I know this has probably been asked before but I am new to this forum. Why are designer dogs so popular?

is it possible a person saw a puggle and fell in love with that dog and wanted one, just like someone might see a golden retriever, fall in love and want one ... and (rich) people don't care about the cost ... i work as a dog walker to some seriously rich dog owners, and one couple went into the worst pet store (where i live) and spent a thousand dollars on two byb dogs ... i personally think that is their choice ... if backyard breeding is so awful, where is the legislation banning it ??? and those two little dogs live a better life than i do ... live and let live ...

It's no different from any other kind of breed preference. People want a dog with somewhat predictable traits. I like the attitude of pugs, but not their extreme brachycephaly, so I'd rather have a pug mix with some outbreeding to take care of that deformed head and its health issues. If somebody wants to make a dog that's exactly what I want, more power to them.

The entire idea of "pure breeds" is ludicrous. Modern dog breeds have other dog breeds mixed into their bloodlines - that's just how they were created. Pugs contain King Charles Spaniel, which were themselves a mix of three pre-existing spaniel breeds. Puggles and Chipoos and Labradoodles are, like Pugs and Beagles and that funky "terrier mix" down at the shelter, just dogs.

Mutt it up!

Marketing, like anything else. Your average person knows little to nothing about dog's. For example, this past winter I was introduced to a woman at a party. When she found out I worked in the pet care business, she immediately went in to this story about how she got her 'peek-a-poo'. It had been found abandon in the snow and her daughter had saved it's life. She went on about how amazing it was that such a 'rare and expensive breed' could have been left to die. This woman was convinced that this mutt was not only a legitimate breed, but an expensive one.

Give something a fancy name, market it properly, and charge a ton for it, then people begin to believe it is of value. Then they get on the Internet and spread the word. If they read about it somewhere, it must be true, and this counts as 'research' to them. This is why people are convinced Blue Bufflo is the greatest food ever or convinced their 'Mini Australian labradoodle' is worth paying thousands for.

Because a fool and his money are soon parted..

People will fight you all the way when you try and tell them their 1500.00 mutt is not the rare and unique dog that the "breeder" made it out to be. I guess people don't want to face the fact that they got conned by a marketing scheme.

Because people who want them are gullible and think they are getting something special when in actuality they are paying an outrageous price for a mixed breed mutt.

I think it's because some people want the looks and personalities mixed together. For example Schnauzer's are low shedding and beagles are good hunters so if someone with allergies was looking for a hunter then they would look for a mix.