Brown.Eyed.Girl
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2008
- Messages
- 6,893
Date: 11/26/2009 9:57:26 AM
Author: AmberGretchen
Hi Lynn! I just wanted to chime in and say how wonderful I think it is that your friend is considering adoption - I''ve worked with many of the breeds mentioned here, and as many people have correctly noted, the personality depends heavily on the individual dog, environment at home, and training. Of the breeds mentioned, my personal experience as a volunteer trainer has been best with Maltese - in my experience, they tend to be a little brighter and much easier to train than some of the terrier-type breeds, especially Yorkies. Small Poodles can also be delightful to train.
I also wanted to chime in to correct the misinformation above. I''ve written at length about this before on PS, so I will try to be brief here, but I think its important that folks know that NO DOG (especially a mixed breed) CAN BE GUARANTEED HYPOALLERGENIC. Allergies just don''t work that way. In fact, by definition, all Maltese-Poodle crosses, Yorkie-Poodle crosses, and whatever other ''designer breed'' dogs that are out there are a complete roll of the dice for each individual dog on what they will turn out like. Yes, both Poodles and Maltese are generally less allergenic than many other breeds, but a Maltese-Poodle cross could come out with anything in between the two, and similarly with a Yorkie-Poodle cross.
Also, calling these dogs ''Maltipoos'' or ''Yorkiepoos'' perpetuates the myth that these dogs can be bred responsibly, when, by definition, they can''t because no reputable breeder would ever cross their breed with another, so you are breeding bad examples of both breeds, and genetics dictates that each puppy is likely to be a completely different mix of the parents - could have all the good qualities of both breeds but could also have all the bad. Then these so-called ''designer breeds'' are sold for outrageous prices in pet stores, while IDENTICAL mixes are put to sleep in shelters all over the country every day.
Anyway, sorry Lynn, I don''t mean to threadjack, and I wish your friend the best of luck in her doggie search - there are some wonderful options out there, and I''m sure she''ll find her perfect lap warmer soon. Also, bless her for wanting to go the rescue route and save a doggie
Oops didn''t meant to imply that cross-breeds would be allergen-free. I was being lazy when I typed "hypoallergenic." I believe some of the cross-breeds are non-shedding, which helps reduce the amount of allergens that are spread? I''m not entirely sure since I haven''t looked closely into those breeds, but that''s what I''ve read.
Non-shedding breeds are great, though of course, by no means is it a deciding factor (we just got a Papillon - definitely NOT a non-shedding breed!).
But Amber, these dogs ARE billed as Maltipoos, Yorkipoos, etc. (though there are so many X-breed-poos out there now that it''s gotten a bit ridiculous). If there ARE breeders out there who are committed to breeding a new type of dog that has the best attributes of two different breeds (especially healthwise) then I commend them. There may very well be such breeders out there.
I do agree with Amber that pet stores are not the way to go (I''m actually shocked at how much pet stores charge - some nearly as much as a good breeder - for an animal that could very well have come from a puppy mill). Lynn, if your friend chooses not to go the adoption route, please ask her to do the research and find a reputable breeder and not go to a pet store.
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