Poodle hybrid

Adult, Female Lhasa poo

Twelve week old Cockapoo puppy.

A Wheaten Terrier–Poodle hybrid, commonly known as a Whoodle.

A 4 year old Labradoodle.

Poodle hybrid describes a cross between a purebred poodle and a dog of another purebred dog breed. They may be described as a crossbred, mixed breed dog, or designer dog. In biological terms, poodle hybrids are an intraspecies hybrid, rather than a hybrid between two different species, since all dog breeds belong to the species Canis lupus familiaris.

While some crosses are accidental, many crosses are intentionally bred. Among reputable breeders, cross breeding is an attempt to breed dogs with positive charateristics of two recognized breeds. For example, the Labradoodle was originally bred in an attempt to create a dog with a Labrador temperament and a hypoallergenic Poodle coat. The intent was to create guide dogs for people with allergies. However - as with all crosses - only some puppies from cross breeding of two purebreds will inerit both desired traits, some will inherit one trait, and some neither. Even when crossbreed dogs manifest dominant traits, these dogs may not pass on the desired traits to offspring.

While cross breeding does not guarantee better health, hybrids may have far lower chances of expressing disorders associated with the parent breeds.^[1]

Portmanteau names

Many terms for puppies of specific crosses with poodles have been invented, combining syllables or sounds from each breed name to create a portmanteau word. Usually the first syllable of poo-dle is appended to the breed name of the second breed in the cross. Other names are created by adding the sound "oodle" (from poodle) to the other breed name. Many crosses can be described by more than one portmanteau word; since they are not breeds, any portmanteau word the owner or breeder wishes may be used. Some of the portmanteau word names that describe poodle crosses have moved into popular usage; the words Labradoodle (poodle-Labrador retriever cross) and cockapoo (poodle-cocker spaniel cross) are now listed in the Oxford English Dictionary.^[2]

Registration

Legitimate breed associations such as the AKC, the UKC, and the CKC, do not recognize this hybrid, or any other designer cross, as a breed. However, some major kennel clubs do accept registration of crossbreed and mixed-breed dogs for performance events such as agility and obedience. As with many other designer crosses, the popularity of poodle hybrids has led to a rise in puppy mills selling these cross breeds.

See also

• Cockapoo
• Crossbreed
• Dog breeding
• Goldendoodle
• Labradoodle
• Schnoodle
• Yorkipoo
• Poodle
• List of dog hybrids

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Poodle hybrid

• Article by Melissa Gette, What’s The Deal With Hybrid Dogs?
• US Poo-Mix Rescue
• US Doodle Rescue