What happens if you mix a breed with fur and a breed with hair?

[crs_7]

I’m not a groomer, but I am curious about what happens. What happens if you mix a breed with hair and a breed with fur? Does it shed? Is it a grooming nightmare? Can you cut/shave the fur/hair and it grows back the same? I hear doodles are a nightmare, and they sometimes are mixed with hair (poodle) and fur (like a golden retriever or labrador retriever). Does it have any pros when grooming? (Other than getting the “X breed personality, but somewhat allergy friendly”).

It sounds like a nightmare to me, you don’t really know what you will get both externally and personality.

 

[cmotorsportsministries]

@crs_7 You’re literally describing doodles. Yes, they’re a nightmare.

 

[crs_7]

@cmotorsportsministries Is it the same if you have like a shih tzu for the “hair breed”?

 

[cmotorsportsministries]

@crs_7 And be seen shih tzus bred with chihuahuas and terriers, and the hair is really strange for both. Long guard hairs, short undercoat. Generally pretty wiry. A shih-poo, though, is two dogs with hair, and while they can tangle very easily and the owners are just as odd, at least the texture seems pretty consistent.

 

[fafaparola]

@crs_7 It's a total crapshoot. It's basically why these dogs can't really be a true breed because even a few generations in a doodlexdoodle can result in some weird genetic pop ups. Cockapoo, shihpoo, maltipoo, etc, tend to be a bit more reliable in hair texture but their body shape and personality/energy levels can be very weird. People can have two dogs from the same litter and one could have short stubby legs while the other is on stilts. Nothing wrong with mixes from accidents, but intentionally breeding dogs needs to come with a reason, are you improving the breed? Are you creating a new breed with desired reliable expectation?

If there truly is a need for giant stocky dogs with loosely waved golden locks then maybe people should be intentionally breeding dogs with those traits rather than pushing random doodles and poodles together with no thought. Except, oh wait, most of the dogs with those traits have them because of their puppy coat. Backyard breeders and puppy mills don't care what the adults are like as long as they can keep pumping out the stereotypical doodle puppy. I actually have a client with a senior cockapoo who got a mini golden doodle two years ago for dirt cheap. He was returned because he shed. The dog is adorable, but he's literally a teeny tiny golden retriever. They knew that and are happy, but I can imagine the original owners were devastated (and felt lied to) when their puppy turned out nothing like what people imagine when they think golden doodle.

 

[deavallsbabe]

@fafaparola I have a 7 month old Aussiepoo. He’s really cute and doesn’t shed. He does bite a lot. He’s smart and learns fast. He doesn’t always want to use the lessons though. He love to play fetch, going on walks (mostly to meet people).

 

[rev_dc]

@deavallsbabe What does this comment even add to the conversation?

 

[nic_88]

@crs_7 The x breed personality and slightly more hypoallergenic actually aren't really pros to doodles. They are just so unpredictable that neither is a guarantee. I more often see doodles that are neurotic messes and have a very high energy level. Also the coat is rarely hypoallergenic at all. Most doodles both shed and need hair cuts and due to the often thick coat grooming them to remove hair and dander is much more difficult.

 

[thankfullness]

@nic_88 It's also a lie that they are hypoallergenic. Allergens are produced by skin and saliva. There is an allergist on tiktok that breaks down the myth of the hypoallergenic dog. There really are none. It's just that some people don't react to the allergens of some types of dogs. Like I'm super allergic to most short haired cats but my long haired cat does nothing even if I stick my face in her fur and inhale.

 

[jag]

@thankfullness Also allergies can be so fickle that you can be allergic to one dog but not be allergic to another dog from the same litter

 

[nic_88]

@jag Yes but for purebred dogs from a breeder that's pretty strict about breed standards it's pretty rare. Usually it's more to do with what environmental triggers the dog may be exposing you to (pollen,grass etc) but there is also apparently an allergy to something that only unneutered male dogs produce.

 

[nic_88]

@thankfullness I mean hypoallergenic is a thing, it just means less allergenic for some people and people that have certain dog allergies may do better with a dog with a hair coat. People misunderstand that it means that all people with dog allergies will not react which is obviously not true.

 

[tippymoondawg]

@thankfullness IMHO, sometimes I think it's backwards in that being "hypoallegenic" often isn't as much as about the dog but the fact that "hypoallergenic" breeds are the ones getting regular professional grooming.

Keeping a dog well groomed, with regular baths, goes a long way in reducing allergens.

 

[ectolite]

@nic_88 I don’t get it, if you want a dog that doesn’t really shed, just get a poodle. They’re intelligent, people pleasers, smart, athletic and none of mine have ever been slobbery (I’ve had 6 poodles throughout my life). They also come in a multitude of colors! There’s black, white, silver, apricot, cream, red, etc etc AND if you don’t care about AKC registration you can get a parti poodle with multiple colors on its coat.

My coworker bought a golden doodle as a little puppy and it had (and still has) extreme separation anxiety issues. Like out of control howling/screaming/tearing everything apart or hurting itself if someone wasn’t always home with it. Complete neurotic mess. Now I’m not saying poodles can’t have separation anxiety, because they can, I just feel the breeding might have been a factor for the severity of the issue. None of the 6 poodles I owned had separation anxiety issues, but I might have just been very lucky.

 

[nic_88]

@ectolite Yeah they often come with a lot of health and behavioral issues. It's also that they are often from uneducated owners. They are expecting a nice calm dog but get a dog on redbull and they just can't handle it.

 

[crs_7]

@nic_88 I know, although the reason behind mixing the breeds like that is usually this. But it never works… It could also be due to expectations. The people that get doodles often expect them to be “easy”, and wont train or exercise them, or give them any enrichment or stimulation. Then they become a nightmare

It’s very sad, poodles are so amazing and so versatile. You can do anything with them, and they don’t shed. And they come in all sizes

 

[kaysone]

@crs_7 Yes! Doodles are not “poodles plus.” Purebred poodles are completely different than doodles even when they look similar.
We have 2 standards and when the red male needs grooming and his hair gets a little long around his face, everyone thinks he’s a doodle and “oohs” and “awws” at the “cute doodle.” Nope.

You can make a poodle look like a doodle but a doodle will never be a poodle. Don’t hate me for saying that. It’s just true.

 

[morh]

@crs_7 my dog is a mix of poodle, schnauzer and beagle (apparently the guy wanted to trademark his own unique breed).

his coat is all over the place. he has the poodle topknot, schnauzer brows, beard and body, but with random patches of poodle on his hips and shoulders(the beagle only affected his ears and bark from what i can tell). i can easily brush his body but his hips and shoulders always need an extra brush each day and behind his ears is a nightmare

 

[jwilson7020]

@morh I read a book series as a teenager where these creatures would roll around the countryside and they would skin anything they touched, so trees would be stripped of their bark, animal carcasses everywhere, and the skins would be incorporated into the patchwork that made the creature and it would grow bigger and bigger with each new added skin. Like a giant morbid swatch quilt of different furs, scales etc.

That's what I imagined for your dog. You're welcome?

 

[lilliannac37]

@jwilson7020 You’re gonna say something like that and not tell us the book???