Returning puppy to breeder Has anyone does this?

I had this problem for years when I had cats. Thankfully my neighbour was a cat lover too. She used to bury milk bottles filled with bleach in the ground to deter them but I don’t think it worked. Could you provide a litter tray for your cat? I suppose it’s because the vegetable plot is nicely dug over and is perfect for a cat to use. Are there any plants that cats hate? Is there somewhere in your garden where you could do something similar and put catnip or something in it? Or even say to your neighbour you don’t mind her doing things that will scare your cat away eg water pistols or aerosols. I had a friend who used to shoot at his neighbours cat with an air riffle and couldn’t understand why his neighbour didn’t speak to him. But that cat actually poo’d on the lawn which is even worse than doing it in a flower bed.

I met someone out walking today that had three lovely little King Charles Spaniels. I asked if they were related and she replied that they were all ex breeding bitches. I then asked if they had neurological problems and she said two had neck problems and they all had grade 5 heart murmurs. All were on medication for life. I thanked her for rescuing them and we both agreed that they were a lovely breed of dog and it was awful what had happened to them due to unscrupulous breeders. But it then got me thinking of all of the Cavapoos that people breed/sell and wondered how many of their parents had major health problems.

Dinahmo

Aveline

I'm not a dog owner but are those specific crossbreeds not something to do with poodle fur being non allergenic?

The Australian who originally came up with Labradoodles did so because of allergies. He has since said that he wished he'd never done it because of the indiscriminate breeding that has happened since.

Aveline and Dinahmo

In a way it is good as it enables families with children prone to allergies to have a dog and not all dogs will have health problems or be neurotic. It is essential to buy from a reputable breeder and know the heritage of the parents.

However, these dogs do need to go to the groomers regularly; not shedding also means their fur could get more tangled so they need regular trims and brushing.

There are other pure breeds that don't shed, too.

I don’t think they are necessarily allergy free, either. Doesn’t Chris Packham have poodles because he’s allergic to dogs? I met someone who had a curly coated retriever once who said people bought them because they thought they were allergy free but they aren’t. Constant visits to groomers cost a fortune! I would love a Miniature Schnauzer but couldn’t afford the grooming on top of insurance etc.

I think it's the dander that causes allergies not just the fur so perhaps lower-shedding animals are best.

DD has a dog which sheds fur as it walks no matter how much he's brushed, she's fine with that but very allergic to cats.

You certainly did the right thing but I do wonder why you didn't take an older rescue dog to begin with? Oldies Club have many listings and the three older dogs ( 8,9 and 10) we have had from rescue have been very well behaved and loving from day 1. Older dogs wait for months in rescue sometimes waiting for a new home.

Yes. I was told it was the dander as well.

Such a nice word, dander, for something a bit revolting

It is a weird one. I guess that’s why those horse brushes are called dandy brushes. My current dog had awful puppy dander: something my previous dogs had never had. I wonder if some people have a puppy and find themselves allergic to it without realising that it might go away as the dog gets older. Or perhaps once the allergic reaction kicks in it stays.

I don't know.

We inherited a terrier and he didnt shed although he needed a lot of grooming (I did it myself, no such thing as dog beauty parlours then). He didn't like it, though, and used to try to eat the brush.

We had to regime our puppy after two weeks with a close friend. We have two older dogs and a cat. It was a nightmare. Yes I think I’d forgotten what hard work it would be. It was heartbreaking but 12 months down the line she is happy and well adjusted. We did the right thing.

You made the right decision, and in time for the dog to bond with it's new family.

I feel bad for those dogs that are re-homed at over a year old when their owners realize they are too big and have no manners because they haven't been trained. You sound like a responsible pet owner with experience. Realizing your new dog isn't a good fit early on and acting on it is nothing to be ashamed of. You will eventually find the right put for your family.

There isn’t such a thing as a hypo allergic dog. Poodles come close but as others have said, it can be dander or saliva causing allergies.
Cavapoos, cockapoo and some labradoodles have health or temperament problems. Good breeders work to breed out those problems, by health testing and never breeding from dogs with poor temperament.
Doodles look like Disney designed them. The myths are they’re good for allergies, good with children, don’t shed, easy to train. In reality, you’re lucky if one of those boxes is ticked.

And some labradoodles just grow, grow and keep on growing!

Bluebelle A mongrel dog is a mixture of three breeds or more. A cross bred dog, two breeds only, with both dogs being pedigree. A Springer spaniel deliberately crossed with a labrador for instance, produces an excellent gun dog, and is not a mongrel.

MayBee70

And some labradoodles just grow, grow and keep on growing!

I met one once when I was out walking - it was huge but very lovely.

Aldom, thanks for making that point. I get fed up with the deliberate cross breeds being called mongrels. They aren’t. My labradoodle was 3rd generation doodle, with excellent working lab and standard poodles in her family tree. Her breeder was experienced with working labs. I had a five generation family tree, complete with relevant health checks.
She was a big, powerful dog with a high prey urge, like many labradoodles. Fantastic intelligent, calm, dog. She loved agility and obedience. She was a visitor to residential care homes and was very popular with young people in our hospital for youngsters with m.h problems. Rip my lovely ?

I absolutely fell in love with a golden doodle I saw on the beach . It was years ago but I still think of him: he was so gorgeous and well behaved. I’ve seen several Lancashire Heelers recently. Never saw one before and now I’ve seen three. I said to the second one hello Winston only for his owner to say it isn’t Winston it’s Shandy!

Iam64 My late son's dog was a Springerdor. A gentle, intelligent, kind natured dog. Beloved by us all and sorely missed, as you clearly love and miss your dog.

My experience is that the big labradoodles are generally intelligent, calm dogs that respond well to training. Cockerpoos are more likely to be attention seeking, reactive, needy/separation anxiety and benefit from experienced handlers, or people prepared to commit to training groups.

MayBee70, I grew up with Lancashire healers. A farmer gave one to my dad. A huge personality in a small sturdy body. Years later, my parents got another heeler. We have a couple of Lancashire Heelers round here. Great breed but not as popular these days

I think Heelers might be this years Patterdale. A couple of years ago I saw loads of Patterdale which worried me as they may look cute but you need to know how to handle them. Maybe I have seen them before but hadn’t recognised them as a breed and thought they were some kind of terrier cross. I’m so glad that I now feel safe having socially distanced conversations with people as there’s nothing I like more than chatting to people about their dogs.

The whole breeding for non allergic is a bit of a myth in my opinion.

You CAN get a puppy that has less dander and therefore less likely to cause allergic reaction. But as you cant say what percentage of each breed will be in each pup there is likely to be some that DO have various levels of dander. You've only got to see a whole little of Cookapoos to see the variations in colour , size and dare I say it dander.

If someone took the trouble to test the puppies and then only breed the most non allergenic you might get consistently non allergenic offspring. But the average person breeding the house pet probably wouldn't even consider it.

As an example I bred and showed Bernese Mountain dogs for many year who as a breed had issues with hip dysplasia. Good breeding and great record keeping by the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of GB meant it was a relatively easy process to work out which lines were breeding the issue out.

Nanandgrampy - responsible breeders led to very few/no red cockers with rage syndrome. Apricot cockerpoo are very popular. So many people are hobby breeding, or puppy farming that I’m reading reports of unstable temperaments

I bred a few litters of Blue Roan Cockers and would get people phoning up wanting a golden one even though their previous one had bitten people. I think one in fourteen had to be puts back then because of aggression and that doesn’t include the ones that were nasty but the owners put up with it. I used a stud dog from the breeder I’d had my bitch from and one of the puppies had a congenital problem that the breeder knew about but didn’t tell me. A lot of breeders make money from their stud dogs. I was very naive and bitterly regret breeding from her now. I did the classic thing of breeding from my dog because I wanted to keep one of the puppies.

NanaandGrampy

The whole breeding for non allergic is a bit of a myth in my opinion.

You CAN get a puppy that has less dander and therefore less likely to cause allergic reaction. But as you cant say what percentage of each breed will be in each pup there is likely to be some that DO have various levels of dander. You've only got to see a whole little of Cookapoos to see the variations in colour , size and dare I say it dander.

If someone took the trouble to test the puppies and then only breed the most non allergenic you might get consistently non allergenic offspring. But the average person breeding the house pet probably wouldn't even consider it.

As an example I bred and showed Bernese Mountain dogs for many year who as a breed had issues with hip dysplasia. Good breeding and great record keeping by the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of GB meant it was a relatively easy process to work out which lines were breeding the issue out.

Do you know Gordon Bridges who used to breed Bernese Mountain Dogs and Newfoundland’s? He lived just up the road from me.