5 Reasons to Never Buy a Goldendoodle, Labradoodle, or Any Other Dog

“How much does it cost to buy a doodle?” Learn why you should never buy a Goldendoodle, Labradoole, Bernedoodle, or any other dog.

What Is a Doodle?

The term “doodles” refers to any dog who is a poodle mix, although some mixes are nicknamed with a “poo” ending instead, such as Cockapoo and Maltipoo. Some of the most exploited poodle mixes include:

• Goldendoodle (Golden retriever + poodle)
• Labradoodle (Labrador retriever + poodle)
• Bernedoodle (Bernese mountain dog + poodle)
• Aussiedoodle (Australian shepherd + poodle)
• Maltipoo (Maltese + poodle)
• Cockapoo (Cocker Spaniel + poodle)
• Cavapoo (Cavalier King Charles spaniel + poodle)
• Yorkipoo (Yorkshire terrier + poodle)

Doodle breeders claim the dogs are “hypoallergenic,” “purebred,” or “ethical,” and use other buzzwords to trick people into buying them, despite none of their claims being true.

The real cost of buying a doodle often comes at the dog’s expense. Behind every “doodle for sale” ad is suffering. The breeding industry focuses on profit, costing mother dogs and their puppies a lifetime of suffering.

Should I Buy a Doodle? 5 Reasons Not to

1. Doodles Are Prone to Health Issues

Because doodles are a mix of two or more dog breeds who often suffer from severe genetic diseases, they frequently inherit health issues. What health issues do doodles often suffer from?

• Goldendoodles and Labradoodles can inherit painful hip and elbow dysplasia from both parents.
• Bernedoodles are prone to progressive retinal atrophy, which often causes blindness, heart disease, and many joint problems, common in Bernese mountain dogs.
• All doodles risk chronic ear infections, allergies, skin conditions, and eye disorders.

2.  Sellers Claim Doodles Are “Hypoallergenic” or “Purebred” When They’re Not

Many breeders use nonsensical jargon to make their puppies sound special. For example, the term “F1 mini Goldendoodle” just means the puppy’s parents were a golden retriever and a miniature poodle instead of other doodles. Breeders call this a “purebred doodle”—a made-up label designed to trick people into spending more money. The term “doodle” indicates that a poodle was bred with another type of dog, resulting in a dog who is by definition mixed-breed. Mutts with parents of different breeds are just as worthy of love as dogs whose parents are the same type, but it seems pretty deceptive to label them something they’re not for the sake of making more money off them.  

Many doodle breeders also claim to sell “hypoallergenic” dogs, but there’s really no such thing. The proteins that trigger allergies aren’t only in fur, but in all dogs’ saliva, dander, and urine.

3. Doodles Often Suffer From Painful Matting

Doodles are known for coats that tangle quickly. Why are doodles so prone to matting? Dogs with a double coat (e.g., Golden Retrievers, Bernese Mountain Dogs, etc.) have two distinct layers of fur—one that is soft and provides insulation, and a coarse, thick outer coat. When poodle mixes inherit a double coat from the non-poodle parent, both layers of fur are often coarse and curly, tangling together as the dog moves throughout the day. If doodle guardians don’t thoroughly brush them every day, the tangles can quickly mat. If left matted, the knots can cause extreme discomfort and even lead to infections, especially when they are tight enough to tear the skin and create open wounds. Matted fur can also become saturated in the dog’s own waste, and hide underlying problems like poor body condition and injuries.  

4. If You Buy a Doodle, You’re Supporting the Breeding Industry

Anyone who allows dogs to reproduce to make a profit is a breeder. Some may be small-time “backyard” operations, whereas others are industrial-sized puppy mills. Regardless of size, every breeder is harming animals. Even the “creator” of Labradoodles admits he made a colossal mistake, partially because of how the dogs are being exploited.

“I realized the reason for these unethical, ruthless people [was] to breed these dogs and sell them for big bucks … I opened a Pandora’s box and released a Frankenstein’s monster,” Wally Conron, creator of the Labradoodle

Female dogs used for breeding often suffer the most. They’re forced into pregnancy again and again, kept in cramped cages or kennels or even chained outside, denied proper care, and then discarded when they’re no longer profitable. Mothers and their puppies often suffer from malnutrition, exposure to all weather extremes and/or improper ventilation, and a lack of adequate veterinary care. Puppies are often prematurely separated from their mothers and deprived of the gentle handling and positive experiences required to help socialize them to humans from an early age. Dogs born into this type of environment—experiencing significant stress beginning in the womb—often develop behavioral problems later in life that many guardians are unable or unwilling to tolerate, leading some to resort to abusive training methods that only exacerbate the problem or to relinquish their dog to a shelter.

5. Buying a Doodle Contributes to the Animal Overpopulation Crisis

There’s no excuse for bringing more puppies into the world. On any given day in the U.S., millions of homeless dogs and cats are struggling to survive. Of the millions who enter shelters each year, about half must be euthanized for humane reasons, including because no suitable homes exist for them. Every time a dog is bred, a homeless dog waiting in a shelter loses a chance at a family.

How You Can Help: Never Buy a Doodle or Any Other Dog

In light of all the suffering caused by breeding dogs like doodles, why do breeders keep doing it? Because misinformed people keep buying them. As long as there are people willing to buy them, breeders will keep forcing more puppies into the world—regardless of how much suffering it causes. So tell everyone you know: NEVER BUY A DOG!

If you have the time, patience, and financial ability to care for a dog for life (which could be 15 years or more), please adopt from a shelter. Millions of dogs—including purebred poodles and poodle mixes—sit in shelters across the U.S. right now.

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