Some dog hybrids are now being selectively bred. The term designer dogs is often used to refer to these mixes and crosses. The practice causes much controversy; opponents cite the often exorbitant prices charged for what may just be a mutt.

While the trend to produce hybrid or designer dogs is considered new it is, in fact, a continuation of the centuries-old practice of selective breeding. Basically every breed of dog is a "mutt" in the sense that every type of dog was created by interbreeding different types of dogs to produce a breed with a certain set of desirable characteristics. All dog breeds were bred for a particular purpose, usually some form of hunting, herding, or guarding. These tasks have been largely replaced by the need to produce healthy dogs with good temperaments as domestic companions or pets. Breeding two different breeds often allows the best traits of both parents to pass through.

This has resulted in a surge of popularity for certain crosses in which a desirable mix of traits occurs. The Labradoodle, for example, was first bred as an attempt to develop guide dog for visually impaired people with allergies.

Unfortunately, the popularity of hybrids such as "Labradoodles" has resulted in rampant, and often unscrupulous, breeding. The resulting pups do not reliably demonstrate the desirable characteristics, such as a hypo-allergenic coat, that the original breeders were attempting to standardize.

Dog hybrid. (2008, May 25). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:53, June 23, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dog_hybrid&oldid=214834714

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Though not formally recognized as a breed of dog, Cockapoos, a cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle, have been bred since the 1950s. Breeders have taken the best traits of Cocker Spaniels and Poodles and breed them into the Cockapoo. From the Poodle side, the Cockapoo takes intelligence, relatively little dander and an almost non-shedding coat that comes in many colors. From the Cocker side, it takes a sturdy build and friendly and loyal personality.

A crossbreed like the Cockapoo is also less likely to have many of the genetic problems that purebred breeds do (something called hybrid vigor). In fact, other than the normal care for a dog (grooming, cleaning ears, safety, exercise) Cockapoos have no particular health concerns, though it should be noted that without consistent care and cleaning of the ears, Cockapoos can develop ear infections, thanks to long floppy ears from the Cocker Spaniel side.

Cockapoos can live 18-22 years and come in different types: Teacup Toy (height less than 10 inches and weight under 6 pounds), Toy (height 11 to 14 inches, weight under 12 pounds) and Standard (height over 15 inches and weight over 12 pounds).

Since the Cockapoo is a mixed breed dog and there is currently no breed standard, there are variations in the build of the dog ranging from slim to stocky. The Cockapoo can also be bred with three different coats: a tight curly coat, a medium curl and a flat coat. Though different in style and color, all of the coats are less likely to shed, making them a consideration for allergy sufferers. However, Cockapoos, like all dogs, will have dander (though considerably less than other breeds of dog), a potential allergen. The longhaired coat should be trimmed regularly to prevent matting.

Cockapoos enjoy being around people and their intelligence makes them easy to train. Though active dogs, Cockapoos do not require large outdoor spaces to run around in and are good in apartment settings, provided they are walked at least once a day. It is the friendly personality - as well as forgiving nature and loyalty - that makes it an ideal family pet for those with children and other animals. Even when left alone for extended periods of time, Cockapoos are generally not destructive, though can become anxious so crating is recommend if leaving a Cockapoo alone for more than four hors at a time.

There is a website that has great information on Cockapoos and most other breeds of dogs. It has details that pertain to a dog breeds health, grooming, living conditions, best food choices and more, the website is called: Dog And Cat Facts, and can be found at this url: http://www.dogandcatfacts.com

By Robert W. Benjamin

Copyright © 2007

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter, or on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.

Robert W. Benjamin has been in the software business on the internet for over 5 years, and has been producing low-cost software for the past 25+ years. He first released products on the AMIGA and C64 computer systems in the late 1970's-80's.

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If you are like most people hearing the term "labradoodle", you are most likely confused. A labradoodle is a designer-dog resulting from the cross breeding of a labrador retriever and a standard poodle (crossbred dogs are often referred to as designer-dogs.) The labradoodle originated in Australia several years ago where they quickly discovered the potential to use labradoodles as service dogs.

Labradoodles have a loving and affectionate temperment. They appreciate affection and bond well with their families. They are very intelligent and tend to be quite active as well. They can become bored with repetition and enjoy alternating activities.

Labradoodles typically have curly coats but can have the straight coat of a labrador. Since labradoodles have minimal shedding they are extremely attractive to those who suffer from pet allergies. There have been claims that labradoodles do not have the typical doggie body odor.

Australian labradoodles are a multi generational cross that are typically 25% labrador retriever and 75% standard poodle. This proportion seems to guarantee non-shedding. American labradoodle breeders vary the percentages; a 50% mix puppy may shed and as such they are not the best choice for people with severe allergies.

Labradoodle puppies are selling from anywhere between $100 and $1500 depending on the standards of the breeder. Multi-generational cross puppies with health guarantees seem to sell for more than a 50% first generation litter.

Labradoodles can have the same genetic medical problems of the standard poodle and Labrador retriever, such as eye and hip problems. People shopping for a labradoodle puppy need to be careful, as with any breed, check references, view the parents of the litter, and ask for a written health guarantee.

CS Swarens is the president of Find Classifieds Online Inc. and Find a Pet Online. 800 998-7065

For additional information on dogs, cats, birds, horses, and exotic pets visit the internets pet resource http://www.findapetonline.com

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Are you ready for something small, fun and furry in your family? No, we're not talking about a set of furry slippers, but we are talking about the cuddly Puggle. What's a Puggle you ask? It is one of the most interesting and loving puppies you can find in the world today.

A puggle is a high bred "designer" dog that has quickly become the most popular of dogs in the "designer" class. When you do a search on Google you will find thousands of pages that will tell you anything you want to know about this precious puppy.

Puggles are a cross between a beagle and a pug and they have been bred in the United States. Although they are not a recognized breed yet the purebred of this hybrid is considered to be a dog that has a pure bred beagle mother and a pure bred pug father. By bringing these two breeds together, you have several characteristics from both dogs.

Puggles love affection and they have a calm temperament which makes them an ideal puppy for children and other pets in the home. They are small enough to carry around and to sit you your lap.

Puggle Puppies have the wrinkled faces of the pug and droopy ears of the beagle. They also have short hair so they require little grooming. They also tend to be short and stocky in appearance. As puppies, they tend to be fast, want to play a lot and have incredible energy. They are also very intelligent and prone to mischief so you want to train them right from the start.

If you are convinced that you want to find a puggle puppy to bring into your family, there are several ways to do it. Check with your local animal shelter. They often have dogs come in that other people have left for adoption and they may have just the puppy you want. If they don't have one right away, they may save your name on a list until one comes in.

Some people find them in pet stores, but you may not know what you are getting if you go there. Also, they are generally much higher in price than buying from a breeder. If you want to purchase puggle puppies from a breeder, make sure the breeder is reputable, and ask about the genetic history which a reputable breeder will be able to tell. You will pay between $250 to about $750 if you purchase one from a breeder.

Remember though that puggles are dogs and they will have doggie behavior. Some will howl like the beagle and some will bark quietly. They each have their own personality and they will adapt their style to most environments.

Puggle puppies can make the best friends and you can even dress them up. They don't care what you do as long as you treat them well, give them plenty of exercise and hug them a lot everyday.

Christy Taylor, author, is a proud owner of her own Puggle and is also an in-house Puggles breeder. For more information on Puggles, visit her website at http://www.pugglehugs.com

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Dogs today are very much a part of a family setting. They keep us entertained, put smiles on our faces, they are our children's best friends, they are there for us to talk to when we are lonely and have no one else! They love us unconditionally and bring an abundance of joy and love into a family. There is no question in my mind that since the beginning of time dogs have been know as mans best friend!

Goldendoodles are no exception. A golden doodle is a mix between a golden retriever and a poodle. Breeders is Australia started breeding this cross in the mid 1980's and breeders in north America have been breeding them since the mid 1990's. They where first bred in Australia as guide dogs for people needing a larger, allergy friendly dog!

Goldendoodles are amazing, healthy, family dogs for so many reasons!

First of all the mix between a poodle and retriever gives the doodle a quality known as "hybrid vigor" (the offspring of genetically dissimilar parents) which means mix breed dogs are usually healthier and live longer then purebreds. This is because most genetic traits are recessive. Golden's and poodles don't have a lot of diseases in common so if both parents don't carry a particular trait for a certain disease the pups can't get it. This is the reason many mix breed dogs including the goldendoodle are healthier then purebreds. You still have to choose your breeder carefully and make sure they are performing all the required health testing, temperament testing and researching the lines thoroughly before they are breeding their dogs but in general mix breeds are genetically more sound!

Goldendoodles also possess many qualities of both the poodle and golden. Most goldendoodles are friendly, highly intelligent, goofy dogs who love to be part of the family. They love to swim, play fetch and interact with people. They are very social dogs and love to be active and have fun. I have donated dogs as therapy and service dogs and the doodle excels at this type of work! As a breeder I hear 100's of stories about how smart these dogs are and how they are at the top of their puppy class and how they are the best dogs my clients have every owned

Most doodles have a very low to non-shedding coat. This depends on the dog and what type of coat they have. There are 3 different coat types, wool (which is a tight curl and the most hypoallergenic), fleece (which is a wavy and usually still very low shedding and hypoallergenic) and hair (which is straighter and usually sheds the most). An experienced breeder can usually tell when the pups is 6-7 weeks old what type of coat it will have as an adult and the breeder will help you find the right puppy for your needs . Goldendoodles coat will continue to grow and can be between 3-8 inches if not clipped. A doodle requires regular brushing or they will mat and should go to the groomer for a clip every 4 months or so!

Goldendoodles also come in many colors and sizes depending on the poodle used. At our kennel we breed blonde, golden, apricot, red, black, silver and phantom doodles. We also have 3 different sizes, standards (any thing above 21" and 50lbs and up), mini's (13" to 20" and 25-49lbs) and tiny's (12" or less 10-24lbs).

Their life expectancy is usually about 12-15 years for the standards and 14-17 years for mini's.
Doodles also come in many different generations and depending on what you are looking for one generation may be better then another. F1's are a purebred golden mixed with a purebred poodle. This generation is usually the healthiest and posses the greatest amount of the "hybrid vigor" traits. F1b is a backcross and is a goldendoodle bred back to a poodle. These types of goldendoodles are usually best for people with severe allergies since the f1b usually has a curlier coat then an f1 (please note this isn't always the case and your breeder will be able to help you with this). F2 is a goldendoodle bred back to a goldendoodle. Pups in a litter of f2's tend to not sway as much in one direction or another. They seem to be a good mix between both the golden and the poodle (sometimes but not always in a f1 litter some pups will sway more towards a golden, some more towards a poodle and some will be inbetween), f3 (f3 and higher is also known as multi generation) is and f2 golden doodle bred back to an f2 golden doodle and f4 is a f3 golden doodle bred back to an f3 golden doodle. The more you breed them back to one another the more you miss out on the hybrid vigor trait. A 7th generations (f7) goldendoodle is eligible for registration as a purebred (this hasn't been done as far as I know).

As I mentioned before goldendoodles are healthier then most purebred dogs but breeders should still be performing all the testing on the parents. It's better to wait for a good quality pup from a great breeder then to support careless breeders who are just out to breed as many pups as possible without caring about the breed as a whole.

If you buy your golden doodle puppy from an unrepeatable breeder you may end up with many health problems and expensive vet bills.

The website www.goldendoodle-labradoodle.org has some of the top goldendoodle breeders in the world.

Tests required for Breeding of Golden Retrievers

1. Hips (HD) OFA or Pennhip or OVC

2. eyes (CERF) Required Yearly

3. Hearts......tested and certified by OFA

4. Elbows (OFA)

Tests required for the Breeding of Standard Poodles

1. Hips (HD) OFA or Pennhip or OVC

2. elbows OFA

3. Eyes (CERF) Required Yearly

4. Von Willebrands (vWd) (bleeding disorder) DNA or Blood screen

5. Sebaceous Adenitis (SA) Skin Disorder

* Thyroid malfunctions - Not Required but a highly recommended test for all breeding dogs.

Tests required for breeding of Miniature and Toy Poodles.

1. Hips for HD and Legg-Perves Disease OFA, Penn hip or OVC

2. Stifles for Luxating Patella's

3. Eyes (CERF) Required Yearly

4. Von Willebrands Disease (vWd) DNA or Blood screen
* Thyroid malfunctions - Not Required but a highly recommended test for all breeding dogs

I have given you a brief description of the doodle. If you have more questions about this breed you are more then welcome to visit my website. These dogs are becoming very popular and there is no question in my mind why this is. They are amazing with kids and can live in almost any type of environment. The best way to describe these amazing dogs are "Little people in fur coats"

Sherry Rupke is a vet tech, and has received many years of training on proper care of dogs and other animals. She was raised on a farm and has been interested in caring for animals since she was a child. Sherry has been breeding dogs for over 8 years, and has built an outstanding reputation in the goldendoodle community, visit Goldendoodles website http://www.swissridgegoldendoodles.com

Please visit us here if you are interested in http://www.minigoldendoodles.jeremyinc.com Miniature goldendoodles

also if you are interested in Bernese Mountain dogs check out Sherry's mothers site http://www.bernesemountaindogpuppies.ca/ Bernese mountain dogs

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