This is a Club statement regarding Poodle Crosses
Labradoodles & other Poodle Crosses.
Outrage, hardly describes the fury felt by both genuine Labrador enthusiasts and the Standard Poodle devotees in regards to the promotion of the crossing of these two breeds.
The outrageous statement by Peter Purves, broadcast to millions of viewers in many countries of the world, that the Kennel Club were about to recognise these mongrels as a breed has not helped. It is certainly not true.
At the AGM of the Standard Poodle Club, many breeders and enthusiasts showed deep concern about the amount of requests for stud dogs they were receiving by Labrador owners and other breeds following this statement, and a much-prettied article in a magazine on mix-mating the Poodle. The ridiculous idea that diseases were halved by such random cross breeding, by non-other than a vet, has caused much confusion! What about the diseases Poodles don’t have but the other breed does? Let alone the total misconception that all first crosses would have no health problems and no allergic reactions!
Most cross breeding is done for the fun of it, or to own something different, whipped up by thoughtless media coverage and not helped by wrongful or naïve broadcasting. Hence, our rescue is already being asked to home some Labradoodles, which are in fact, mongrels..
But at least we have it from the Kennel Club that they ‘emphatically deny’ that it is to register the Labradoodle as a breed, as well as expressing the concern that irresponsible breeders were charging large sums of money for what is essentially a mongrel.
Okay, this crossing of breeds is how many, if not all, present day breeds originated, but has the years in between, where breeders and devotees of dogs have strived to perfect and enhance a breed, all been a complete waste of time? Should we, instead, have just thrown up a handful of pedigrees and said let’s breed this to that for the hell of it?
Behavioural problems of the Labrador cross Poodle are also being reported from dog training classes. Some, in the second-generation crosses are quite neurotic and difficult to train. And many bear no resemblance to others in the litter. Certainly the coats will not have the anti allergic properties of a pure bred Poodle. The Guide dogs for blind in Australia started crossing to try to breed a dog with the steadiness of the Labrador and the intelligence and non-shedding coat of the Poodle soon found that this ideal does not materialise in practice.
The point of a Breed Club is to protect the breed. That is our aim. We also strive to educate the public about the true Standard Poodle. It has been agreed at our AGM that members, or those causing detriment to the breed by cross breeding with other breeds are not considered suitable for membership, as they do not have the breed at heart.
In order to protect our breed we must seriously consider only selling puppies on a WRITTEN contract, whereby the dogs must be –spayed/neutered, or not bred from without consent of the breeder. Endorsements to pedigrees, even though registered with the Kennel Club, must be put in writing.
We have a very special breed. Please help us protect it.
Eileen Geeson - THE STANDARD POODLE CLUB
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