this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2025
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Science Memes

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submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

The guy originally bred them as a hypoallergenic guide dog, and then they exploded in popularity.

The article basically paints the picture that the original guy bred them the right way (I don't see how), but since then a bunch of unscrupulous breeders and puppy mills have turned two smart, somewhat inherently well behaved, breeds: labs and poodles, to a breed that is more chaotic and dependent (again, I don't see how that's any different from what he did or what most dogs are like).

The article isn't exactly well written or researched. It mostly just quotes him and throws in a couple quotes from Kennel Associations and Facebook pages. Provides no information on where this fits in the wider context of dog breeding.

Honestly, to me it sounds like an uptight dog breeder whose mad that their breed, that is technically a mutt and not recognized as a distinct breed, is the most popular thing they'll ever do in their life.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The article basically paints the picture that the original guy bred them the right way (I don't see how),

Speculation, but couldn't he have selectively bred only the smartest, well behaved offspring, while breeders looking to make a quick buck might just breed make as many as possible without regard to temperament?

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 day ago

“Backyard breeders” tend to breed for looks, so he “created” a great breed that happened to be fucking adorable and then people started targeting the adorable without as much care for the temperament.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I mean possibly, the article describes him trying to train standard poodles as guide dogs for years without success, and then he crossed one of them with his boss' lab. So like, I'm sure they were probably good god that he used, but it wasn't exactly a calculated science.

But also, isn't that what unscrupulous breeders are going to do anyways? Like I don't see how this breed makes puppy mills better or worse, it seems like it would just change the breeds they target.