Goldendoodles are quickly becoming a very popular dog, and its easy to see why: They are sweet, loving, adorable dogs. However, there are people who do not see Goldendoodles as a dog with that same kind of appeal.
You may be wondering why there are people who don't like Goldendoodles - is their dislike of the crossbreed just because they are something else to hate on, or is there a real reason for this seemingly unfounded aversion?
Irresponsible Breeders
Being a dog breeder, I see a good amount of dislike for dog breeders in general. A surprising phenomena is that doodle breeders are especially disliked.
Because doodles are such a popular crossbreed, many people have noticed this and decide that it looks like an easy way to make some extra money. Besides, who wouldn't want to hang out with puppies all day?
These people fail to research dog breeding. During their breeding process, because of their lack of knowledge, they breed without ensuring that they take care of the details that are incredibly vital to breeding good dogs. These types of breeders are called 'backyard breeders' - someone who breeds dogs for the extra cash.
A good dog breeder wants to breed the best of the best, which means they have a list of requirements that every dog they breed must meet, this list includes health, genetics, structure, temperament and more. A good breeder will also put a lot of time and energy into raising every litter they have, preparing the puppies to be well adjusted, happy dogs; they also educate their puppy families about the breed and turn away anyone who may seem an unfit owner for one of their puppies.
People who do not learn about all these details of breeding and haphazardly cross two dogs together may end up with puppies that have a genetic health defect that will affect the pup in its later life. Also, puppies can have bad temperaments received from their parents, and possibly many other negative traits.
Uninformed breeding is a big trend in the doodle community - crossing two doodles, or a Poodle and a you-name-it breed together because it 'sounds fun' and ending up with puppies that have the traits I mentioned above. There are also many puppy mills who have hopped on the doodle trend. This is one of the reasons there is so much dislike and hate for the crossbreed.
If you are looking for a Goldendoodle, make sure you do all the possible research on your breeder BEFORE placing a deposit or purchasing a puppy. There are plenty of wonderful doodle breeders who put a huge amount of effort into breeding and raising their puppies right, and they would be more than happy to provide you with a puppy.
Doodle Myths
There are a ton of myths about doodles, some you probably have heard, such as they are a hypoallergenic, low energy, low maintenance dog. This not 100% true, while doodles tend to be more hypoallergenic, not all doodles are. In fact, no dog is completely hypoallergenic. What causes people to be allergic to dogs is dander, which is dirt, slobber, and all other kinds of stuff that collects on a dog's hair. Dogs that shed release their dander into the air along with their hair and that is what causes most dog allergies in humans. You can also be allergic to other things that come with a dog, such as their slobber, etc.
Doodles who are fully furnished and have a low shedding gene are highly likely to be more hypoallergenic. However, you can only know if a dog has these traits if they are genetically tested.
Another myth is that doodles are low energy. Doodles are generally very smart dogs, and as such, they need lots of physical and mental stimulation, at least two to three hours per day. And they need a lot of training as a puppy to make sure they are a well behaved adult dog.
All these myths, which are really just a marketing ploy, make people think they are getting their own version of 'Lassie', the perfect dog. People will assume they are getting a low maintenance, low energy, low shedding dog that loves everyone. So, they get a doodle. And when all the things they heard turn out to not be true, either due to a lack of training on their part, or because the breeder did not breed and raise the dog properly, (or both) they generally drop the dog off at the animal shelter, or rehome.
Uninformed doodle owners is another reason that there is a lot of doodle hate. A good amount of uninformed owners drop their doodles off at shelters. The increased amount of doodles in shelters fuels doodle haters against doodle breeders, and owners. For the record - I am not against shelters in any way. Most dogs in shelters are wonderful dogs, and I think that rescuing a dog is a really cool way to become a dog owner.
Uninformed owners who keep the dog and do not train it properly also bring a good deal of negativity. Because the crossbreed that is supposed to be sweet, easy to train and docile is pulling at their leash, barking at people and not at all looking like the adorable puppies you see on the internet. This gives doodles the appearance of being unruly, naughty dogs.
Now this is really not the best reason to hate on doodles, since any breed of dog could behave this way (not to mention people who were not trained well during childhood - I'm sure you can think of someone), or end up in a shelter. Since there is such a surplus of doodles, people find it easy to just blame the surplus on doodles.
If you are looking for a doodle, I would do a whole lot of research on them and make sure they would be a good fit for you before getting one. There may be another dog breed out there that would fit your lifestyle a lot better!
'They are not a real breed'
This is a phrase used by doodle haters I find interesting, 'They are not a real breed!' or 'They are just mutts!'
If you really want to get into it, Golden Retrievers did not start out as a breed either. An English Lord purchased an unregistered yellow retriever from a cobbler in 1865, bred him to a breed of spaniel which is now extinct. And the four females who resulted from that litter are who all Golden Retrievers today can trace their ancestry back to. This is the current theory of how Golden Retrievers came to be.
Another thing to note that dogs were not recognized as different breeds until the later 1800s. At that time, people began comparing their dogs to other people's dogs, and began creating dog shows. The elites were unhappy that many of the 'average' people back then were entering their dogs into the shows the elites entered their own dogs into. So the upper class started creating groups to build standards by which certain breeds would be judged and to define what makes a Cocker Spaniel, a Cocker Spaniel.
This is how most breeds today were created and recognized. Before this time most dogs were bred and characterized by their purpose, such as a hound dog, or a sheepdog. Since then, dogs have been bred and judged by their looks. So, really dog breeds have not been around for more than a few centuries, and most of those breeds were not purebreds until they started defining what is a Papillion and what is not a Papillion.
When someone says that doodles are 'not a breed!' they are really saying that they are not a recognized breed. And even that is changing - there is a registry for Goldendoodles, the Goldendoodle Association of North America, or GANA.
While technically Goldendoodles are not a breed, but a crossbreed, this does not make them any less of a dog (think of the USA - are most people in the USA any less human than someone with all Italian ancestory, or someone of all Indian, Bantu, Yup'ik, Motilone, etc. ancestory?).
I will say that I think some people take doodles too far in crossing poodles with other breeds that are not very compatible with a poodle and do not produce desirable puppies.
Groomers
Groomers are a group of people who dislike doodles. Which, unfortunately, is really the fault of doodle owners.
Goldendoodles do not have fur that sheds, they have hair that grows and needs to be trimmed.
Their hair also mats very easily, and if you do not brush their hair often, they can get very matted. There are doodle owners who do not brush their doodles hair and then their dogs entire body becomes covered in matted hair.
Mats can be very hard to get out and the easiest way to get mats out quickly and without hurting the dog is to shave the dog very short. When an owner brings in a severely matted dog, the groomer does the easiest and best thing for the dog which is, to shave him or her. The owner comes back and does not like how the dog looks, so they get angry with the groomer for something that is really the fault of the owner.
This makes it easy to see why groomers dislike doodles. This can be so bad for some groomers that they start to turn away doodles simply because their owners are too much work. I have heard groomers say that for every well brushed doodle who comes in, they have ten matted doodle clients. Make sure you brush out your doodle every day, and don't be the person who makes groomers hate doodles.
Conclusion
Doodle haters are out there. Some of the reasons for hate are valid, and some are not.
As doodle owners, we must be responsible and not let our doodles become one of the reasons for hate. In the end, doodles are just like any other dog.
While they may be trendy right now, that doesn't mean they are for everyone.
As I have said before, make sure you research doodles thoroughly before purchasing one. Don't buy one just cause you saw a cute video on YouTube, and the same goes for any other breed. Doodles are not a one-size-fits-all dog; no dog breed is.
Goldendoodles are a fun, silly, crossbreed. And if someone doesn't like that, just let them hate, don't be too concerned with it, and live your life with your doodle!