Yes-you are quite right, time and money are needed in bucketloads with coat care for a lot of non-shedding breeds. I can see why people want them (no doggy hairs) but if you are not asthmatic (like me) then you might as well spend the extra time and money on a good hoover!

Blimey-that must be expensive-every 3 or 4 weeks for a trim! I am surprised that the breeders of the Poodle crosses don't learn to trim them and they could make even more dosh!

I know Parker and Cherry's breeder trims Kerries as well as breeding them but she is in Ipswich so long way to go!

I have a Bichon that I groom every two weeks. I do a special price though because he's easy to groom as he's so well maintained.

My groomer only charges £20 a dog and they go every 8 weeks or so, its not massively prohibitive compared to things like insurance, dog walkers/sitters etc.

All the poodle crosses I've seen though look as though their coats would be much harder to maintain than an actual poodle!

Yes they often are. And they vary big time, so I often don't do quotes for crossbreeds until I've seen them in the flesh. The size of standard poodle crosses also varies immensely so that also affects the price of grooming.

Your groomer is very cheap btw

Not as cheap as ours but then it is a training establishment though I am always pleased with how they look and I do show Parker too so he has to look "right". They charge £26 for the 2 dogs.

bloody hell! My sisters boyfriend's sister (i know lol) just paid £600 for a 'Cockapoo'
Doesn't anyone understand they are still crossbreeds and not worth the pedigree price tag. Maybe if they get registered at some point.
These designers breeds really p*ss me off

Crikey . I couldn't afford to do it for that lttle. . Seriously, by the time I took out my overheads, I would be working for WAY below the minimum wage.

I read something not so long ago that disproved the thing about dogs with non shedding coats being better for asthmatics than other breeds as it's usually the dander that causes the reaction rather than the hairs themselves and non shedding dogs don't spread any less dander than any other dog. It was more to do with non shedding breeds on average being bathed more often.

I think you do still have to be careful about the breed you choose if asthmatic, though I'd think a breed with a single coat would be far easier/cheaper to maintain than a poo or oodle of any description. I'm asthmatic and react particularly badly to German shepherds for some reason. I don't even think grooming outside and vacuuming daily would prevent that. I'm really used to shar-pei, but despite that, the horsecoat I had irritated my ashtma and eczema for about a month until I got used to her. The bearcoats don't cause me any problems at all despite being much more furry.

You'd think that me having something as big and hairy as a Tibetan Mastiff would be a disaster waiting to happen. But he is a doddle to groom and for a good 10 months of the year he doesn't so much drop a hair in the house or need more than a tickle over with a brush occasionally. When he's shedding, a few minutes a day outside gets most of the loose hair and my 15 year old Henry picks up the rest (best vacuum cleaners in the world!). I don't even think I've bathed him in about 2 years. But he stays so clean and odour free naturally there is no point unless he rolls in something putrid. Saying all that, I wouldn't recommend the breed to to labradoodle brigade. Any dog deserves better than being wanted just because their coat is easy to care for and a TM is not just any dog.

When I was looking for my rescue dogs a lot of people kept telling me that, but it doesn't ring true to me at all. I've been allergic and asthmatic all my life and I can live happily with any non shedding breed but all the breeds that shed trigger the allergies.

If people want a non shedding dog why do they not just buy a poodle???????????? and it will be cheaper as it's just a pedigree. LOL

Saying that a place near me breeds em for shooting over and they look like black GWP's. I met a bloke who had one and said it was the best gundog he had ever had but, £600 was bluddy expencive for a mongrel. He called it a mongrel when I asked what she was. She was stunning looking.