09/17/2026
Can we have an uncomfortable conversation about doodles?
I know they’re cute.
I know they’re fluffy, funny, affectionate, and that many of you absolutely adore your doodles. ❤️
I’m not questioning the love you have for your dog. But after almost two decades working with dogs professionally, I feel like I need to explain something I see over and over again because I’m seeing far too many doodles with serious health, allergy, temperament, anxiety, and behavioral problems.
I have personally groomed dozens upon dozens of doodles of all different mixes. I have seen dogs with severe allergies and chronic skin problems. Dogs with orthopedic and other health issues. Dogs whose anxiety is so extreme that I cannot safely touch them on a grooming table without taking significant precautions. And heartbreakingly, I have had clients whose doodles have died far younger than anyone ever expected.
That doesn’t mean every doodle is unhealthy.
It doesn’t mean every doodle breeder is irresponsible.
And it certainly doesn’t mean your individual doodle isn’t an incredible dog.
But we need to talk about how these dogs are being produced.
Take a Goldendoodle as an example.
You are combining a Golden Retriever with a Poodle.
A genuinely responsible purebred breeder generally spends years working with a breed, learning its genetics, structure, temperament and health concerns. They health test breeding dogs, research pedigrees, evaluate temperament and structure, and make breeding decisions specifically intended to produce healthier, stable dogs that meet the goals of their breeding program.
Good breeders don’t simply breed every dog they own.
If a dog develops a serious hereditary problem, fails an important health screening, has an unsuitable temperament, or carries a genetic condition that makes breeding inappropriate, a responsible breeder may remove that dog from their breeding program, even after investing enormous amounts of time and money into it.
That’s the part I think prospective doodle owners often don’t realize.
When you buy a carefully bred purebred dog, you’re often buying generations of selection, testing, record keeping and knowledge.
When two breeds are intentionally crossed, the resulting puppy isn’t automatically healthier simply because it is a mix.
In fact, crossing breeds can introduce health risks from both sides of the pedigree. Hybrid vigor is real in some circumstances, but it isn’t a magic shield against inherited disease.
And here’s where things get really important.
A dog being a doodle tells you almost nothing about the quality of the breeding behind it.
Was the Poodle health tested?
Was the Golden Retriever health tested?
Were hips and elbows evaluated?
Were the appropriate genetic tests performed?
What about cardiac health?
What about eyes?
What about the temperament of the parents?
What does the pedigree look like?
What happens when a puppy develops a serious hereditary problem?
And perhaps most importantly, who made the decision to breed those particular dogs together, and why?
There are absolutely ethical, health conscious breeders producing mixed breed dogs. This isn’t an argument that every mixed breed dog is poorly bred.
My concern is with an industry where the appearance and marketing of the puppy can become more important than the quality of the genetics going into it.
I’ve seen doodles sold for astonishing amounts of money while coming from breeding programs where the level of health testing and selection simply doesn’t appear to match the price tag.
Some come from loving homes.
Some come from backyard breeders.
Some come through large scale commercial operations.
And increasingly, I’m seeing puppies being sold through brokers, where the person buying the puppy may have very little understanding of where that puppy actually originated.
A puppy can arrive clean, fluffy, groomed, photographed beautifully and presented as a luxury product.
But you can’t shampoo away poor genetics.
You can’t groom away structural problems.
You can’t put a bow around anxiety.
And you can’t see a genetic disease simply by looking at an adorable eight week old puppy.
Think about it like buying a car.
Someone tells you:
“It’s brand new!”
But when you look underneath, you discover that nobody can tell you where the parts came from, whether they were tested, whether they’re compatible, or whether the same parts have been failing repeatedly in previous vehicles.
You wouldn’t pay three times the price for that car simply because it looked beautiful sitting on the lot.
Yet people are routinely paying enormous amounts of money for designer puppies based primarily on how cute they are.
And that’s the part that concerns me.
Because the consequences aren’t just financial.
They can mean years of veterinary bills.
Years of allergies and medications.
Behavioral and anxiety problems.
Orthopedic problems.
Heart problems.
And sometimes, tragically, losing your dog far earlier than you ever imagined.
Of course, even the most responsible breeder cannot guarantee a perfectly healthy dog.
Biology doesn’t work that way.
Dogs are living creatures. Genetic mutations happen. Diseases occur. Sometimes you can do everything right and still end up with a heartbreaking diagnosis.
That’s life.
But deliberately breeding dogs when there is known information indicating an increased risk of hereditary disease is a completely different conversation.
So before you spend thousands of dollars on your next puppy, please don’t just ask:
“Is it cute?”
Don’t just ask:
“Is it a doodle?”
Don’t let the words “hypoallergenic,” “designer,” “rare,” or “family raised” make the decision for you.
Ask:
Who are the parents?
What health testing has actually been done?
Can I see the results?
What hereditary conditions are present in these lines?
What happens if this puppy develops a genetic disease?
Why were these particular dogs bred together?
Can I meet the parents?
Can I see previous generations and their health history?
And if the breeder can’t answer those questions, walk away, no matter how adorable the puppy is.
We need to stop treating dogs like fashion accessories and start treating breeding like the serious responsibility it is.
Because behind every adorable puppy is a living animal who may spend the next 10, 12, 15 years, or hopefully longer, with the consequences of the decisions humans made before they were even born.
Love the dog you have. ❤️
But if you’re considering buying your next dog, please love the dog you haven’t met yet enough to investigate where it came from.
