labradoodle or standard poodle?

scrimpingbadger

Having been brought up around dogs it somes as a shock to find out i'm now allergic to them (more specifically my mothers dopey spaniel thing). Have always been allergic to cats. :rolleyes:

Now the thing is this: we have a 3 year old doggy lover (and only child) and we live in the beautiful countryside so we think: get the boy a doggy chum:o . BUT I've heard not all labradoodles are non shedding/allergy free but hubbie not keen on being seen with a poodle (desipte me telling him they don't have to have the froo froo hair do).

Anyone out there in cyberland have any experience of these breeds and allergy situations?

Wonder_Girl

I had a toy poodle, he was bought as my brother had severe asthma and couldn't be round normal dogs without having an attack. I loved him to bits, he was very loyal. He never had a poofy hair do just a number 1 all over, they do need to be taken to the pooch parlour every couple of months so make sure you have one near by. I tried to do him at home a few times but this made my brother have an attack so i always had to take him to the parlour.

Are you sure you are allergic to all dog hair? can it be kept under control at all?

suki1964

A labradoodle is a mongrel, you really want to pay big money for a cross-breed? Theres no standard so you really could be buying anything - with the health risks that come with that.

You need to find out if you really are allergic to dogs. Sounds to me you are allergic to dander seeing as you are allergic to cats and the spaniel. Im also allergic to dander and I cant groom my cocker spaniel but have no problems with the springer (they have a different coat so no dander). If it is dander you are allergic to them there are a whole world of dogs open to you - any single coated dogs, weimers, boxers, greyhounds etc

likabu_2

A labradoodle is not a mongrel but is a crossbreed.

A mongrel is a dog of unknown parentage - http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/cgi-bin/search.cgi?qt=mongrel

Sorry to be pedantic, I can't help it!

Lisa

ps - agree with everything else suki1964 mentions.

ells2123

Hello,

We have a lovely (and rather cheeky) Labradoodle puppy called Charlie. A lot of my OH's family are allergic to cats and dogs, they certainly don't have as servere an allergy to Charlie, although he does sometimes get to his sister.

Charlie is only a first generation (i.e. a standard poodle and a labradoor) however i have been told that second generations (the offspring of two labradoodles?) are even less likely to mault and are more hypoallergenic.

As a breed i would certainly recommend them, Charlie has a lovley nature and all he ever wants is to be around you. Mongrel or not - i won't enter that debate! - we would never look back on choosing a Labradoodle.

HTH

Bromley86

On the allergy front. Like you, I'm allergic to cats and, as I was brought up with dogs with no problems, was surprised to find that I'm allergic to dogs as well.

When we got our lab I spent the first month on hayfever tablets, but since then I've desensitised. If you're an asthmatic you may find, as I do, that taking the preventer medicine regularily also helps.

So if you do end up with a shedding doodle it's not a foregone conclusion that you'll spend the rest of your days snivelling.

Sallys_Savings

Our last dog was a Spoodle
A Springer spaniel crossed with a poodle (she looked like a springer spaniel but with wavy/curly hair), and she didnt shed much at all. When she did shed it tended to be in clumps, so quite easy to pick up.

scrimpingbadger

I had another quick look into on the web and according to wikipedia there's a whole list of single coated dogs available. Now quite excited!! Thanks for all the input. Looks like my son will get himself a doggy chum after all!

RooBee

ALL dogs produce dander, regardless of coat type. Dander is made up of dead skin cells, saliva particles and a whole host of other stuff but I don't want to put anyone off their tea

I am allergic to cats and certain dogs. There appears to be no set breed/coat type that causes me to react....most recently a black Labrador and a Border Collie which are both breeds my family have owned and I had no problems with our own dogs. I live happily and mostly symptom free with two extremely hairy dogs.

As has been stated, Labradoodles are a crossbreed with a silly name and inflated price tag, nothing more in the majority of cases. You could easily find a well bred Labrador or Poodle for less than a cross of the two costs in most cases. Contrary to popular belief, they do shed to some extent (F1s (Lab X Poodle) are least likely to shed (a proportion will still shed), each generation of Labradoodle X Labradoodle bred thereafter will all shed to some degree. You simply cannot cross a shedding breed with a non shedding breed to produce a breed that will be 100% non shedding. They are also not any less likely to cause allergy than any 'proper' non-shedding breed. Also, with cross breeds you don;t know what you'll get looks-wise as every puppy in a litter inherits different characteristics from the parents in different measures. Same goes for a pure bred litter of course except that the look is predictable as the parents are at least the same breed and should look similar to begin with.

Labradoodles are generally bred to feed a trend and line unscrupulous breeders' pockets. You will struggle to find a breeder who carries out the relevant health tests for each breed yet both are known to have hereditary hip and eye problems and should be tested with satisfactory results before breeding. Labs should also be elbow scored afaik.

Poodles, particularly Standard ones, are not 'girly' and don't have to be kept in the traditional poodle clip. There are two at the training class I attend, one in show clip and one that is just kept trimmed the same length all over (is it called a lamb clip?). I much prefer the latter although both are lovely dogs with cracking personalities.

There are many non-shedding & low shedding breeds available in all shapes and sizes without gambling your cash on a random cross breed of unknown health and temperament. The following list is taken from the Kennel Club website. Plenty of choice (and some fab dogs) there...

Gundog Group

• Lagotto Romagnolo
• Irish Water Spaniel
• Spanish Water Dog

Working Group

• Bouvier des Flandres
• Giant Schnauzer
• Portuguese Water Dog
• Russian Black Terrier

Pastoral Group

• Hungarian Puli
• Komondor

Toy Group

• Bichon Frise
• Bolognese
• Chinese Crested
• Coton de Tulear
• Havanese
• Maltese
• Yorkshire Terrier

Utility Group

• Lhasa Apso
• Mexican Hairless
• Miniature Schnauzer
• Standard Poodle
• Toy Poodle
• Miniature Poodle
• Shih Tzu
• Tibetan Terrier

Terrier Group

• Bedlington Terrier
• Dandie Dinmont Terrier
• Glen of Imaal Terrier
• Sealyham Terrier
• Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

And before anyone jumps on me for being anti-crossbreed or pro-pedigree, the very large crossbreed and even larger pedigree currently lounging on my sofas would beg to differ

The good news for allergy sufferers is that I,and several other pet owing allergy sufferers that I know, have all experienced a development of tolerance towards our animals. Our allergies have flared at the introduction of a new dog to the household but settle down over the course of several weeks with constant exposure. The symptoms in the initial introduction period can be controlled with anti-histamines, nasal sprays, lots of hand washing etc although this really isn't an option when dealing with toddlers/children with allergies. There is also a product called Petal Cleanse available ( http://www.petremedies.co.uk/ALLERGY-RELIEF/c-1-54/?gclid=CKWH-9-M7I8CFScXagod-wMPKw) which works well for some but not at all for others.

If you do decide on a dog, regardless of breed, you should arrange to spend time with a breeder of the chosen breed to see if the dogs are likely to cause a problem. Most breeders will be happy to facilitate this as they would rather find this out before homing a puppy to you than risk unsettling a pup by having it returned if the problem with allergies turns out to be insurmountable. Breed Clubs (details at bottom of each breed standard on Kennel Club Website: http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk ) will be able to put you in touch with breeders in your area.

Or there's always the rescue centres...a gamble but no more so than any crossbreed

LuciferTDark

I have a Shih Tzu & they never shed fur so she's cut every 3 months, the only bits left with longish fur are her ears & tail. Can you picture a 6ft bloke walking down the road with an ankle high ball of fur on a lead that's me

Sagz_2

Whichever you decide on - breed, crossbreed, or mongrel - please remember that there will probably be a dog or puppy that suits you in a Rescue Centre somewhere. The Kennel Club can put you in touch with the Breed Resuces or you could try Dogs Trust, or one of the other rescue groups.

I hope you find a new doggy friend soon

A Dog Is For Life... Not Just For Christmas!