Why Doodles? Are they really healthier?

According to a Nationwide Insurance survey, they discovered Doodle popularity was up, and parent breed popularity is in decline. Doodle owners are considerably less likely to have submitted an insurance claim for cancer diagnosis or treatment. Relative risk for cancer claims is dramatically lower in Goldendoodles in comparison to — Standard Poodles & Golden Retrievers. For a Bernese Mountain dog, cancer is more prevalent. In fact, almost 10 percent of Bernese Mountain dogs develop cancer by the time they are six years old. The median life expectancy of Bernese Mountain Dogs was 8.4 years. Female dogs had a significantly longer median survival (8.8 years) than male dogs (7.7 years) Source Tiny Bernedoodles tend to live longer than standard Bernedoodles - 12 to 18 years.

With the increased popularity of crossbreds (Poodle Crosses), we may be able to put some of the questions about the genetic root of cancer to the test. Breeders and pet owners seem satisfied with the offspring of two different parent breeds (often referred to as an “F1” generation. This potentially avoids reduction of genetic diversity by ensuring that the breeding pool can be kept wider. The decrease in the relative risk of submitting a cancer claim from purebreds to crossbreds is significant. Calculating a shared relative risk for cancer claims in the parent populations allows us to directly compare the parent and offspring populations:

Relative risk of cancer claims in parent breeds versus Doodle crossbreds

Goldendoodles are 75.0% less likely to have a claim submitted for cancer, compared with Golden Retrievers and Standard Poodles combined.

“Purebred dogs are
nearly two times
more likely to have
a claim for cancer
than mixed-breed or
crossbred dogs”

— Nationwide Insurance Study

Put another way, the combined relative risk for parent breeds of Goldendoodles having submitted a cancer claim is four times that of their crossbred offspring, Purebreds as a group are almost twice as likely (188.5%) to have submitted a claim for cancer.

Authors: Jules Benson, BVSc MRCVS, Chief Veterinary Officer; Stacey Neff, MS, Biostatistician; Emily M. Tincher, DVM, Director of Veterinary Relations; Gina Spadafori, BA, Veterinary Communications.