Why are you putting down the poo mix

I use to love the forum, I was so excited when I got my Maltipoo and I found this board, I could talk and ask questions b/c I was a first time puppy owner. I rarely visit anymore, it seems that when ever someone ask about getting a poo mix or mix of any type, there are a few people who always write that poo mixes are not a real breed, well guess what people we already know that, and then they go on to say we should all go to the pound if we want a mix and stop promoting people who breed them. I agree that going to the pound is a good thing, if that is what someone has decided to do, but stop pushing it down our throats. This forum is labeled as DEDICATED TO POO & SHI CROSS TYPES DOGS & THE MEMBERS WHO ADORE THEM other small breeds welcome. "Members who adore them" Why would you post anything negative about them??????????? I adore my maltipoo & when new people often ask about the different mixes it's because they want to know about them (that is why they asked)! I'm done venting, thank you for reading. Hope to see more positive posting in the future!

 

I think what irritates people is that there are some breeders of the mixes that charge as much as for a full bred dog, as far as I know, the reason you pay so much for a specific breed is because you are 'supposedly' paying for a healthy, good quality dog....a lot of the poo mixes are from puppy mills-pet stores or people who think its 'cute' to breed their own Yorkie and Poodle...or other mixes in the misguided/ignorant belief that they are introducing or perfecting a 'new(er) breed' (at least in the areas Ive worked in...and I have heard many conversations by the kind of people Im talking about at both the animal hospitals and even pet stores)...the problem is they usually have no clue about whats involved with good breeding... so health wise theres a really good chance the pups will end up with problems.
Most breeds that we know today have come from mixing breeds and one day we probably will see a couple of specific poo mixes as recognized breeds but until then they are considered by most as a very expensive (in more ways than one) mutt.

As for suggesting going to a shelter, personally Ive been saying that to people for so long now its like...an automatic response, I often tell people who are looking for a specific breed to try the shelters or breed specific rescues, you can find just about any breed you want, it comes up often on this topic because you never know what your poo mix will look like or how big it will get or how its personality will be....I can go to any shelter and find at least a dozen dogs probably in 5 minutes that I could say were poo mixes....I dont see that as a bad thing though.

And one more thing, I dont care about specific breeds (okay I do like Rotts, GSD's, Dobies, Shelties, Border Collies, Whippets, Italian Greyhounds, Staffs, King Charles Spaniels and Border Terriers )....but to me, a dog is a dog is a dog, I love them all, whatever shape, colour or size they come in and all that matters is the bond you have with your dog. Every dog deserves respect, love and companianship.

 

Thank you for responding, I agree that going to a shelter is a good idea, there are alot of animals out there that need loving homes. I am not knocking the whole shelter idea, however I chose a different path and I did pay alot of money for my maltipoo, but it was my money(really my husbands' LOL) and my decision to do so. There are plenty of people out there just trying to make a buck with the poo mix, but can't we just post our questions and share our experiences with the mix, without feeling like we did a bad thing, after all I think most people would agree that having a puppy any kind of puppy is the reward in the end.

 

Honestly, I have nothing against poo mixes, doodle mixes, or any type of mixed dog whatsoever. Heck, my dog is an Austrialian Shepherd mixed with gosh knows what, probably Rottweiler. (Does that make her an Aussweiler?)

My problem comes in with the breeders of these poo mixes. First of all, these dogs are usually horrendously priced and touted as things they are not. No one can guarantee that a goldendoodle will be hypoallergenic. It could be any mix of either parent. Second of all, these breeders are not good breeders. To me, a good breeder is one who only breeds top quality show dogs. No one who shows dogs is going to let their prize stud or bitch be mated with another breed of dogs to produce crossbreeds. So you're already not working with top stock.

I'm not going to tell anyone their dog is "bad", but I am going to tell them that there are all kinds of Pekeapoos, Aussweilers, Goldendoodles, Labratzus, Basset Retreivers, and Golden Shepherds ALREADY at their local pound, and these dogs are healthy and spayed/neutered AND up to date on shots.

 

I don't think I've seen anyone put down poo mix dogs, or any other mix. The problem isn't the dogs, it's the people who intentionally breed mixed dogs, promote them as 'breeds', don't do any health testing, keep their breeding animals in horrendous conditions, and charge exhorbitant fees for their puppies, which are NOT a breed of any kind. And I might add, I have the same feelings toward people who are breeding purebred puppies under the same conditions, and charging the same horrendous fees for their poorly bred pups.

I groom several retired breeding dogs that were rescued from the sort of people who breed just to make money from selling puppies. When the dogs are too old to breed, they get dumped in shelters, dumped on street corners, or are shot. The lucky ones get rescued by individuals who try to make their remaining years pleasant. One Yorkis I groom can't even walk in a straight line because of the years she spent living in a tiny cage. One little male Yorkie appears to be healthy; the problem is that despite his papers, he's not a Yorkie, he's a Silky Terrier. But the puppies he sired were sold as purebred Yorkies, for $750 each.

We also have two "purebred" Victorian Bulldogs, male and female, boarding at the kennel where I work. Their owner has every intention of breeding these animals because "I need to make some extra money". The problem is, both dogs are horribly unsound. I'll be amazed if either one can walk by the time they're 5 years old because their knees are so bad. They're about 18 months old, and she plans on breeding them the next time the bitch is in season. No health tests have been done, nor will they be. And honestly, if you look at the two of them together, you'd have a hard time believing they're even the same breed because neither of them have anything remotely resembling breed type. Yet she'll get at least $2,000 each for their puppies.

On the other hand, I bought a purebred longhaired dachshund a little over a year ago. His parents and grand parents are all international champions. Both parents are specialty winners, group winners, and his father has won several best in shows. All health testing available was done before the litter was bred. The breeder has over 20 years experience, not only breeding but studying bloodlines, knowing what genetics are lurking in the background and breeding to eliminate genetic diseases. Her puppies are sound of temperment and body, and even the 'pet quality' puppies are loaded with breed type. Not only that, but if I cannot keep my dog for any reason during his lifetime, the breeder will take him back and provide a loving home. And all this only cost $300!

Thousands of dogs, both mixed and purebred, are put to death every day because there are no home for them. Most of them are young dogs that came from irresponsible breeders, back yard breeders, or puppy mills. Rescuing one of these animals not only saves their life, it doesn't put any more money into the pockets of people who exploit innocent animals to make a buck. When there is less money to be made, maybe some of these individuals will go get a real job, and leave the breeding of dogs to those people who are willing to do the work involved to produce healthy, sound puppies that won't cost their owners thousands of dollars in medical bills to correct things like luxating patellas.

Like I've said before, I don't have anything against these little mixed breed dogs. They're adorable. I do have, and will always have, a problem with the people who intentionally breed them for profit with little, if any, regard for the health problems and heartbreak they're creating.

 

I think there should be more strict laws on who is allowed to breed. I think that only a select few dogs should be bred, like working dogs or such, until the pet overpopulation rate comes down. i think everyone shold get their dog (or cat ) from the pound, bc even though you know the dogs background and all, it could still develop its new totally own personality. If peeople are going to breed, I think they should only breed dogs of perfect stock. I think there should be no cross breeding at all. In America we have a terrible problem with too many homeless animals.
But these little mixes can make good pets, I just think people should not buy them until they address the problem of overpopulation.
If people really care about dogs they shouldn't care which type it is, if they just want a companion.

 

as one who breeds

I agree with the issue of over population of dogs in the US. In many cases purebred dogs are purchased by people who have not researched the breed they are buying and find they have taken on more then they can handle thus creating issues for the local shelters to handle. Before any of mine are conceived there is a list of people that first want the breed and I have them research all info and actually question them on it. I explain the issues and in a sense will sometimes try to deter them from wanting this breed just to be sure they really understand them and still want them. If breeders took this approach there would be less breeding. Would it stop, not completely but it would be controlled breeding. We cannot put a ban on breeding as it will never really happen but breeders such as myself and others I know are selective with regards to how often breeding is done. The AKC regulates also the number of litters a female can have. This also helps govern breeding by registered breeders. Also it must be pointed out that purebred breeding is in no way a guarantee that the dog will be better them a mix breed. The fact is many purebreds will have health issues that can be far more problematic than a mix breed. Though I breed I also adopt and for sometime fostered my breed. It was important to me to take them in when others did not want them as I feel obligated. It is not a dollar issue otherwise I would be maxing out my AKC litter issue with all my females but I refuse to do this. I recomend in many cases that a shelter is a great place to start mainly due to the fact you will see the dog's personality to determine if it is comprable to what it is someone is looking for in a dog. A puppy, there is no guarantee and this also leads to people surrendering their animals to shelters. In my case, of those I have adopted a 3 came from homes where the owners were elderly and ended up in nursing homes so the dogs need to be placed in new homes. Others have been rescued due to issues caused by the owners themselves in just simply not knowing enough about the breed before buying the puppy. I have a female rescued from a puppy mill. She was used for mass breeding. No socialization skills and was scared of everyone. I have worked with her now for past 4 months and am able to pick her up and place her in my lag and no more tension. But all this is time consuming, but no more so than anyone buying a puppy. All these are issues that need to be addressed and there are realistc ways that can work. For me I know by restricting potential buyers I have done what I can as one who is aware of why there are so many dogs abandoned not just the number of them.
I hope other breeders who do not practice this, change and start doing so but we cannot select certain breeds to determine who and who will not be permitted to breed their dogs. Keep in mind that all purebreds did not start out that way. They were mixbred for centuries to create what is now referred to a purebred.

 

Breeding or not breeding can be a complicated issue. Breeders of purebred dogs must first realisitically evalutate their animals to determine if they have good type and are sound. One cannot restrict breeding to only perfect animals because there are none. One also cannot restrict breeding too tightly or genetic diversity is lost, and breeds fall victim to "Popular Sire Syndrome", which can have devistating effects on the health of the breed. They have to weigh the faults against the virtues, and at the same time seek to eliminate genetic disorders.

While it's true that all our purebed dogs were once created from mixing different breeds or types, the people who did the mixing had a vision and a goal in what they wanted to produce. It wasn't done willy-nilly, nor was it done for the express purpose of making money. Constantly crossing little poodles with other small breeds does not create a new breed. You can't breed a Shih-Poo with a Shih-Poo and expect to get a consistant type of dog. And while the puppies may be cute and adorable, but if the parents weren't sound, the puppies won't be sound either.

If someone, or a group of someones, want to create a new breed by crossing existing breeds, they should first and foremost have a vision of what they want to create and a plan on how to get there. Then they should select only sound and healthy animals to start with. They must be prepared to cull animals that don't meet their standards by spaying/neutering. And like breeders of current breeds, they need to constantly be aware of genetic mutations and be prepared to deal with them. They must understand the advantages and disadvantages of inbreeding, line breeding, and out crossing. All three have their uses, but one must know what each will accomplish and when to use them.

And if someone really desires to create a new breed, they need to give it a new name. ShihPoo just won't cut it. The gentleman who created Czesky Terriers didn't name them after the breeds he used to create them. He had a vision, a goal, and a plan on how to get there. And once he had fixed the type so that it bred true, he had a name that elevated his dogs out of the mire of mixed breeds and identified it as something specific.

 

in addition to this

the perfect example of this was Louis Doberman's Pinscher. He visualized a breed based on the tenacity of the Miniature Pinscher with the size of the Rot. He had already noted the traits that he was trying to achieve and those were his goals.