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Saturday, Sep. 12, 2009

The Old Trainer: Labradoodle -- an idea to make a few bucks?

Dear Old Trainer: My family is getting a dog for the first time. The kids and I like the idea of an Australian shepherd, but my wife thinks we should get a Labradoodle. What are your thoughts?

Inquisitive, Palo Alto

A: Anytime The Old Trainer hears the word Labradoodle, Inquisitive, a story about Winston Churchill comes to his mind.

A beautiful socialite named Lady Astor approached Churchill at a party and said, "Winston, I suggest we have a child. Imagine the advantage a child would have with my looks and your brains."

"Of course, my dear," Churchill replied, "but consider the disaster if the child should end up with my looks and your brains."

Lady Astor was as ignorant of the laws of genetics as the clueless folks who think up ideas like the Labradoodle. Those people neither know, nor care, that you cannot expect a crossing of breeds to produce only the good traits of the two breeds.

The Labrador retriever and the Poodle are two excellent breeds, both fully developed for a particular job. Both breeds have problems that crop up in some of the dogs, but both breeds have wonderful personalities and make excellent pets.

So why would anyone try to invent a new dog that is inferior to either breed?

The answer is simple -- they are doing it in an attempt to make a buck. It is a marketing ploy, a genetic stunt.

This is a common theme in the dog marketing business. People who have to sell dogs to make a living are not National Merit Scholars to begin with, and if they hear of a scheme that will make money in the short term, they don't care about the long term.

For some reason, the noble poodle seems to be a favorite target of these people. If you are as old as The Old Trainer, you will remember the fad of miniature poodles, followed by toy poodles, followed by teacup poodles -- and maybe demitasse poodles, for all I know. An entire industry of "poodle groomers" grew up to give the poor dogs clown hair cuts, paint their nails and dye their hair various hues.

The poodle was again the victim of the dog marketing folks when they crossed the poodle with the cocker spaniel, the most popular breed for years, and produced what they called the cockapoo. It made them some money for a short period of time, but ultimately it shredded the reputation of both the poodle and the cocker spaniel. Neither breed has ever been as popular since.

It is an old story. A fad erupts over some particular breed -- Dalmatians after the Disney movie, "101 Dalmatians," became a hit, or Chihuahuas after the fast food ads for a taco chain -- and the script is always the same. Breeders jump in and produce as many dogs as possible. People who have no interest in a dog, but love fads buy the dog. The animal shelters fill up with that breed. And the breeders look for the next fad. There are already many Labradoodles in shelters all over the country.

Breeders tried everything to make the Labradoodle a fad, and they might have succeeded if the president had gotten one. The fact that he did not is probably the best thing that could have happened for the long-term prospects for the Labradoodle.

My advice is, get the Aussie, but if you favor the Labradoodle, contact one of the many hard-working groups rescuing the breed from shelters.

Send questions for The Old Trainer to: theoldtrainer711@yahoo.com.