CANINE CORNER WITH REBECCA HAWKINS
THE HISTORY OF THE DOODLE
The beloved poodle crossbreed was originally interwoven with careful breeding practices and vision of many passionate individuals. Although the poodle mix began its booming popularity in the 80’s and 90’s it was actually a concept created as far back as the 1600’s. Some of the earliest poodle crosses included the ‘Pudlepointer’ and Barbet. (In April 2018, the Barbet became the 220th breed recognised by The Kennel Club of the UK)
Their more recent popularity came about in the 1960s where Monica Dickens, the great-granddaughter of the classic author Charles, bred Goldendoodles to provide guide dogs for people with dog allergies.
These last few decades the hybrid poodle mixes or “designer dogs” as they were nicknamed in the 80’s and 90’s quickly sprang into a sort of “doodle boom” with a seemingly endless amount of different types of doodles. Combining the poodle’s perceived hypoallergenic traits along with its intelligence with traits from some of the world’s popular dog breeds has made doodles a new favourite among dog lovers. Unfortunately, this increase in popularity also means that there are a lot more disreputable breeders out there trying to cash in on these mixes while neglecting the health and safety of the dogs they’re breeding. For this reason, it is imperative that you research the breeder well and make sure they are checking the backgrounds of the dogs they are breeding to ensure the linage is as problem free as it can be.
You may have heard that heard of poodles being hypoallergenic or non-shedding dog breed, but this is a bit of a misconception. Although poodles are considered to be a low-shedding breed compared to say, a golden retriever or Labrador they do still shed. It is important to remember that some mixes take on the explosive shedding of the other breed. With regards to the hypoallergenic side, poodles contain higher levels of the dog allergen “Canister familiaris allergen 1” compared to breeds labeled as non-hypoallergenic. So, for allergy sufferers who still want a dog, doodles can often be a better choice.
There are now many popular poodle mix breeds, some of the most well-known ones include;
- Labradoodle - (Labrador Retriever x Poodle)
- Goldendoodle - (Golden Retriever x Poodle)
- Cockapoo - (Cocker Spaniel x Poodle)
- Maltipoo - (Maltese x Poodle)
- Schnoodle - (Schnauzer x Poodle)
- Cavapoo - (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel x Poodle)
- Yorkipoo - (Yorkshire Terrier x Poodle)
- Pomapoo - (Pomeranian x Poodle)
- Bernedoodle (Bernese Mountain Dog x Poodle)
- Shitpoo 😳 - (Shitzu x Poodle)
As of now, the UK Kennel Club does not recognise poodle mix dog as a breed but it does have a system for registering mixed breed dogs. The kennel Club’s Activity Register is open to all dogs that are not eligible for registration on its Breed Register.
This includes crossbreed and mixed dogs and allows owners to enter their dogs to participate in various activities and competitions.