# Outlawing dog breeds **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 30, 2024, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608 "2024-03-30T16:46:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/181 "2024-04-03T15:14:19Z")
I’m definitely not knowledgeable about pedigrees, registered breeds, and that sort of thing. I just love dogs, and I’ve been surprised by how many poodles I’ve seen. I’ve read that almost half of all dogs in the US are not mixed breeds and thought that meant pure bred pups were surprisingly popular. Live and learn, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/182 "2024-04-03T15:47:23Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I knew a lady with a Standard sized white poodle. He was the first to roll in stinky stuff, usually after a bath. The first to chase small animals. Hated cats, the garbage truck and all delivery people. Was very loyal and would fight an alligator to protect his Mom. > Ol’ Frankie, was a cool dog They _were_ originally hunting dogs - bred for retrieving waterfowl; the name comes from the Low German _puddeln_, “to splash”. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/183 "2024-04-03T16:27:06Z")
Yep. When they all floofed up, wearing a diamondesque collar and painted toenails it belies they fact they’ll still drink from the toity. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/184 "2024-04-03T16:46:03Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > They are the demand exceeding the limited supply of responsible breeders. And if they are aware of the predisposition of the breed to these health problems and buy anyway (without going to the extremes to assure healthy outcomes chances are optimized) then they _are_ “bad” … not bad if they are simply ignorant but they need to become informed. That’s the thing - when my mom found out about the breed’s health problems, and being in a position where expending two years and many dollars in search of a healthy dog was not reasonable (what with having four children to raise and all and limited funds) she just stopped getting dachshunds. After that it was all mutts from the local pound/shelter for us. All of which just happened to have a lot of dachshund in their background, but not actually dachshunds. But categorically calling everyone who owns a dog with a health problem a bad owner is just not cool. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > I own cats, not dogs. So maybe I’m way out of touch. But the idea that you need to police an animal to prevent it from hurting _itself_ climbing on furniture is really foreign to me. It’s a sign the breed is messed up, frankly - animals should not be bred in such a manner they need special training just to move around safely. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/185 "2024-04-03T17:18:17Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > I own cats, not dogs. So maybe I’m way out of touch. But the idea that you need to police an animal to prevent it from hurting _itself_ climbing on furniture is really foreign to me. > > It’s a sign the breed is messed up, frankly - animals should not be bred in such a manner they need special training just to move around safely. Thirding. ---
**Author:** ![Deanna\_D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e495f1/32.png) [@Deanna\_D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deanna_D)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/186 "2024-04-03T17:31:37Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > It’s a sign the breed is messed up, frankly - animals should not be bred in such a manner they need special training just to move around safely There’s also some genetics going on here. Some Dachshunds carry a gene that makes them predisposed to intervertebral disc disease, which makes them far more likely to experience ruptured discs. This is where the irresponsible breeders come into play. Dogs that carry IVDD should not be bred. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/187 "2024-04-03T17:33:21Z")
The great Divide. You own dogs. Cats own you. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/188 "2024-04-03T17:40:44Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Ollie says hello! Ollie looks wonderfully healthy! So glad to hear he’s sweet, too. I was told the boys tend to be sweeter than the girls, and, with one exception I think it’s true. Our best behaved dachshund was a female – half-smooth hair/half-long hair black and tan. She liked to sit up on the back of the couch while we were watching TV, so she could sneak kisses more easily. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/189 "2024-04-03T17:43:21Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > The Doodle-dogs are mixed breeds and it gets so convoluted as to be mutts. Labradoodles were bred to solve a problem-- blind people with dog allergies (or, I imagine, partners with dog allergies). Poodles are hypoallergenic, and I guess fairly trainable, but not quite enough to be service dogs for the blind, and they need grooming that gets expensive. Labs are the fave breed for service dogs for the blind (Seeing-Eye is a trademarked term, and I’m avoiding it on purpose), since GSDs fell out of favor for being so inbred. If you want a Labradoodle for a service dog you have to request one be trained for you (or, at least that’s where the matter stood the last time I had a conversation about it with someone who would know, and that was pre-pandemic, so the situation may have changed, as have so many). No one was trying to create a breed. Every year, a few Labradoodles were requested, so a few litters were bred-- being a dog for the blind is demanding, and not all puppies make the cut, so out of each litter, you might get one. There was no vision of getting the to breed true. But, the idea of part-Poodle breeds captured people’s imaginations. Maybe partly because the hypo-allergenic idea worked, but I suspect it was mostly novelty, and then the other people who jumped in with other crosses they wanted to see just for the cuteness factor. Let’s call it the Frankenstein factor. I’m sure it will wear thin at some point. It’s also my understanding that Labradoodles were not explosively successful as service dogs, because not enough puppies from each litter managed to make the service-for-the-blind cut, but they have worked out well as other kinds of service dogs where the training is not as demanding. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/190 "2024-04-03T17:51:36Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > But categorically calling everyone who owns a dog with a health problem a bad owner is just not cool. I never said this, and I did say one of our dogs did have paralysis at one time. But as was said above, in _aggregate_, there are problem behaviors with some owners (see? I said some). I see way too many overweight doxies, and don’t get me started on people who think it’s cute to train them to sit up. We had a rescue we had to train out of that. Once he learned it didn’t get him any treats, he stopped completely. Your mom sounds like she was a great dog owner. By the way, we were clinging to the middle class by the tips of our fingernails when I was a kid (one of four, as well). We weren’t part of the show dog people by any stretch of the imagination. My parents got Carla before any of us kids came along (and they got a deal because she was the runt of the litter), and she was the dog we had throughout our childhood. She lived to 19. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/191 "2024-04-03T18:25:30Z")
And, so damn cute. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/192 "2024-04-03T18:54:05Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Labradoodles were bred to solve a problem-- blind people with dog allergies (or, I imagine, partners with dog allergies). [You are correct:](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/labradoodle-creator-regret.html?ugrp=m&unlocked_article_code=1.hk0._Tkd.QsfdZsYmtP0B&smid=url-share) > [@](#): > > Mr. Conron said he created the breed in 1989 while working at the Royal Guide Dogs Association of Australia. He had received a request from a blind woman in Hawaii whose husband was allergic to longhaired dogs. . . . > > The breed was a surprise hit, much to Mr. Conron’s regret: He had created a demand that “unethical, ruthless” breeders were more than happy to meet, he said. However, the original labradoodle litter was 50/50 labrador and poodle, whereas today’s doodle dogs are almost all poodle because of prioritizing human allergies (see link earlier in thread). And the other doodle breeds were not created with such a goal. Compare and contrast with the [Shiloh Shepherd](https://www.shiloh-shepherd.com/pages/aboutshilohs.html), previously discussed, which originated in a long planned-out breeding program. > [@Broomstick](#): > > You don’t see how crazy it is that you have to go to such effort to get a _healthy_ dog of a particular breed? I agree. My wife and I have done it twice, and while it was interesting, it was crazy. And figuring out if the breeder’s dogs are healthy is only one part of the craziness. Although I normally think of myself as an honest person, and am sure we are good dog owners, at least once we signed a boilerplate contract saying that we have a fenced yard, when we do not. Having to do that is crazy. On the other hand, some of what’s crazy, compared to a normal retail process, makes sense. The breeder of our shetland sheepdog/sheltie insists on matching the home and lifestyle to the temperament of the puppy. We are the older couple who, with no say in the selection, was sold the calmest dog in the litter. While I suspect that the average show breeder pet poodle is just a bit better of a pet than the average doodle, the clearest difference is the more normal retail process with doodles. I don’t see how a new law could fix it without creating new and worse problems. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/193 "2024-04-03T19:03:06Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > However, the original labradoodle litter was 50/50 labrador and poodle, whereas today’s doodle dogs are almost all poodle because of prioritizing human allergies (see link earlier in thread). And the other doodle breeds were not created with such a goal. I have no idea what any particular doodle dog was bred for, but I know for a fact that lots of people have them just because they are trendy. The only things I know for sure are the things that have to do with their work as service dogs; I have it from someone who works for Seeing Eye-- a friendly acquaintance more than a close friend, and someone I haven’t seen in person that many times. We met when I was a Deaf-blind interpreter, and was at a Nat’l Federation of the Blind Convention. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/194 "2024-04-04T00:51:01Z")
That’s the thing, tho’. When does a _trend_ go from fashionable to dangerous? I mean, eating tide pods was a trend. That didn’t make it ok. I see no reason why a person couldn’t want a black dog or brown dog. A short dog or tall. Curly fur or straight. That’s seems safe. When we go chopping stuff off or breeding to the desired body type. That’s a problem. Who’s gonna watch these things? Hell we can’t care for our kids a lot of the time. I think we’re barking up a tree with no 'possum up there. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2024, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/195 "2024-04-07T20:26:06Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Positive. He’s been thoroughly checked out, . . . > My sister says when she dies, she wants to come back as one of their dogs. 🥰 🥰 🥰 ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/196 "2024-04-07T21:28:07Z")
I wanna be one of my Cats. Mostly catered to. To the chagrin of all. Fed exactly what they want, when they want. No job really. Just laze around, napping all day. Biggest decision of the day? Where the best sun spot is. Aren’t required to perform tricks or go outside. Yep that’s what I want. A Cats life for me. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/197 "2024-04-08T21:03:40Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > A Cats life for me. Well, yes, but we have neutered all our cats. 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/198 "2024-04-08T22:39:19Z")
I can live with that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2025, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/199 "2025-04-11T02:11:16Z")
Will outlawing the owners of vicious dogs be more effective than breed bans? (this is the most severe criminal penalty ever for a fatal dog mauling in Ohio): > **[Mom and son sentenced to prison for fatal dog mauling of 73-year-old neighbor](https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/crime/2025/04/02/mother-and-son-sentenced-to-prison-time-in-ohio-fatal-dog-attack-case/82674953007/)** > > A Pickaway County judge sentenced a mother and son to 14- to 19.5-years in prison for the fatal dog attack on their neighbor. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2025, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608/200 "2025-04-11T03:35:30Z")
The breed ban of this thread was not one of the “vicious breed” ones; it was against breeding that created suffering animals. (FWIW yes negligent owners should be held liable, and maybe that would be a deterrent to some degree.) Update though on the NH bill of the OP (checking on it since you bumped the thread). It was tabled and is considered dead. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlawing-dog-breeds/999608.md?page=11)