Have you noticed how many varieties of doodle and poo dogs are around nowadays? These are all deliberate hybrid crosses between a poodle and another purebred dog. You can find labradoodles (poodle and Labrador retriever), cockapoos (cocker spaniel and poodle), cavapoos (Cavalier King Charles spaniel and poodle), goldendoodles (golden retriever and poodle), aussiedoodles (Australian shepherd and poodle), maltipoos (Maltese and poodle), schnoodle (schnauzer and poodle), and dozens more. These are not actual dog breeds but are so-called "designer dogs," a term used because it is classier than the more pejorative labels of "mutts" or "mongrels," which purebred dog enthusiasts are apt to use.
The designer crossbreeding craze is widely considered to have started in Australia in 1980 by Wally Conran. While working with the Royal Guide Dog Association, he was tasked with finding a nonshedding guide dog for a client whose husband was allergic to dog hair. To achieve this, he purposely crossed a Labrador retriever with a poodle. This was successful, but he was left with the problem of finding homes for the remaining puppies in the litter. No one wanted to adopt a "mongrel." So he used some basic marketing principles to create public interest for these crossbred dogs. First, he invented a new, attractive name, and then he offered a positive sales pitch that claimed that this new breed of labradoodles had coats that were less likely to shed and the pups were apt to be particularly healthy canines because of "hybrid vigor." The latter term refers to the fact that for inbred populations of animals (such as a pedigreed breed), a crossbreed is likely to have qualities superior to those of either parent.
Conran's marketing pitch worked, and a huge demand sprang up for his poodle crosses. Soon poodles were being crossed with a variety of other breeds and sold........