How much is that doodle in the window? Exploring motivations and behaviours of owners acquiring a designer crossbreed dog in the UK 2019-2020

Burnett, Erin; Brand, Claire L; O'Neill, Dan G; Pegram, Camilla L; Belshaw, Zoe; Stevens, Kim B; Packer, Rowena M A

Abstract

Background
Demand for intentional crosses of purebred dog breeds, often labelled ‘designer crossbreeds’ (e.g., Labrador Retriever X Poodle, the ‘Labradoodle’), has recently increased in the UK. This study aimed to explore this phenomenon by comparing pre-purchase motivations, pre-purchase and purchase behaviours of UK owners of designer crossbred puppies purchased during 2019-2020 with those of owners of purebred puppies purchased during the same period.
Results
Data were collected in an online cross-sectional survey between November-December 2020. Responses from n=6293 puppies (designer crossbred puppies: n=1575; purebred puppies: n=4718) were analysed. Perceived hypoallergenicity was cited as a motivator for breed/crossbreed choice by almost half of designer crossbreed owners (47.1%), almost six times more than purebred dog owners (7.86%; OR: 9.12, 95% CI: 7.70-10.8, p

Citation

Burnett, E., Brand, C. L., O'Neill, D. G., Pegram, C. L., Belshaw, Z., Stevens, K. B., & Packer, R. M. A. How much is that doodle in the window? Exploring motivations and behaviours of owners acquiring a designer crossbreed dog in the UK 2019-2020. Manuscript submitted for publication

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Deposit Date: Feb 3, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 22, 2022
• Print ISSN: 2662-9380
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed