The Intentional Hybrids - The Best of Both Worlds

Years ago people who wanted a dog had two choices. Get a purebreed or a mutt. In the last 10 years (actually 20 for the Labradoodles) there has been the introduction of a third option. Intentional Hybrids. People who decide upon Intentional Hybrids such as the Labradoodle or a Goldendoodle have done so for many reasons. A high percentage of the people choose a doodle for the reasons that are outlined below. The decision to select an Intentional Hybrid is a personal choice. We respect the decisions of people who select a purebreed or a mutt, however, it is nice to have a third option that is now available.

Purebreeds

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With purebreeds, you can put your faith in medical testing, the lineage of the parents and dependability of aesthetics and traits. (ONLY - If you select a quality breeder)

Advantages

Purebreeds provide predictability with respect to size, color, coats, temperament and traits. If you want a friendly dog or an aloof dog, a high-energy dog or a low-energy dog, a small dog or a large dog, a dog with lots of fur or a dog with very short fur, you can choose a purebred that tends to have those characteristics.

Reputable breeders will do medical testing and have documentation of the lineage of the puppies. 

Disadvantages

Over 300 genetic health defects have been documented in purebred dogs, the incidence of defects is extremely high. Reasons for this include:

• Breeding dogs to a detailed standard of appearance. Breeding to some standard is how breeds are developed in the first place, but eventually it results in loss of genetic diversity, which leads to problems with health and vigor.
• A limited and closed gene pool. Without the introduction of new and unrelated genes, in the long term all living creatures suffer "loss of genetic diversity," which inevitably leads to weaker animals with health problems. This is happening right now with purebred dogs.
• Breeding the same champion dogs over and over. This floods the breed not only with the same sets of good genes, but also with the same sets of bad genetics. But when the same few dogs are bred repeatedly, as is done with the most successful show dogs, their particular defective genes become more common throughout the breed. Then the chances are much greater that two dogs with the SAME defective gene will get bred together -- and the defect gets expressed.
• Breeding for unnatural builds. Breeds with short faces (such as Bulldogs and Pugs) are sweet dogs, but they can't breathe normally and are prone to many health disorders. Breeds with long bodies (such as Dachshunds) are prone to crippling back problems and paralysis.

F1 Goldendoodle Example of Variations

Motley - Adult

Here are the Sections

About IDOG
What Is A Doodle
Is a Doodle For You
Selecting A Breeder
Selecting A Puppy
Puppy Preparations
Doodle Health
Frequently Asked ?s
Training Tips
Doodles With Jobs
Doodle Reading
Doodle Fun Stuff
Where You Live
Doodle Photo Gallery

Mutts

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Mutts (also known as Mongrels), you can put your faith in genetic diversity.

Advantages

Disadvantages

A mutt isn't usually intentional. It is almost unheard of for a mutt dog to have even one parent who has been tested for any genetic disorder. With a mutt, you have to put your faith in his genetic diversity, rather than in medical testing and breed specific traits.

If you get a mutt which looks like a combination of two breeds, does not assure that only those two breeds created the puppy or, for that matter, those breeds were involved at all. A mutt could have many many other combinations of breeds to create the dog. Thus, you might be able to have a hint as to the temperament of the dog, you also might have a hint on how large or small the dog will be, or what type of fur the dog will have, but you will never know for sure until the dog has fully matured.

A mutt all too frequently has not had the benefit of a good start in life. Providing proper medical care, proper socialization and keeping the puppies with the mother until they have learned important lessons from their mother are often things that can be missing in an uninetentional breeding.

Intentional Hybrids

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With doodles, you can put your faith in medical testing, the lineage of the parents, aesthetics and traits AND genetic diversity. (If you select a quality breeder)

The Labradoodle and Goldendoodles are dogs that have been mixed intentionally.

A quality breeder will have the history of the parents of a doodle puppy.

A quality breeder will have done various medical tests of the potential parents and take great care in paring the breeding dogs for quality health and temperament.

The advantage to carefully selecting the right Golden Retriever or Labrador Retriever and the right Poodle and throwing in a little mother nature, promotes overall health and vigor.

Although, the doodles are not breeds - by the definition of “breed” - there are breed factors that can predict what size, color, and temperament the puppy will be as an adult. The doodles can vary in a wider range than a Purebreed dog, however, a experienced breeder of Labradoodles and Goldendoodles will have a very good idea what the puppy will be like when it is fully matured. There are some variations, but very little surprises if you are working with a experienced breeder.

"Doodles are Talented Too!"
TuscanRidgeLabradoodles