Designer Dogs: The Good, the Bad and the Super-Cute

White Poodle with Golden Retriever Puppies

All dogs are great. They all go to heaven, the movie tells us, and we believe that to be true. Something like 38 percent of all U.S. households have at least one canine pet. That adds up to about 77 million dogs nationwide!

The recent rise in the population of designer dogs is one consequence of the popularity of canine companions. These are the hybrid offspring intentionally built from two distinct dog breeds. Poodle hybrids dominate the designer dog genre, with Labradoodles, Goldendoodles and Cockapoos as the leading results.

Why have designer pooches gained such popularity? What is it about them that people find so appealing? And do designer dogs come with their own (sometimes surprising) challenges? Here are some of the factors. 

A Goldendoodle Puppy

Appearance

Designer dogs often boast stubby snouts, floppy ears and curly coats with charming color combinations. No denying it – they are impossibly cute. They are also available in small, medium and large sizes (like SUVs and cola bottles) giving their guardians flexibility in choosing the right dog for the space available. Their appearance doesn’t necessarily come with a low-maintenance tag, however. In one study, researchers found that 24 percent of doodle hybrids said their dog’s maintenance levels were worse than expected. Grooming is a reality for poodle hybrids, with attendant cost and time requirements. 

Allergens

Black and White Poodle Laying on the Grass

Many designer dog owners acquired their pets because they believed the animals would be non-shedding and hypoallergenic. The science casts doubt, however, on the notion that specific dog breeds confer benefits to allergy sufferers. This is what the research says: dog breeds thought to be “hypoallergenic” produce just as much allergen content as those that are not identified as hypoallergenic! One study that compared allergen levels in coat samples from various breeds concluded that there is no evidence to classify certain dog breeds as hypoallergenic.

A significant proportion of dog allergens come not from hair, but instead from salivary glands. So even a dog that doesn’t require constant vacuuming to remove tufts of stray hair can still produce allergic reactions. Do you pick up your dog’s chew toy? Touch her food or water bowl? Let her lick you or pet her after she’s licked herself? If you answered yes to any of these, you’ve been exposed to dog allergens.

Health

Hybrid animals, including designer dogs, often avoid the health problems suffered by purebred dogs whose DNA may contain disease-causing traits passed on from their same-breed parents. But this is not always the case. Purebred Labs, for example, are known to suffer from hip dysplasia as well as from diseases of the eyes and joints. Standard poodles can experience these same conditions, so a Labradoodle offspring’s risk of genetic disease may be no different from that of his parents.

Two White Poodles Laying on the Ground

Motivation

Why do we willingly take pooches into our homes and our lives? At the risk of oversimplification, we can place our motives into two categories: intrinsic and extrinsic.

• Intrinsic motivations are innately gratifying, as when we look to our pets for satisfying (and mutual) love and companionship. Intrinsic motivation leads us to have patience with our pets, to accept them as sentient beings, to respect and treasure their individuality and care for their well-being.

• Extrinsic motives focus on attention from the outside world. Pet owners motivated extrinsically want pets others see as cute or symbols of status. To them, a dog (and especially a designer dog) is a product to be displayed, a status symbol like a fancy car or a bit of bling.

The quest for cuteness has led to increased breeding of brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs. Boston Terriers, French Bulldogs and Pugs fall into this category. Though cute they may be, designer dog productization (coupled with some dubious breeding practices) has yielded a population of pets that come with built-in health problems. A growing body of evidence suggests that brachycephalic breeds frequently suffer from a range of disorders, including respiratory, eye and spinal disease, heat stroke and pneumonia.

Indeed, some veterinarians now consider the health and welfare of several popular brachycephalic breeds too compromised to justify their continued breeding.

Two Poodles and a Golden Retriever Ready for the Holidays

But We Love Them All

Given that nearly four in ten U.S. households has at least one dog, it’s pretty clear that they make an important contribution to our lives, regardless of our motives for bringing them into our families. Designer dog owners report that, despite some surprises associated with care requirements, health implications and allergic reactions, they are highly satisfied with their pooches.

All dogs are wonderful and can have fulfilling lives, provided we humans understand and meet their needs and demonstrate through our actions how much we value them for their innate appeal, not just for the status they may confer.