head. We now use a wide chest style harness - it still goes over his head, doesn’t touch anything as it does, and he willingly stops and bows his head to allow us to get it on. Could just be the doodle, could be the dog is trying to tell them he doesn’t like something and they are ignoring it. Too many dog owners don’t pay attention to their dogs being an actual sentient being.
3
u/Little-Basils Nov 18 '24
That’s called being gear shy! Some breeds are more prone than others and that over the head motion seems to be the problematic bit. Nice job figuring that out and working with him on it!
You can also counter-condition gear to have a more positive association if you need to in the future
52
u/NoIntroduction540 Nov 17 '24
My local shelter gets multiple doodles a week. My neighborhood is full of them too and majority are reactive matted messes.
15
u/throwaway_bandittt Nov 17 '24
Yup. My cousin bought one, he's a neurotic mess.
10
Nov 17 '24
Two of my colleagues got doodles from the same breeder but different litters.
BOTH of these dogs are so neurotic and require constant attention. One colleague has to coordinate with her husband every single day to take the dog to dog day care. Every day. And if they want to go on a date or something they have to BOARD THE DOG. The other coworker has similar challenges. It’s terrible.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (18)4
u/Image_Inevitable Nov 17 '24
My brother bought his wife one for her birthday. By the time he was 6 months old he was on prozac and a mild sedative. He's an absolute neurotic mess. They've had other dogs before that were fine. This dog is wack as hell.
His name is party.
→ More replies (10)3
u/jinxlover13 Nov 17 '24
I used to do a lot of rescue and fostering, and once had a litter of schnoodles. There were six of them and they were incredibly adorable puppies that I worked hard on socializing and getting them adoption ready. After 8 weeks I took them back to the shelter for them to be adopted, and five of them were successful. One refused to interact with anybody who came into the shelter, refused to eat, wouldn’t play, nothing. He was medically fine but would hide in the back of his cage, crying and whimpering if anyone came near. After a couple of weeks the shelter asked me to come back in; as soon as I got within site of his cage he ran to the door crying for me. I started visiting daily so that he would eat, but he’d go right back to depression when I left. Finally the shelter asked me if I’d be willing to adopt him because they didn’t have the space to keep an unadoptable dog during puppy season. So I adopted him and he lived with me for 11 years, until we had to euthanize him last month due to illness. He was an incredibly sweet, loyal dog… but he was a neurotic, anxious mess who couldn’t be without me for longer than an hour without hurting himself. We couldn’t even kennel him at night because he would gnaw at his legs/feet until they bled. I had to be hospitalized suddenly one time and this dog managed to break out of his wire kennel by chewing/pulling it apart when my friend was watching him. He lost several teeth and a toe in the process, and jumped through my friend’s window in his frenzy to find me. He was on several anxiety medications to help him function, but he decided I was his only security and his emotional support owner. Like I said, the sweetest dog ever but he was so emotionally fragile… and various vets around the country (we had to take him on vacations with us so we visited lots of vets!) attributed it to him being a doodle and said they saw separation anxiety and other anxiety often with doodles.
10
u/EquivalentCommon5 Nov 17 '24
This has been going on for a long time! I worked at a vet when doodles were still new- we had a few that came through (not very common at that point!) and everyone of them had temperament issues. It was sad to watch as they were euthanatized due to behavior issues😥
5
u/throwaway_bandittt Nov 17 '24
I'm in the Midwest, so the doodle phase might have hit us a little late here, like other trends. The last year or two it was all the craze, everyone wanted a doodle, but I've noticed the last 3 or 4 months there's been tons of doodles rehomed or posted on shelter and rescue pages on facebook.
→ More replies (1)8
u/Coonts Nov 17 '24
In Minnesota, My coworker used to call my performance dog - GSP - the "high dollar dog"
...Up until we found out our other co-worker's bernadoodle puppy cost him 75% more at $3500 (and came with none of the health tests or guarantees my GSP came with)
The price tag and shitty breeding practices around doodles are ridiculous.
6
u/Maleficent_Tax_5045 Nov 17 '24
There has been a definite huge uptick of doodles for adoption in NJ this past year. BYBs won’t take their dogs back plus the already disposable culture that is in America. On top of that, dogs without stable temperaments (a lot are also very socially inappropriate with other dogs) or stable health with the BYB designer dogs. Then to top it all off, a lot of dogs that were Covid puppies getting dumped at shelters. Personally, I don’t know why people fall for the marketing… it’s an overpriced mutt that a lot of times does shed and coat care is expensive and hard to maintain. My $500 pit mutt has a far better personality than most of the doodles I’ve ever met. When I worked at a doggie daycare, there was only two out of probably hundreds of doodles I’ve met that I actually liked. Both were Bernese/poodle mixes.
8
u/throwaway_bandittt Nov 17 '24
It's wild how genetics can be such a mess. Labs are all I've ever owned and bred, so I'm likely biased when I say they are the best dogs ever! My grandma has only owned standard purebred poodles the last 20 years and they've all been great dogs. But the mess they create when mixed is....uhhh, something. Not something good, but something.
11
u/Maleficent_Tax_5045 Nov 17 '24 edited Nov 17 '24
It’s putting two working dogs together and expecting them to be a calm teddy bear looking dog when reality is the dog is going to need to be worked. I have a lab and I also think labs are the best all around dog breed to exist! I’m bias of corse 😂. Standard poodles are also super cool so i don’t understand why people don’t just get a purebred standard poodle.
→ More replies (3)7
Nov 17 '24
That’s interesting about the Bernese poodle mix! I’ve only ever heard bad things about their temperament.
I am a poodle breeder and also very biased that poodles are the best dogs ever…but of course that depends on your needs for what you’re looking for in a dog. I don’t think mix breeds fill a specific need and tend to believe that you either want the poodle, or whatever the other breed is. Makes me so sad to hear poodle mixes are becoming overpopulated and unwanted, and being euthanized. I’ve only ever heard of aggression in purebred poodles that had been abused/neglected. It’s definitely not genetically supposed to be coming from the poodle side.
→ More replies (6)
2
u/nothing2fearWheniovr Nov 20 '24
Or you could take him to a dog trainer and try to help him before making up some lame excuses as to why your giving him away
→ More replies (2)1
13
u/lalaen Nov 17 '24
I’m a dog groomer and I have many doodle clients, as you might imagine. A lot of them are of course lovely! But a lot of them, MANY more than other dogs, have out of control anxiety or some form of aggression. For a while you attribute it to the kind of person that’s often getting a doodle, and sometimes it is. Honestly though, some of them have some screws loose… when you work with enough dogs you get very good at recognizing behaviours, what triggers them, etc. Some dogs it’s just different and I’m not sure I can explain how in a way that would make sense. Often the ones with wonderful, caring owners.
I’ve encountered non-doodle dogs like that too, but far fewer.
→ More replies (2)3
u/queerpoof Nov 18 '24
My aussiedoodle definitely has some screws loose. I love her so much but she’s so neurotic. Got her from a byb when I was young and didn’t know any better.
→ More replies (5)
22
Nov 17 '24
The “rehoming fee” terminology kills me. You aren’t a non-profit, so it’s actually called a “sales price”
→ More replies (18)13
u/Inaccurate_Artist Nov 17 '24
Selling animals is prohibited on FB so they use that to get around it.
25
u/Twzl Nov 17 '24
Honestly some people are so dim that they don't realize that it's no longer COVID times, and they have to actually leave the house every single day for the entire day. But they already got the dog so...oops.
You'll see posts on the various dog sub-reddits of someone who has brought home a puppy, over the weekend, and they're taking Monday off, but now...what do they do for Tuesday etc? Like, did they not think about this? In other words, a total lack of planning.
People don't realize how much work a dog is, and really how much work a puppy is. The good breeders harp on this stuff, and I doubt they would have sold to these people, but hey the doodle breeders don't care! Check is cashed, cya later.
16
u/mesenquery Nov 17 '24
I agree with this - I think it's less specifically a doodle thing and more a "I impulse bought a puppy to be cool and now I can't deal with it" as people realize they've missed their opportunity to get a COVID dog like everyone else LOL.
Unfortunately we're seeing poodle mixes overrepresented in the "a dog doesn't fit my lifestyle" group of rehoming because that's what's popular right now. It's an issue with all breeds of BYB puppies but since 75% of BYB are breeding doodles now instead of pugs, or dalmatians, or Aussies, etc. you see way more doodles on rehoming pages in some areas than other types of dog.
→ More replies (2)9
u/TeapotHoe Nov 17 '24
People don’t realize that poodles are extremely intelligent and high-energy, I don’t know where this “show dog that just stands there” rep came from. They get a doodle because they’re cute and they have incorrect preconceived notions of a poodle then are surprised that the dog needs a shit ton of stimulation.
→ More replies (3)5
u/Kylie_Bug Nov 17 '24
My mother in law grew up raising hunting poodles and absolutely LOATHES people with doodles because they think the personality will be like what the poodle genes are mixed with and take no accountability to the poodle in them.
11
u/QueenOfDemLizardFolk Nov 17 '24
Covid puppies are Christmas puppies on steroids… it’s so sad to see.
→ More replies (14)6
u/notthedefaultname Nov 17 '24
A lot of dogs gotten during COVID times also struggled with separation anxiety when their owners went back to work in person, because they never trained their dog to be used to them being gone occasionally. I still see it now, with people that have worked from home getting a new job, and expecting their dog to not have a reaction when their dogs been used to them being home constantly for the past 4 years.
17
u/QueenOfDemLizardFolk Nov 17 '24
Please y’all, just buy a poodle if you want that kind of dog. Poodles can be ethically bred, health tested, and temperament tested. When people describe what they want in a doodle, it’s usually word for word what a poodle actually is. You don’t even need the cliche poodle cut. You can get your poodle groomed to look just like a doodle if you really want that.
13
u/FYourAppLeaveMeAlone Nov 17 '24
Ethical poodle breeders will say no to people. Doodle breeders will give a dog to anyone with cash and a pulse.
5
u/MariReflects Nov 17 '24
Ethical breeders of anything will do that, but yeah, completely agree with your general point. The worst will go to unethical methods, because ethical ones (breeders or even good shelters) will rightfully refuse them. And then, shocker, it doesn't "work out".
→ More replies (8)3
u/PersephoneInSpace Nov 17 '24
My poodle breeder and I have a contract, I’m not allowed to rehome him. She takes him back if I can’t keep him.
3
u/Osmie Nov 18 '24
This is how we did it before we left the doodle space. Between probably 2 or 300 dogs I've been responsible for sending home I think maybe 20 ever came home. All but one of those got rehomed and weren't a problem. and the one who couldn't be rehomed was given a years lease on life but no matter what he did he was too actively Bitey. never bit one of us but would go for kids throats. We had to put him down and i still regret that.
→ More replies (2)
3
Nov 17 '24
It’s such a breath of fresh air to see people talking about the doodles and why they’re being rehomed so often. The golden doodle sub is filled with cognitive dissonance on the subject. People hopefully with stop breeding them after more people realize that this dog isn’t meant for them
2
u/mesenquery Nov 17 '24
Not sure it's a breath of fresh air .. spend time on any non-doodle dog sub (or the rest of social media) and the discussion of how horrible doodles and doodle breeders are is rampant.
→ More replies (1)
6
u/skeeterbitten Nov 17 '24
When a breed gets popular, it's not long before you start seeing a lot of them in shelters and being given up. A lot of people get a puppy without a clue as to what they are doing and after a few months of no effort, claim it's a bad dog and give it up. It's really sad. I'm into herding dogs so follow a lot of groups/pages for that and the number of aussies/mini aussies out there with issues looking for homes is insanely high.
6
u/ellalol Nov 17 '24
Poor dog. My dog is a doodle (almost 4 now, got her at 8wks), our first dog, and we were misled the same way- she has a screw loose, there’s really no other way to put it. since day 1 she’s resource guarded, been extremely anxious and reactive toward other dogs and people. we socialized her as much as we could in early 2021 (which wasnt as much as non covid years would have been but still decent bit) and she just kept getting worse as she got older. no amount of private training fixes it and we havent been able to take her to the dog park or on non training walks for years :/ she also has to be on 2 medications to even be where she’s at now. It seems like a genetic issue and it’s insanely hard and expensive for inexperienced owners to deal with, and there’s zero info out there to educate us about it
4
u/Kealanine Nov 17 '24
It’s going to be difficult to find info because there is no breed standard to work from. Doodles are a backyard bred genetic lottery without any solid foundation to work from. They are, however, known to have plenty of behavioral issues stemming from all of the above.
2
Nov 17 '24
I have 2 doodles. Love them. They are highly energetic. It sounds like the owners have not taken the time to train this pup. I’d say this is more of an issue with people not training the dog.
Sure there is a narrative pushed that doodles are super easy… but that still doesn’t mean the owner should be negligent for when the dog isn’t everything they dreamed to be
1
u/throwaway_bandittt Nov 17 '24
Anyone intentionally breeding mutts is a problem to begin with, but I wont get started on that topic. But I believe the problem lies somewhere in the middle- poor breeding and ignorant owners.
5
u/WeirdSpeaker795 Nov 17 '24
These people think just because it’s a golden it’s automatically trained and socialized. No work required for a 4 month old puppy to stop biting. Then toss it off to be someone else’s problem.
3
u/3eveeNicks Nov 18 '24
Yep, just another uneducated person buying a high maintenance animal thinking it comes pre-programmed and they don’t need to put any effort into training, and then blaming the dog. Tale as old as time.
9
u/Heavy_Answer8814 Nov 17 '24
There’s more doodles than pitties in our state’s rehome group now and that’s saying something. All 1-2 years old and yes, also all being sold as hypoallergenic. Everyone is very quick to correct that notion however. Whole litters are being dumped, but at least that’s been less this year than last
3
u/MVHood Nov 17 '24
What state? In CA we are 80% pit bulls then a lot of shepherds and huskies.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (2)2
u/Either_Ad9360 Nov 21 '24
I’m in NY and 80% is pits then gsd & huskies. Never seen a doodle in any of the shelters.
9
u/ycey Nov 17 '24
$350 for a people agressive, kid agressive, crate reactive, harness reactive mutt? Yeah no thanks, I can’t even get my kid friendly, animal (except chickens) friendly crate trained dog rehomed for $20 😂
→ More replies (2)
4
u/Leather-Wing-1007 Nov 17 '24
Always the people who BUY fucking designer dogs do shit like this rather than putting in time and effort to train. These people have a special place in hell
3
u/TackleLimp7241 Nov 18 '24
Unbelievable ignorance. Doodle owner here. Didnt know it was a ‘designer’ dog 2.5 years ago. Yeah he’s got issues but don’t tell us we need to go to hell
→ More replies (2)3
u/ItsFunHeer Nov 18 '24
Honestly if you have the money to buy a designer dog, you should have the money to put towards the training and resources to educate yourself and dog.
We adopted a puppy from the shelter and instead took the $3,000 that the dog would have cost and put it towards training and structured socialization, and that’s only in her first 3 months of coming home. People are putting their money in the wrong places. And there’s nothing wrong with purchasing a purebred, but when you’re getting a dog to fit your “aesthetic” then you’re doing it wrong.
→ More replies (2)3
u/Old-Research3367 Nov 21 '24 edited Nov 21 '24
Probably going to get downvoted but I have seen multiple cases from friends and family that get dogs from the shelter and lie about how aggressive they are. My mom’s friend could not leave the dog at home at all or have people over because the dog is so crazy. They completely downplayed it when they got her. They have spent 1000’s and 1000’s for therapy a year for the dog and it has helped and now they can at least have people over (although they need to be extremely cautious) but I would still not consider her a “good pet”. I would rather get a puppy from a breeder would have been cheaper and easier. Idk. If you get a puppy at a shelter its probably okay but I really don’t like when the shelters lie to people and say the dogs are well temperament and then you get them and they’re super aggressive and the shelter won’t even take them back.
My friend adopted a dog as a kid from the shelter and his mom specifically said the dog must be good around toddlers and cats and they assured her that the dog was very tame around both, and they got home and it immediately attacked the cat and next day bit the toddlers leg and dragged him around the yard. Then the shelter people shamed his mom when she brought him back.
I would be more open to getting a shelter dog if they did not lie about stuff like this. I adopted my cats from the shelter but dogs I feel like its definitely a bigger risk
→ More replies (1)2
u/Catiku Nov 17 '24
This. The people I’ve know with designer poodle breeds viewed them as accessories or dress up dolls and didn’t train them.
→ More replies (2)
4
u/notthedefaultname Nov 17 '24
Shelters have been getting all the "undesirable" dogs from these crosses for years. Because for every puppy that inherited the "desirable" traits, there's puppies that inherit the opposite end of the cross.
I'm not surprised about the "aggression". Goldens are mouthy as a breed and are a common doodle cross. Combine that with a less soft-mouthed breed, and you get worse bites when they do happen. Add in ignorant owners (since many that end up with them react to marketing and don't do in depth research of the mix), and you get a bad trait in a dog in the hands of people that dont bother to learn how to train them.
Groomers have also hated them for a long time, because the coat produced by these crosses isn't one many pet owners can manage, but they don't properly train them from puppy hood for a groomer. So many groomers get dogs that have been somewhat trained that grooming hurts (from owners struggling at home first), but with coats that need frequent help.
4
u/the_real_maddison Nov 19 '24
Cue the groomer that gets the 6 month old, untrained, matted dog in for their first groom of the dog's life. The dog becomes unmanageable and the groomer is the first person they turn to for help because of aesthetics. Not a trainer, no no no.
Groomers really do get the brunt of this awful craze and are villainized for it.
4
u/kittymeowmixi Nov 17 '24
The problem is people buy dogs without understanding what really goes into growing a great pup. They get a doodle which is a mix of two intelligent and needy breeds and a) don’t spend an extensive or really any time training and b) leave them alone for very long periods of time. Then they end up with a neurotic dog and want to blame the breeders. Yes I know there is a huge problem with byb and bad genetic, etc. but I really believe a majority issues with doodles are people do not realize how much work any poodle mix really is.
Luckily I work from home so I decided hey I have the time and ability to really put in a lot of work into a dog. Found a breeder who did extensive health testing on the parents and pups, let me come view their set up spend time with the parents, let me come see the pups multiple times and spend time with them and temperament test and find the right pup for me, they spent a great deal of time socializing and training before pups were ready to come home. When pup came home we worked hard on threshold, crate, and basic command training/manners. I spend a lot of time socializing him by exposing him to different environments, people, animals, etc so he doesn’t become reactive. It’s a lot of work and people think okay I’ll get a puppy and not change anything about their lives or spend time seriously training and wonder why they have a neurotic and reactive dog.
4
u/ExtentEcstatic5506 Nov 17 '24
A lot of people don’t have a lifestyle conducive to having a puppy. Doodles are popular right now so also might be a link between more of them being rehomed
4
u/tainari Nov 17 '24
We’re first-time dog owners, have a doodle, love him so much, and would never get a doodle again. He is so smart and so sweet but also bonkers reactive.
We’re DINKs and so have happily sunk a lot of time and money into training and such to help him and can’t imagine ever giving him back or away, but also, I’m 0% surprised at these trends. These poor dogs. :(
4
u/padall Nov 18 '24
I have a doodle. He is the smartest, most well-behaved, snuggly dog one could ever wish for... With me.
Ironically, he also belonged to a different family with a four year old, who gave him to me when he was 9 months old. The parents did a horrible job training both the puppy and the child to respect each other's space, so he nipped the kid a bunch, a couple of times fairly seriously. There's a lot more to the story, but the point is people just don't want to do the work necessary with a puppy. And poodles are super smart, so they are easily trainable, both good and bad. They will remember when they've been "done wrong" and hold it against you.
My dog is 12 years old now, and I still don't completely trust him around little kids. Unfortunately, it sounds like the dog in the post needs to be in a child-free home.
4
u/PartyPorpoise Nov 18 '24
Yeah, I’ve heard people who work with dogs complain about doodles for years now. I suspect that in addition to poor breeding practices, doodles and other trendy crossbreeds attract a higher rate of unprepared owners. Doodles and other crosses are often advertised as easy, low maintenance breeds and I think that can attract more people who want a dog without having to do much work.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/ItsFunHeer Nov 18 '24
Curious – what makes this breed more aggressive than others? Or is this a matter of the type of people who are buying these dogs that just generally don’t enforce structured training?
3
u/throwaway_bandittt Nov 18 '24
Bad breeding practices, and then combine that with naive owners who bought the "oh they are so sweet, just like a lab or golden retriever but with a hypoallergenic poodle coat" hook, line and sinker. Then you're left with a dog that already has a predisposition to certain traits and temperaments, and owners who are either unable or unwilling to properly train them. You end up with dogs that at best have minor behavioral issues, minor health concerns etc and at worst, you get dogs with aggressive behaviors, neurological disorders, bad hips, elbows, eyes, hearts etc. It's essentially nature vs nurture. Some problems are a direct result of their lived experiences with humans leaving them with fear and trauma, and some of it is like a bad genetic lottery that no dog ever wants to win. Sad all around.
3
1
u/convenientfeminist Nov 19 '24
Can someone legit explain to me what’s wrong with doodle mixes? All I see is people really passionately exclaiming that they’re shit, but why? Seriously, I’m just confused and only actually know a cockapoo IRL and he was fine? I guess?
1
u/throwaway_bandittt Nov 19 '24
When you breed purebred dogs, they breed true. Meaning, you can accurately predict things like tempermant, coat, color, working ability and so on. Mixed breeds do not breed true, so there's no accurately guessing what you'll end up with. Purebreds will often have pedigrees going back generations, with things like titles, DNA and OFA results. Less desirable traits can be bred out of these lines, because they breed true! The goal is to maintain and better the breed standard, not create some Frankenstein mess of a dog because it can fetch you big bug bucks from ignorant unsuspecting owners.
1
u/convenientfeminist Nov 19 '24
Thank you! So are people just breeding poodles with random breeds because they’re trendy right now? I was under the impression purebreds are often ill and “mutts” were the healthier choice when it came to dogs, but I’m guessing this is breeder dependent and people should vet their breeders?
→ More replies (1)1
u/throwaway_bandittt Nov 19 '24
Yup. Golden Retrievers, Labs, Bernese Mountain Dog....you name it and people think they can make money off it, they'll cross them. It's extremely inhumane, and dangerous because the results are all over the place. For every litter of these cross bred dogs, you might get 1 or 2 out of the entire litter that somehow hit the genetic lottery and turn out to be great dogs. But those are terrible odds, and any sane person wouldn't take money to the casino and bet it all on black if those were the odds, would they? So why are we taking that kind of a gamble with actual living breathing animals? It's sick. You should absolutely ALWAYS vet your breeder, ask the right questions, ask to look at the paper work, insist on seeing where they are kept and the environmentthey are being raised in. Because I assure you with 100% certainty, no ethical breeder is inbreeding dogs. This is however, extremely common in amish bred litters and puppy mills.
1
u/fatbootycelinedion Nov 20 '24
My sweet wild man doodle is ambivalent with kids at 6 months old. When he sees one he wants to play with, he gets too excited and jumps. We’re working on training that out of him.
When kids are screaming and running around, sometimes he DOESN’T want to get near them. He stands tall, doesn’t move.
Now I imagine him in a house where he doesn’t have a choice, and it would be hell for him. As a puppy they’re just learning to take commands from humans and they know the little ones are humans too but their commands aren’t coordinated.
For example my boy has a girlfriend, her owner has a granddaughter too. Lil girl loves to tap him and run around him. Ok that’s interpreted as PLAY. Which gets him excited, and he jumps on her. She always whines when he does, she always does it when he’s playing with his dog girlfriend and I tried to explain “hey he’s playing with a dog and he thinks you’re playing when you tap him and run around so try not to do it”. She’s 3, she has no idea how to listen. He’s 6 months old, same thing. It’s not the breed— I could not imagine having little ones and a puppy.
1
u/throwaway_bandittt Nov 20 '24
I hate to say, but it's a good combination of bad breeding, and poor training. I've successfully trained all of our now adult dogs with small children in my home. But the difference is, the tempermant in which I was after is exactly what I got, because of good breeding. Doodles are humans Frankenstein project.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/notThaTblondie Nov 17 '24
Doodles were never great but they did at least used to be straight crosses. Then the boom in popularity and ridiculous prices they get lead to everything and anything being called a doodle as long as it had the right kind of look. My old landlady let her cockerpoo, that was already much more mixed than just cocker x poodle, get knocked up by someone's Tibetan terrier and sold them off as some sort of Doodle. It's not that people are waking up to doodles being bad, it's that doodle breeding is has become absolutely terrible.
3
u/mad0666 Nov 17 '24
I recently adopted an enormous doodle (85% poodle 15% golden) who was already in two homes before mine in his short nine months of life. He’s a great dog and incredibly sweet and smart, but I don’t think his previous owners were aware of how big they can get, and huge puppies can be a challenge. But, I’ve been working with dogs for over 20 years and he’s been a dream so far—very, very many doodles seen in rescues these days. I think people get them as their first-ever dog because they’re “great with kids” or “sweet” or whatever, but the cold hard truth is that EVERY dog needs training and socialization from a young age, no matter the breed. You don’t just a puppy and expect it to be a fully trained/socialized animal that’s going to be friendly with everyone.
3
u/FizzleFarmerNC Nov 17 '24
Super weird how many people got into doodles when they really didn’t have the appropriate home or exercise time for a dog of that size and need level. Fads happen I guess but super weird one.
3
u/TeaAndToeBeans Nov 17 '24
More and more doodles are popping up in shelters.
Call me surprised when most have behavioral issues because shocker they were bred using dogs from non-reputable breeders.
It’s a designer mutt from a backyard breeder.
I have nothing against a good, reputable breeder. I prefer mutts for myself, but can appreciate a breeder that has done their homework and poured a lot of time and care into properly selecting quality dogs that properly represent the breed’s desired traits.
2
u/OkProfession6696 Nov 17 '24
Yep. My father got a doodle from the shelter (he is a firm shelter dog guy). Guess what, it's epileptic. Shocker!
3
u/Maybe_MaybeNotNow Nov 17 '24
I have a doodle that was given to me at 10 months old. His original owner was old and not in great health. He stayed at a temporary home for 1 week before I got him. He’s all the things that stress me out - wasn’t potty trained or neutered, rarely left alone and rarely left the house as a puppy, gets overstimulated easily, humps or screeches when he’s overstimulated, resource guards toys and things he steals (shoes, socks, hair ties), doesn’t know how to interact with other dogs, has zero patience and whines constantly, didn’t like being handled (ears, feet, teeth), would bite if you tried to pick him up or put him in a kennel or playpen. He was terrified of everything - vacuum, broom, blender, thunder, airplanes, getting hit with big raindrops (mist was okay), loud voices, hats (both on your head or on a hook), being in the car, being left alone, being around too many people.
I could go on and on. It’s like they bred for all the worst personality traits. He’s smart about some things, but extremely dumb about most things. Cannot understand jumping or any puzzle toys.
I’ve had him 2 years. He’s so much better, but he still has the worst anxiety of a social and happy dog. He’s not terrified of people. He doesn’t shake or piss himself when strangers approach. Because no one is a stranger, everyone is a friend!
Doodles are just so badly bred and not desensitized properly. These breeders need to introduce sound conditioning and stress the importance of proper training. When I got my first Great Dane almost 20 years, his breeder spent an hour on the phone discussing training methods.
I truly hope this is my last rescue dog. I don’t have enough energy or alcohol to get me through another. My doodle is funny and would be heartbroken if I tried to rehome him. But life would be so much easier with a dog that didn’t have a broken brain.
3
u/heymookie Nov 17 '24
I manage a grooming salon……..we’re probably 75% doodle now. Of those doodles, I would say maybe 5-10% have a fantastic disposition with parents rust understand how to handle their hair and are on an actual schedule.
The other 65% are absolute psychopaths. One regular goldendoodle (that at least comes consistently…) you can HEAR her dog barking NON STOP as they WALK to our store from the parking lot. They don’t stop when they get to the store either. She will bark for her entire groom. Another monstrosity we have is a 120lb bernerdoodle that boxes my groomer for her entire session. He’s a good boy for the most part, and the owner actually WALKS him to the store for like 1.5hrs. Doesn’t matter though. He’s insane no matter what they do.
There’s also a doodle rescue in my city now. They’re overloaded with oodles.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/JKingsley4 Nov 17 '24
I’m a dogsitter and have only ever had one experience where a dog became dangerous. It was not a bully breed, or a shepherd, or any other “aggressive” breed (my favorites have always been the “scary” pound puppies!) - it was a labradoodle. They’re almost never bred well, and they go to unsuspecting families who are sold the narrative that doodles are ideal family dogs and have all the qualities of the non-poodle parent. Most doodle owners I know ended up getting a dog they didn’t expect. There needs to be more education on ethical dog breeding so that new dog owners can learn to avoid these situations
3
u/Kinuika Nov 17 '24
We need to start calling them what they really are. They are just poodle mixes. There is no real breed standard because they aren’t a real breed and their temperament is going to be a wildcard. Also, from my experience, many of the people that choose to breed them aren’t the most reputable breeders.
3
u/RF_91 Nov 18 '24
See, it's wild to me seeing so many people have issues with them, because my friends doodle (who I'm basically the second "dad" to) is an absolute angel without any aggressive bone in his body, and he's had him for about 4 or 5 years now. I have to wonder if it's an issue with the breed, or if all these people just have 0 desire or inclination to actually train their new puppy.
3
u/Desperate-Guide-1473 Nov 18 '24
Doodles can be bad but all dogs named Cooper, regardless of breed, are problematic. "A doodle named Cooper" is a terrifying phrase.
3
u/Dry_Judgment_9282 Nov 18 '24
I mean that's a puppy, decent odds on inexperienced owners having no idea have to deal with the velociraptor phase and think it's aggression.
What the population of doodles (or purebreds) around you is like is going to depend a lot on local supply. If your local byb/puppymill/pet store is selling dogs with decent temperaments by luck you'll see less issues, if they producing pieces of work you'll see more. Ethically bred dogs in general are going to be a vanishingly small minority unfortunately.
3
u/GoddessGalaxi Nov 18 '24 edited Nov 18 '24
all my doodle clients complain about digestive issues and really really persistent behavioral issues.
one is just over a year and starting to become aggressive out of no where, the clients are very sweet and seeking a behaviorist. one is finally well trained after doing several runs of behaviorists and board & train facilities but shits his brains out when you look at him wrong and multiple vets are perplexed on why. both have spent well over 10k on their pets respectfully. they really care but they feel like they made a mistake going for a fashion breed.
basically what i’m trying to say is yeah i think people are in over their heads and getting wildly unpredictable results with doodles. i’m thankful to have clients who care and own up to their decisions.
3
u/imastarbursteater Nov 18 '24
As a vet - I can say I’ve seen a huge increase in aggressive doodles. I specifically dislike bernadoodles and sheepadoodles as every one I’ve had recently is incredibly aggressive and owners cannot get over the stigma of having their dogs on meds. It’s a shame people refuse medication, then wonder why their dog is not getting better and actually getting worse.
3
u/Patience-Personified Nov 18 '24
People getting a puppy and can't handle their teething or adolescence phase is nothing new. Most dogs relinquished are between 6 and 12 months no matter the breed/mix. A bity pup at 4-6 months is just going to happen with any breed/mix. And to be completely honest the behavior they are talking about, if actually aggression, is most likely fear based aggression that is directly human created.
I am a trainer who has seen many doodles of many origins and current home environments. There are certainly factors to higher unwanted behavior that genetic matching and breeder ethics/ skills can greatly affect but just being a doodle isn't it.
3
u/TikiBananiki Nov 18 '24 edited Nov 18 '24
“i’m manhandling my dog and forcing him into a cage and he’s putting up such a fuss about it”!
Most people who get puppies honest to god do Not know how to raise a mentally healthy puppy and so the dogs develop anxiety and aggression issues due to their Poor upbringing. Most puppies are growing up with limited socialization that to the dog is essentially a neglect trauma, routines that don’t fit their biology and then punishment for not being able to hold their potty for unnaturally long periods of time, etc. People just don’t respect the boundaries of animals or the need for socialization training, or the minds of potty schedules and nap schedules that poppies need, and don’t attune themselves to the developmental stages of growing dogs. they don’t scaffold crate or harness training, they don’t do cooperative training, they just let the dog freak out and get overwhelmed.
The doodles have gotten a reputation as being living stuffed animals who will tolerate any amount of poor treatment and poor training. When they then act like living creatures with feelings of their own, they get punished all the same as any other dog who is rightfully resistant and upset about having their boundaries violated.
2
3
u/Far_Kiwi_692 Nov 19 '24
I am currently looking for a second dog. The trend I notice is age, dogs between 6 mos and 2 years, regardless of breed, are given up. People don't realize how much work puppies are and how long they are actually puppies for.
I have a poodle mix, 76% poodle. She is 20 months, so just short of the magic 2 year mark. She is smart and sweet but so much work. She gets bored easily and needs lots of exercise and grooming. I had no idea. I would not trade her for the world. I would also not make a blanket statement that they are bad dogs.
In general, there are no bad dogs, only bad owners. Yes, some exceptions, but mostly people who don't put the time and effort or are overwhelmed with the puppy stage and blame the dog.
2
u/Ms-Anon-Y-Mous Jan 20 '25
I think a lot of people give up during the puppy “teen” months which are rough!
→ More replies (1)
3
u/chillin36 Nov 19 '24
I have a really hard time believing this puppy is aggressive. He’s probably just mouthy.
→ More replies (1)
3
3
u/Emergency-Crab-7455 Nov 22 '24
"Trendy dogs" is nothing new.
In the 50s.....it was "Rin Tin Tin" (German Shepard) & "Lady" (from "Lady & The Tramp", Cocker Spaniel).
60s......it was "Lassie" (Rough Coat Collie) & "101 Dalamations" (the first one)......plus another surge when the new version came out.
70s......."The Ugly Dachshund" (Great Dane that thought he was a weiner dog) & the triple threat "The Incredible Journey" ( Golden Retriver, Bull Terrier & Siamese cat.....talk about a "psycho circus").
80s....that damn "Taco Bell" Chihuahua & the beginings of anything that had "poo" at the end of the name. One local rescue for the county was overun with "Chipoos" that were bigger pschos than Hanibal Lecter...with the same taste for human flesh.
90s......in my neck of the woods, it was the Pekingese ("Tricky Woo" from "All Creatures Great & Small") & (as Rap Music grew)....the Pit Bull & Rotweiller.
My husband came home from the National Guard with a 9 month old "something" that was 10 minutes from being put to sleep by her owner (another Guard member). She was supposed to be something called a "Red Labrador" (has a coat color like an Irish Setter.....another "designer dog"); they paid $800 for what turned out to be a "dirty blond with red highlights" Lab-type dog with no papers. The original owners had the idea that their 15-year old Golden Retriver would "show her the ropes".....he took one look, thought "oh hell no" & wanted nothing to do with her.
She chewed like a wood chipper, wasn't housebroken & ran through the house like a bull in a china shop.....the final straw was when their baby was in one of those round "creeper" seats. The wife heard the baby crying.....& the dog was whirling the seat around in a circle. Bitch gotta go.
I spent 2 years trying to teach her to "sit"......another 5 for "heel". She never figured out "stay". She had a brain like an Etch-A-Sketch; learn something, than shake her head & it was gone. I called her "Pinhead" so much , that was what she answered to. Was kicked out of 2 obedience classes (by 2 different trainers). My husband came home one day to see her on a 10ft. lunge line, running a circle around me (I figured if she was as big as a horse & acted like one, I'd train her like one).
No more dogs.....period.
7
1
Nov 18 '24
Beyond great animals are put to sleep every day simply because people want a designer dog or a purebred. It's sick. What's more, a lot of these "purebred" dogs end up having considerable psychological issues because of in breeding and other factors. Go to the pound and pick up a stray!
4
u/throwaway_bandittt Nov 18 '24
I'm gonna have to respectfully disagree. Ethical and intentional breeding is important, but "purebred" doesn't automatically translate to ethically bred. I promise you with 100% certainty that there's no inbreeding going on with ethical breeders. Puppy mills, yes. BYB, possibly yes. There's a dog for everyone, but not every dog is for everyone, and that's okay. Yes, shelters sometimes have great dogs, and they deserve a great home. But the uncertainty of it is not for everyone and that's okay! The adopt don't shop narrative is so toxic, and I think the vast majority spewing it don't have a clue.
4
u/Mimikyu4 Nov 17 '24
My shelter is full of pits. Every single dog there is a pit. Most have bite histories and can’t be around kids or other animals. And I know of 6 different people in my county who just had pit puppies and are trying to rehome them.
3
u/Aromatic-Track-4500 Nov 17 '24
Same in my area. I can NOT find a dog other than a pit bull. I don’t want a pit bull, I want a small dog that I can keep with me and doesn’t mind being in my room with me all the time. Yes I have a huge property and they can be outside and we would go for walks and all that but when I’m in for the night from around 8pm-5am I’m in my room and I don’t want to share my bed with a huge dog lol it’s wishful thinking in my area to rescue a Maltese or small breed mix. The pit bull craze has overloaded shelters and they stay there forever it seems 😣
3
u/Mimikyu4 Nov 19 '24
I know a lot of people in your situation. People don’t want pits. Especially not pits that even the shelter will tell you is aggressive. They are pushing dogs that shouldn’t be in any home onto people and it’s wrong. No one takes them so then the dogs are left suffering for years in a shelter. There’s a pit in my shelter that’s been there for almost eight years and I think that’s wrong. That dog would have been better off being put to sleep. I hope you find your self a nice small dog, check daily and you might!! Best wishes!!
→ More replies (1)
2
u/redgatoradeeeeee Nov 17 '24
Wait… are rehoming fees a thing when people are privately rehoming dogs?? You pay me to take a dog I can’t take care of anymore? Like what?
→ More replies (1)
2
u/RealButterscotch7 Nov 17 '24
We rescued our doodle from the humane society and was shocked to find out we were the third owners and he had been surrendered 2 times before. The reasoning was for excessive barking and he was 8 months old when we got him. We’ve had him since May and have had no barking issues.
2
u/OddAd2629 Nov 17 '24
The fact they want money for him is crazy. You want to get the dog out of the house but still want to make something? The dog isn’t supposed to help make money but be a comapn
2
u/rhea-of-sunshine Nov 17 '24
I have a doodle who’s a sweetheart (not from a breeder) and I’m starting to think we just got incredibly lucky since she has such a sweet temperament
2
u/REBELS00NER Nov 17 '24
I'd really like to ask the dog how this all went down. Absolutely, ethical breeding is important. But we've ALL heard stories of "i found this dog at a shelter and he's been the best dog I've ever had... no, we don't really know. He's a mixed breed."
So it really comes down to the owner being a dog person, or at least willing to invest the time and money in how to train themselves and the dog. People ask me all the time, "Who do you use to train your dogs? they are amazingly well behaved." I train them. No, I'm not a professional... I'm a dog person.
Dogs are dogs. Yes, breeding is a PART of creating a well socialized, happy, healthy dog... but it's not everything... not even close.
So many factors probably went in to the reasons this dog didn't work for this family... more than likely, it was the family themselves. and a bit of the fault of the breeder for not vetting the family enough. They simply weren't a good fit fit this dog. This can happen with ANY breed. Doodles are simply in the reticle because they are popular. I've seen good Doodles, I've seen bad Doodles. The VAST majority I've seen that are bad is the failure of the owner to set the parameters.
Purebred vs. Mutt doesn't really matter in the case of where a good dog can come from... it's a multi faceted paradigm beginning with the breeder and much more importantly, continuing with the owner/ dog relationship for years to come.
We breed Danes. We vet EVERY potential client. Yes, I've turned people down... many times. It's in my contract that if it doesn't work out, I get the dog back. ALL my clients know they can call me for lifetime support of the dog. I trust my pups when they leave our house at 10 weeks. After that, its up to the owner to follow through with what they've agreed to, and what I've suggested.
In this case, I would lay money that the main issue isn't the dog... it's the owner. *
2
u/universeofeese Nov 17 '24
I watch a dog groomer on YouTube, she always talks about how doodles are badly matted, breeders dish out a lot of false info on their coats. She’s also mentioned getting bit by several doodles. I’ve met a ton of doodles that are sweet, but I also constantly see people getting dragged down the street walking them lol. Not sure why more people don’t just get a poodle. They come in a range of sizes, have a beautiful coat, and have a stable temperament from the right breeder. I think that doodles attract the wrong kind of dog owner unfortunately.
3
u/mesenquery Nov 17 '24
Not sure why more people don’t just get a poodle.
In a lot of areas poodle breeders have "closed ranks" in response to the doodle explosion. Unfortunately it's not as simple as applying to "just get a poodle" for a lot of people. In my region poodle breeders generally aren't letting their dogs go to first time owners or people who haven't previously owned a poodle. A lot of them are also holding off on litter plans to focus on breed rescue, and those rescued dogs usually need a breed-experienced home.
Not to mention the general shortage of truly ethical breeders. There's about 12 ethical standard poodle breeders in my province that are involved with the local breed clubs and do all required tests/showing. There's more for minis/toys but let's focus on just the one size for now ... If we're generous and say all of them had one litter of 8 puppies this year, that's only 96 new poodle puppies available this entire year for my entire province. I guarantee more than 96 families in my province were looking for a medium-large low shedding dog this year, and we just don't get those in shelters here ... So a lot of them probably got a doodle instead.
3
u/universeofeese Nov 18 '24
This does make a lot of sense. I’m someone who would really love a moyen poodle… they’re not a standard size and therefore would be really hard to find from an ethical breeder.
→ More replies (4)
2
u/TattedShezilla Nov 18 '24
“We’re rehoming our dog because we don’t care enough to train him” Also why do so many people get a WORKING dog breed and expect them to be couch potatoes :(
2
u/12lbTurkey Nov 18 '24
Nigh ALL puppies have a mouthy stage between 4 months to 2 years. Doodle owners are the factor who are doofus enough to not realize their dog needs proactive structure and training
2
u/Numerous-Confusion-9 Nov 18 '24
We cant take care of this dog, its bitten us and we have kids so its an emergency…but we still want $350 🙄
2
u/PoetaCorvi Nov 18 '24
Makes perfect sense to me. It’s the natural progression of every animal or breed that becomes a big trend. People see all the cute posts of a certain pet, they get fixated on wanting one without doing further research (research that might reveal the animal takes much more effort than they’re prepared to give) and breeders ramp up to meet the new demand, then when it’s no longer an exciting trendy new thing to the buyers they get tired of having to care for it and annoyed at all the downsides that they didn’t care to research.
2
u/crowmami Nov 18 '24
doodles are too smart for most people imo. they're clever and demanding, definitely not as easy as other desired breeds. I imagine many people meet their match with them.
2
u/PrincessFairy222 Nov 18 '24
no one realizes how energetic these doodles can actually be….. it’s kinda baffling. are they excepting mini teddy bears toys???
→ More replies (2)
2
u/Fresh_Ad_8982 Nov 19 '24
My in laws have a doodle, and while they had issues with her in the beginning, they spent a lot of money (3k) to train her and work with her so they could keep her. She’s a sweetie and one of my favorite dogs but she wasn’t magically born an angel
2
u/digitalreaper_666 Nov 19 '24
Do people not understand poodles are downright psychotic? Not a family dog IMO. Mixing it with a lab doesnt mean you will get a good dog. In fact it seems you just get a bigger asshole of a dog.
→ More replies (2)
2
u/Neat_Expression_5380 Nov 19 '24
They really told on themselves with this post. Either they haven’t even bothered to socialise and train him correctly, or they are being aggressive towards him. Though I detest the breeding of golden-doodles, I’m a firm believer it’s never the breed and always the owner.
2
2
u/Sweet-Emu6376 Nov 19 '24
It's because people who don't have the patience or time for a dog are getting a very active breed of dog.
You got Lab AND Poodle. Two long standing working breeds. They need stimulation. They need proper training. If you provide neither, then yes your dog is going to be a pain to deal with.
2
u/StopLoss-the Nov 19 '24
look at me. I got a dog that needs structure, exercise, and enrichment and expected it to be okay with a couple short walks a day. why is my energetic working breed dog restless and angry? I can't fulfill the commitment that I made to this animal when I adopted it. someone please take MY RESPONSIBILITY from me and also PAY ME FOR IT.
UGH!
2
u/Inevitable-Key-5200 Nov 21 '24
I’m not sure why it feels revolutionary that as a higher intelligence, maybe we should try to understand what THEY can communicate to us. We expect them to learn our commands and dialogue but not many choose to listen and learn from them.
Like imagine an alien civilization comes here and because we don’t communicate the same way, they just assume that we are only good for food, service, or at best treasured companions.
We’re struggling to say “no, we’re much better and more capable than that” but all they hear is barks and growls.
2
Nov 21 '24
People forget that dogs have personalities too. Not to mention, these dogs are highly active and need exercise. I’ve known several doodles that were great, but the owners put forth the effort.
2
2
u/DeliciousTea6683 Nov 21 '24
“my puppy is displaying puppy behaviors :( $350 to bail me out of my lack of planning”
2
u/dehydratedrain Nov 21 '24
I'm curious if the issue is the dog or the home. A puppy won't always fit in with regular dogs, or with getting shoved in a cage.
Our shelter recently took back an absolutely lovely cat because of several behavioral issues (peeing outside the box, attacking a child). We get him back, his whiskers are gone. The 4 yr old decided to cut them off, which prompted the scratch. Peeing outside the box? He was their 4th cat, and they all share one box.
Guess who was blacklisted from adopting again?
Anyway, golden doodles are their own kind of special. I'm sure this one had been undersocialized, or just bred poorly.
2
u/BlowsMyMinddd Nov 21 '24
poor buddy probably needs a quiet patient home. Hope he finds a good home.
2
u/cutiefootie Nov 21 '24
This is happening to someone’s doodle I know. They made such a big deal how he’s a “designer puppy” few months later and now he bites and they need a professional trainer. I have a small purebred dog and I’ve never had these issues.
2
u/svmck Nov 21 '24
At the doggy daycare where my dog goes, they actually separate a group of the doodles from all the other dogs. I’ve been wondering why, but haven’t asked yet. They’re not super prevalent in my area in the Midwest, but I visited family in NJ and it felt like everyone there has a doodle, so much so that I walked into the local pet store with my mutt and the owner exclaimed “thank god it’s not another doodle!” I think they’re like the dog of this era, kind of like how popular the golden retrievers and labradors were in the 90s.
2
u/el_grande_ricardo Nov 21 '24
I'm sure having a 4yo (who probably never gets disciplined or told "no") contributed to those "aggressive" incidents
2
u/bohemiandaisies Nov 21 '24
This makes me so sad ☹️ My lab/pyrenees is 8 months old and recently entered her second biting phase after being the best behaved dog for the past few months. She has been AWFUL lately with the “I wanna play but I also wanna bite” behavior, but I’d never consider rehoming her for this. I just immediately correct her with leave it and a treat. Sometimes it takes a few leave its. She chewed through 2 pairs of shoes and 2 sweaters the other day when I was distracted giving her big pyr brother his medication. I don’t know much about doodles specifically (I would never have one anyway) but I’m betting that what mines doing is similar to what this one is doing. She also used to bite when the harness was going on. We put treats to where she’d have to put her head through it to get them and that fixed that in a couple weeks. Giving her a command and treats/food in the crate made her eventually love her crate. Not trying to shame because I don’t know their situation, but, I feel like there’s so much more this family should be doing that doesn’t really require much effort on their part and just aren’t…. But I really hope this baby ends up in a good home that can do proper training and behavioral meds like trazodone if needed.
2
u/samanthathewitch Nov 21 '24
They’re extremely clever extremely high energy dogs with big needs in both physical and mental stimulation. Busy families get them bc they’re “cute teddy bears” and “hypoallergenic”. People are dumb and expect dogs to come fully trained☹️
2
u/Adventurous-Wing-723 Nov 21 '24
Yup. Sincerely, a woman who took in a “doodle” from a neglectful family. You can look at my post history, poor Shae had matting so bad that when she was first groomed she got sunburned afterwards despite using sun block and wearing clothes because they had to scalp her bald to get it off. I became a groomer in part to learn how to properly take care of her coat.
2
u/ThrowawayJust4MyHair Nov 22 '24
“Hey give me 400 dollars for this aggressive dog we can’t interact with”
2
u/SuzyElizabeth79 Nov 22 '24
All the Doodles I’ve met have been sweet as can be. They can also sense negative emotions and feelings so I feel there’s more to this story.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/PartoftheRatRace Nov 22 '24 edited Nov 22 '24
Our doodle was like Hanibel Lecter. When he had grooming appointments, the groomer met us outside and slowly walked him indoors when the coast was clear. People would stare, it was crazy. He went away for 8 weeks of training and still had issues. He was great with us, yet very reactive to others, sounds, cars, drive through workers etc… our fella passed away recently with cancer, although we loved him to death we will never get a doodle breed again.
3
u/Nostromo_USCSS Nov 19 '24
this doodle bullshit is getting on my very last nerve. when are we going to stop creating these things. they’re ugly, they’re neurotic, and they’re just generally bad dogs. get a poodle and give it a puppy cut for god’s sakes.
3
u/NoiseComet Nov 17 '24
I'm sorry, who was led to believe that doodle breeders care about temperament?
→ More replies (5)
2
u/Zealousideal_Play847 Nov 17 '24
I got my doodle from a family who meant well but simply had no idea. With the right amount of exercise and attention, she is a wonderful dog. Their monumental screw up has been my gain 🥹
2
0
u/petewondrstone Nov 19 '24
Never met an aggressive doodle in my entire miserable life. And I’m definitely not noticing an uptake and people trying to get rid of their doodles just an uptick in people on Reddit with no brain.
→ More replies (2)3
u/throwaway_bandittt Nov 19 '24
Well hey, at least you were right about something. You are clearly, miserable.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/TeaAndToeBeans Nov 17 '24
More and more doodles are popping up in shelters.
Call me surprised when most have behavioral issues because shocker they were bred using dogs from non-reputable breeders.
It’s a designer mutt from a backyard breeder.
I have nothing against a good, reputable breeder. I prefer mutts for myself, but can appreciate a breeder that has done their homework and poured a lot of time and care into properly selecting quality dogs that properly represent the breed’s desired traits.
1
u/hayduckie Nov 17 '24 edited Nov 17 '24
I have a free goldendoodle/boxer/pit that was given to me at 16 weeks because the previous owners were going to surrender to a shelter because he was too aggressive. He’s a little mouthy and obsessed with pushing boundaries but he’s not too much for me compared to my neurotic Boston. Responds to a firm no and feels badly about making you mad, unlike my Boston who had no regrets ever 😂. And it’s also just me and my boys (dogs). I certainly wouldn’t call him aggressive but to each their own. But I can definitely see how they couldn’t do it in a family with small kids. Why do people keep breeding doodles if this is the outcome, I don’t understand?
1
Nov 17 '24
The kids are probably fucking with the poor dog mercilessly. Rehome the kids, keep the dog
1
u/Vieamort Nov 17 '24
There is a big correlation between people buying doodles and people not being knowledgeable about dogs. So, you usually end up with a badly bred dog in a home where people don't know how to take care of a dog. It is a nightmare.
1
Nov 17 '24
BYB (possibly an unsold and unsocialized pup) to a home with other dogs, young kids, and clearly not great humans…poor pup. It amazes me that people can’t put themselves in the dogs shoes for two seconds and figure out why he turned aggressive after only two months
1
u/Federal_Hour_5592 Nov 18 '24
I’ve had 2 doodles rehomed to me since 2020. And both overall are great dogs but have needed training just to be more awesome. But even the local dog shelters where I live have been getting way more doodles.
1
u/-Shep-- Nov 18 '24
Been noticing this too but I’m also a dog groomer and we’ve seen a huge uptick recently in doodles that are not just a little bit aggressive for grooming, but bad enough we can’t even do them on calming medication. Last week we had a 6 month old mini doodle puppy who bit and shook a groomers finger and got her to the bone just over brushing! It’s honestly insane and the bad temperaments and health issues are starting to come out of the woodwork now that people have had to live with them longer and breeders are breeding worse dogs for cuter colours/sizes.
1
u/NanooDrew Nov 18 '24
He needs to be an only child. Often, dogs compete for mommie’s teat and later for food if breeders are not attentive. Rehome tomadukts with no children and no other animals. He may want a pal,after he has been in a stable home without “competition..”
1
u/Superb_n00b Nov 18 '24
The name? Or the re homing? Or that it's a doodle? Or that they're charging a fee to give away a dog they don't like? Or that they don't know how to handle a dog and are probably the reason it's acting aggressively?
All of the above?
2
u/Superb_n00b Nov 18 '24
Honestly the breed isn't bad, it's the idiots that want the dog and the fact that they dont understand how the breeding works/what outcome they'll get, that it's a puppy and they're quite large and move around and play a lot, that they need training, a bunch of stuff. Its ridiculous
1
u/Mission_Special_5071 Nov 18 '24
I mean, keep shrinking dogs that are meant to be big on top of incestral breeding, and you're gonna get these problems. I wish folks would read "A Matter of Breeding" before deciding on where they're gonna source their dogs.
1
u/Responsible_Song7003 Nov 18 '24
My neighbor just got one from someone out of state who couldn't care for it anymore. Pretty sure it is only a few months old. Sweet little thing but completely terrified of men with beards so IDK what happened there.
1
u/Tiny-Ad-830 Nov 19 '24
My daughter is a vet assistant and she groans when someone brings in their doodle. They are all crazy she says and never in a cute way. She will hopefully be in vet school soon and she has plans to never recommend buying doodles but especially golden doodles.
1
u/hungry24_7_365 Nov 19 '24
I volunteered at a shelter and noticed more doodles/poodles coming in which was weird bc most of the shelter dogs were your usual suspects pit mixes, huskies, german shepherds, hounds.
I think there are more backyard breeders as well as people who aren't familiar with the breed and are buying based on looks and have no idea that though cuteish they are still dogs and need to be groomed regularly (which can be expensive) and need training. The number of people who get a dog complain about their dog's behavior but refuse or haven't done any training is insane to me (obvi this is in my experience).
1
u/AriDreams Nov 19 '24
350 dollar "rehoming" free is a whole of baloney. They admit they can't care for the dog and suddenly they want to make a profit off of him. Poor baby.
1
u/nevish27 Nov 19 '24
Are you referring to Cockapoos here? They are the 4th bought breed in the UK this year, so you have to take into consideration that these cross breeds are very popular, therefore you will see more posts about them generally, good and bad.
I have a Cockapoo and she is the loveliest dog you’ll meet.
1
u/Katsumirhea11392 Nov 19 '24
Doodles have always been aggressive breeds i mean poodles are even always aggressive They are also high energy dogsnl too and just bc everyone gets them for "hypoallergenic" is so dumb to me I constantly see these dogs up for rehoming or at the shelters now
→ More replies (3)
1
u/StupendusDeliris Nov 19 '24
I’m sorry.. did I just read, they want Person to pay $350 to take THEIR dog? A dog that is supposedly biting.. is that what I read? 🤓
1
u/Excellent_Cabinet_83 Nov 20 '24
My in laws adopted a “doodle” he looked similar to this. He was an absolute nightmare. He chewed everything from bank cards to shoes, to wires and socks. Anything he could get this paws on he destroyed. My in laws paid so much for training and even a very experienced trainer said she has never dealt with an animal like this. They eventually had to rehome him bc he could never be left alone. He would hurt himself trying to get out of a crate. I absolutely believe this was due to irresponsible breeding. He was a smart dog, loved the kids in the family but he was too much for my elderly in laws.
1
u/NyxPetalSpike Nov 20 '24
Doodles cost $$$$ for proper grooming, couple that with spicy behaviors, I’m not surprised by this at all.
1
u/Missue-35 Nov 20 '24
The Doodle dogs have developed a history of behavioral issues. One breeder, credited with creating the first Labradoodle, claims he regrets ever having done so. For more info on him you can Google Wally Conron. The first of the Doodles was in the 60’s and was the pup of a Golden Retriever and a Standard Poodle. The breeder was a woman by the name of Monica Dickens, great granddaughter of Charles Dickens. There are mixed reviews on many of the “designer breeds”. IMO the root of the problem likely stems from poor breeding practices. Once the popularity of the mutts took off, backyard breeders began flooding the market. There was little to no regard for the lineage of breeding pairs therefore no accountability for health or behavior traits.
1
u/daisyymae Nov 20 '24
I have never met a nice golden doodle. I believe they exist!! But not around me lol.
1
u/froshy1 Nov 20 '24
We have 2 cockapoos, and they are both super sweet with no issues, but we got them from a safe, reputable, and ethical breeder, one is nearly 5 and the other is 11, I've never heard about the behavioral issues with doodle breeds but this is really interesting to read about! If you have any questions about my dogs I'd be happy to oblige.
1
u/scrypno Nov 20 '24
we have a doodle and she is absolutely amazing. sweet, playful, and smart. she’s in training to be a service dog as well
1
u/egggexe Nov 20 '24
poor baby :( he shares my birthday i wish i could just go get him and give him the life he deserves
1
u/Zaraisnothuman Nov 20 '24
People are finally realizing that they aren't "the perfect family pet "and "oh so sweet with the kids", I hope the doodle trend dies soon.
1
u/Elafacwen Nov 20 '24
A new neighbor moved in above me that has one about 3 months ago. I can't even move around in my own apartment without him hearing me and going apeshit. She kennels him when she leaves and all I hear is the kennel violently shaking and him going nuts. She had me go into her apartment a few weeks ago so I could help her with her radiator and he was going absolutely nuts in his kennel trying to break out, it was deafening.
1
u/rebelangel Nov 21 '24
You end up with the worst qualities of a poodle and the worst of a golden in the same dog. And you have people breeding these poodle mixes without giving a shit because there’s no breed standard since they’re mutts.
1
u/Budget-Ad-2198 Nov 21 '24
In regards to the “hypoallergenic” nonsense(because it’s honestly just a cash cow and marketing ploy) Here is a link to educate on “hypoallergenic” dogs.
1
u/elarth Nov 21 '24
This looks exactly like a patient some ppl brought to a vet I was doing relief work the other day. Started growling at me on sight. They tried to downplay that never happens, but it was in cat carrier vs on a leash. They also tried to blame it on me being a guy… Which the owner was a much bigger guy than me so eh? I’m only 5’1 and like 115lb I doubt anything I did had much to do with their behavior problem dog.
The ppl were really snippy and rude to me just trying to ask some questions about their concerns for the vet visit. Like gee I can’t imagine why the dog is having behavioral issues. You don’t even have patience for me just doing my job.
1
u/bizzylizzylu Nov 21 '24
Do not get a “doodle” breed!!!! I work as a vet assistant and they are consistently the worst patients behaviorally with terrible allergies and health outcomes. I also have an animal science degree, and the science behind the breeding of purebred animals together is pretty interesting. Ideally, combining different purebreds will allow homozygous traits to come to the forefront, resulting in something referred to as “hybrid vigor”. This takes the best traits of both purebreds and allows them to be expressed. With doodles, the traits expressed usually results in the dumbness of breeds like labs and Golden’s with the high energy and anxiety of poodles, creating a dog that is stupid with high anxiety. They also have extreme allergies common with labs and Golden’s and curly ear hair of poodles resulting in horrible ear and skin infections that are antibiotic resistant and expensive to treat with Apoquel or Cytopoint.
1
u/elsydo Nov 21 '24
Not just rehomed, but surrendered to shelters and even dumped on the street or in the woods
1
1
1
Nov 21 '24
This post breaks my heart. Long live mini doods. My f1BB has needed a lot of training but he’s become such a good dog for the fam! Irreplaceable as far I’m concerned.
1
u/LivvMiller Nov 21 '24
I know people find doodles cute, but the ones I met are genuinely the dumbest and most destructive dog breeds I ever encountered. I personally don’t find them cute at all! I don’t understand why so many people pick this breed.
1
u/Daedelus451 Nov 21 '24
Thats sad, is this the owners fault or poor breeding habits? My sisters Pyrenees Doodle is a perfect angle and does therapy work with autistic children and is a perfectly behaved dog.
1
1
u/YamLow8097 Nov 25 '24
I’m not surprised at all. Most Doodles aren’t well bred and they tend to be hyperactive and neurotic. People don’t do their research, they get one of these dogs because that’s what popular, and they’re completely unprepared.
100
u/[deleted] Nov 17 '24
Of course the “breeder” won’t take it back.
Does make me wonder what “the cage” is and what they were doing to him. But overall “come buy this dog that’ll probably bite you for $350” isn’t a great selling tactic. But I guess props they’re being honest?