Cross Breeds - What is it with designer breeds?

What is it with designer breeds?

I don't get it.... why is it that a labradoodle puppy is being sold with a price tag of £1000 when the Labrador OR the poodle puppy wouldn't EVER fetch that much? Why have these "mongrels" and cross breeds been allowed to flourish and demand such high prices? I don't get it. Not long ago the labradoodle puppy would of been a mongrel puppy, a mixed breed and a mistake. They would of been giving the puppys away to a good home and no one would of thought of breeding from it. Why have all these cross breeds come along? Will there be no end to it? You could cross any two dogs and mix the name to come up with some new fangled "designer" breed. What's the point? Why do people want them?

Public Comments

Sometimes, crossing two breeds gets the best of both. A labradoodle puppy is used as a guide dog for people with allergies. A maltese crossed with a shitzu can have a longer nose, eliminating the breathing problems of some shitzus but also has the colours. I agree with some cross breeding but now it seems that people are cross breeding everything and it gets a new name, like a Beaglier (Beagle cross Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) or a Puglier, etc...
Agree with the above. Sometimes you can fine tune a breed out of years of trial and error. Not to say all the other puppies aren't just as adorable and worthy of a home. I'm honestly a science and facts girl, myself. You can't argue with facts. It really just comes down to supply and demand. Mixed breed dogs tend to be healthier. They have more genetic variations than purebred dogs. Breeding dogs who are prone to similar health problems greatly increases the chance of health problems in the offspring. By breeding dogs who are prone to different problems, the chances of serious health problems are lowered. Genetic variety increases the chances of good health. So, yeah mutts are great! It comes down to Economics and basic Genetics for me.
When I first heard of labradoodles I thought it was a joke! Seriously, people are breeding these dogs as fashion accessories. What normal person earning an average salary would pay £1000 for a dog with a fancy name? Anyway I think as long as people are willing to pay that much this crazy new breeding trend will keep going and will probably end up with some very odd dogs. In my opinion animals as fashion accessories is wrong. Once the owner gets sick of the novelty of owning a labradoodle what happens to the dog?!!
I dont agree with x breeds so I think its a cute factor thats all or a fad
This will continue for the simple fact that if you slap a name on it people stupidly start calling (and thinking) it a breed, when it's just like any other mutt sitting in shelters all across the country. NO ethical breeder would ever breed mutts so you already have a clue these are dogs from bad breeding practices. And NO PEOPLE!! "Sometimes' you get the best of both is just a con. It's a mongrel...what you end up with is a complete crap shoot. Brain up, gets the mutts from shelters and save a life (and a ton of cash) ADDED: Sorry I think I must have read one too many questions like 'where do I find info on the doodle breed' and then read them counter argue insisting it's a breed. *SIGH*
it is a bit wierd, but the dogs only get to claim the new name and be recognised as a breed when you can breed two labradoodles (for example) and get a labradoodle rather than something more like a poodle or a lab. my mother in law has an elderly labradoodle, and when she got it it was classed as a mongrel and given to her. i don't particularly like 'pure breeds', i prefer mongrels, and there are plenty of them in shelters that deserve homes instead of people breeding obscure mixes and trying to get loads of money for them. sorry, rant over!
Yeah I agree you can fine tune a breed but if you only own one because of the label well then that is different thats animal labeling only havn one because the Jones do!!!!!
couple of mis facts in other peoples comments. 1 - low allergy - it will totally depend on what genes the individual dog inherited. It is NOT true that all labradoodles are good for folks with allergies. Heck it depends on what a person is allergic too. My husband has allergies and he was allergic to my mothers poodle. 2 - you are NOT less prone to hereditary defects, you just have the genetic soup to have defects from 2 different breeds. I was in a vet office and someone with a Pug beagle cross came in they were having eye issues in one eye. (it was a typical put issue) but 2 months earlier they had been in with the Beagle issue in the other eye. So much for hybred vigor. 3 - there is the 'only one' factor at work here - some folks want to be the first, the only etc. If it plays out in cars, boats and technology - we shouldn't be shocked that it shows up in dogs too. Me I'm holding out for a designer husband - now THAT would be an advance!
These cross breeds (yes, that's what they are, the labradoodle is NOT a breed) have appeared for the plain reason that some people have realised: "Hey, I can breed this dog, sell it as a hypoallergenic guide dog, and people will be scammed into paying lots of money for it." And, in response to your second question, people want them because they ARE being scammed into it. Yes, cross breeds can be fine tuned. A very common argument in favour of "designer breeds" is that every purebreed was a mutt at one point in time. That's true, BUT: the creation of a breed is done over HUNDREDS of years. The breeders follow a uniform, written breed standard, and only the offspring who match the standard most closely are allowed to continue the lines. Backyard breeders (the breeders who create these "designer breeds") don't have a standard, they don't have a kennel club, they have no form of evaluating their offspring whatsoever. Without these things, you can breed for centuries and not get anywhere. Oh yeah, and the argument that the labradoodle is a hypoallergenic guide dog is completely false. When you buy a mixed breed, that's what you get - a MIX. A random combination of genetics from both dogs. Out of a litter of 8 Lab/Poodle mixes you will get some that shed less and some that shed a TON. You're basically playing Russian roulette with dog genetics.
While there are people stupid enough to be duped into paying top prices for crossbreeds there will be people willing to breed them " Mixed breed dogs tend to be healthier. They have more genetic variations than purebred dogs." Both Poodles and labradors can suffer from Hip Dysplasia and a number of different eye conditions which are hereditary. mating them together compounds not solves the problem. Not all breeds are the result of crossing other breeds - many are as a result of selective breeding from similar dogs to "fix" the desired points to enable the dog to do a specific job.
It is just a hobby and craziness to look different than others . That's all. Nothing special in it. Finally its' a pet dog and just like a status symbol and people prefer to be special with their pet
The concept is to hope for the best attributes from whatever 2 breeds that are crossed. Most people breeding them have an excuse concerning allergies, shedding, intelligence, etc. (it's MONEY!!!!) Breeding dogs is not an exact mathematical equation though. breeding a rottweiler to a lhasa apso is not going to produce a litter of 50% rott...50% lhasa. They could be 90/10%...60/40% and so on. I worked with a rott/husky that was a 100% rottweiler except for his blue eyes. All we can hope is that Paris Hilton doesn't show up at some public spot with a "Chowmation" (cross of chowchow and dalmation). Good God....we couldn't build shelters fast enough to house them! AS long as someone glorifies it, and as long as people are gullable enough, I'm afraid we're stuck. I guess the only smart move is to buy a $300 shihtzu and a $300 poodle. Then sell $1200 shihtzpoo puppies and laugh all the way to the bank!
it started with labradoodles then people saw a way of making easy money with mongrels so started calling them something else. For example i can by a cocker spaniel for £350 (pedigree) or i can buy a mongrel cockerpoo for £800!!!!! The breeders of these labradoodles say they dont shed...well they will. you have a crossbreed with a dog that sheds like mad. my aunts labrador sheds hair all the time. This lady here sells them for £850 each pup and they are not vaccinated. she says they come with a 4 generation pedigree. what??? its a crossbreed!!! http://labradoodles.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/ Just get a standard poodle-you will pay less for one of them