Oodles of Doodles: Popularity and health

From dog parks to veterinary practices to the feeds of social media influencers, there’s no missing the

popularity of crossbreds — dogs resulting from the mating of two different purebreds. With whimsical

names such as the Labradoodle (a Poodle crossed with a Labrador Retriever) and Goldendoodle (a

Poodle crossed with a Golden Retriever), Poodle crosses have become popular partly because of claims

that they are low-shedding companions for allergy sufferers and partly because of a widely held belief

that mixed-breed dogs are healthier.

While Nationwide’s policy and claims data has nothing definitive to say about assertions that Doodles

are less likely to trigger allergy symptoms in people1 or shed less, the company’s pet health insurance

division has a vast trove of information on one area of health that perhaps concerns pet owners the

most: Cancer.

In 2021, Nationwide analyzed the cancer claims of 1.61 million Nationwide-insured dogs over a six-year

period. In this first of a series of white papers on that larger study, Nationwide’s veterinary analytics

team examined the popularity of Doodles compared with their contributing breeds, and then looked at

relative cancer claims rates for these popular crossbreds and their purebred progenitors.

The analysis shows:

• Doodle popularity is up, and Doodle parent breed popularity is down. Poodle crosses increased as

a relative share of Nationwide’s pet health insurance policies, while the relative share of the parent

breeds fell.

• Doodle owners are considerably less likely to have submitted a claim for cancer diagnosis

or treatment. Relative risk for cancer claims is dramatically lower in Labradoodles and

Goldendoodles in comparison with their contributing breeds — Standard Poodles, Golden

Retrievers, and Labrador Retrievers.

Nationwide has been protecting pets for 40 years, and in 2021 the company reached the landmark of

actively protecting more than a million companion animals in the United States. This analysis is the first

of a series in 2022 and beyond on pet health and the finances of veterinary care. With these studies,

Nationwide draws on decades of policy and claims data and vast veterinary expertise, providing

insights to drive positive change in pet health care.

1 “Dog allergen levels in homes with hypoallergenic compared with nonhypoallergenic dogs,” C.E. Nicholas, G.R. Wegienka, S.L. Havstad, E.M.

Zoratti, D.R. Ownby and C.C. Johnson, American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy (July-August 2011), pages 252-256.

Doodles and other crosses on the rise

While Poodle crosses, most notably the Cockapoo

(a Poodle and Cocker Spaniel cross), have been

around for decades, the demand for crossbreds

gained steam following the 1989 breeding of the

first named Labradoodle in an effort to create

a service dog better tolerated by people with

allergies.2 From there, the popularity of crossbreds

— soon to be known as “designer dogs” — took off.

For this white paper, Nationwide analyzed

Poodle crosses generally and Labradoodles and

Goldendoodles specifically from 2013 to 2021. The

analysis shows an increase of 160.3% in popularity

for all Poodle crosses among Nationwide policies.

After narrowing the analysis as noted (Figure 1), the numbers are even more dramatic, with the relative

popularity of Labradoodles and Goldendoodles increasing while that of the contributing purebreds fell

during the same 2013 to 2021 period. The increased popularity of Labradoodles and Goldendoodles

suggests that dog owners are choosing these pets at the expense of the contributing breeds.

Although purebreds still make up the majority of dogs protected by Nationwide, non-purebreds overall

have climbed in popularity while purebreds have declined.

2 “The first ever labradoodle wasn’t a designer dog; he was a guide dog,” Australian Broadcasting Corp.’s “Sum of All Parts” (Sept. 22, 2019).

Figure 1: Nationwide breed

popularity, 2013 to 2021

POODLE CROSSES

Goldendoodles 347.4%

Labradoodles 196.5%

Poodle crosses (all) 160.3%

PUREBREDS

Standard Poodles 32.2%

Labrador Retrievers 32.0%

Golden Retrievers 4.0%

Crossbreds, mixed-breeds and purebreds

Although Nationwide’s analysis focused on Labradoodles and Goldendoodles compared with their pure-

bred progenitors, the relative percentage of all non-purebreds grew from 2013 to 2021 while the relative

percentage of all purebreds fell. The percentage of dogs in each group relative to the overall percentage

of all dogs insured by Nationwide:

Dog types % of Nationwide-insured dogs

2013 2021 % of +/-

All crossbreds (two breeds combined) 2.9% 6.6% 131.9%

Mixed breeds 22.3% 32.4% 45.5%

Purebreds 74.9% 61.0% 18.6%

Cancer claims, purebreds and crossbreds

With the increased popularity of crossbreds, we

may be able to put some of the questions about the

genetic root of cancer to the test. Importantly from

a genetic point of view, there does not seem to be

a drive to create “purebred” Doodles. Breeders and

pet owners seem satisfied with the offspring of two

different parent breeds (often referred to as an “F1”

generation) in contrast to breeding Labradoodles

with other Labradoodles. This potentially avoids

reduction of genetic diversity by ensuring that the

breeding pool can be kept wider.

Purebred dogs, in contrast, typically exist within

closed breeding pools, with mating limited to

other dogs within a particular breed. For example,

purebred Labrador Retrievers are bred from and

bred with other Labradors to create additional

Labradors.3 While we know cancers have many

compounding factors, it is well established that

genetics play an important role.4 Studies also tell us

that the formation of dog breeds has driven a much

larger reduction in genetic diversity than that observed in the domestication of dogs.5

In this analysis, we focus on two retriever breeds, the Labrador and Golden, both part of a larger

group of breeds that have some of the highest relative risk for cancer claims.6 We also look at

Standard Poodles, which are used in the breeding of Labradoodles and Goldendoodles. The two

retriever breeds are those most commonly bred to produce Doodles, and they’re also two of the

most popular purebred dogs in the United States. Among Nationwide-insured dogs, Labrador and

Golden Retrievers account for more than 9 of 10 retrievers, with the relative risk for claims in Goldens

of 195.3% (or nearly two times more likely to have submitted a claim) and for Labradors of 163.5% (or

1.63 times) more likely, compared with all other dogs. The Labradoodle and Goldendoodle populations

available for analysis are smaller than the parent breed populations; nevertheless, they still number

tens of thousands of Nationwide-covered dogs.

3 There are a few breed organizations outside of all-breed dog registries such as the American Kennel Club that maintain pedigree records but

use planned outcrosses to dogs outside of the breed to maintain greater genetic diversity. Other breed clubs within national breed-registry

systems have used limited outcrosses to other breeds to address health issues, most notably in the Dalmatian. For most breeds, choosing

breeding pairs of different breeds is not an accepted practice by the national breed registries.

4 “Breed-predispositions to cancer in pedigree dogs,” J.M. Dobson (Jan. 17, 2013).

5 “Linkage Disequilibrium and Demographic History of Wild and Domestic Canids,” M.M. Gray, J.M. Granka, C.D. Bustamante, et al., Genetics

(April 2009).

6 The remaining retrievers registered by the American Kennel Club also have a relative risk greater than baseline: Chesapeake Bay Retriever:

140.9% (1.4 times the relative risk), Flat-Coated Retriever, 345.2% (3.5 times the relative risk) and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, 205.3%.

(2.1 times the relative risk). The Curly-Coated Retriever is not represented among Nationwide-insured pets in sufficient numbers to allow for

reliable independent analysis, although it is included in the whole.

To our readers

People read studies with varying levels

of comfort when it comes to statistics, so

we’ve worked to make the information

here as easy to understand as possible for

everyone. Throughout the cancer section,

we’ve provided the risk ratio or relative

risk (“half as likely,” “three times as likely”)

compared with the average claims rate for

all dogs, and, where appropriate, have also

provided the relative percentages.

For example, if Breed A has a 163.5% risk of

having a cancer claim when compared with

the mean (average) rate for all dogs, this

is equivalent to noting that Breed A is 1.63

times more likely to have submitted a claim,

or that Breed A had a 63.5% greater risk of

submitting a claim.

This is a single-variable analysis, not controlling for factors such as nutrition, body condition score/

obesity, age, size, environmental factors and others. That noted, the total sample size of 1.61 million

dogs is significant, and the population is widely spread across thousands of veterinary practices in

all states in rural, suburban and urban locales with a wide variety of demographics reflected in the

ownership of the dogs.

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:

• Goldendoodles are 75.0% less likely to have a claim submitted for cancer, compared with Golden

Retrievers and Standard Poodles combined.

• Labradoodles are 62.0% less likely to have a claim submitted for cancer, compared with Labrador

Retrievers and Standard Poodles combined (Figure 2).

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, and for the parent breeds of

Labradoodles it is 2.6 times.

Figure 2: Relative risk of cancer claims in parent breeds versus Doodle crossbreds

250%

200%

150%

100%

50%

0%

Golden

Retriever

Standard

Poodle

Goldendoodle Labrador

Retriever

Standard

Poodle

Labradoodle

195.3%

143.5%

47.4%

163.5%

143.5%

61.8%

75.0%

reduction

62.0%

reduction

Parent breeds’ relative risk = 189.5%

Parent breeds’ relative risk = 162.7%

When the focus is broadened to look at purebred versus non-purebred dogs, a similar overall trend

emerges. When compared with crossbred and mixed-breed dogs, purebreds as a group are almost

twice as likely (188.5%) to have submitted a claim for cancer. (Some of the specific differences among

the most popular purebreds will be analyzed in the next white paper in this series.)

Despite the focused nature of pet health insurance data and the limitations of this specific analysis, it

is hard to escape the inevitable questions around genetic diversity and the role it plays in many forms

of cancer and other diseases in dogs. This topic is currently under discussion and study throughout

veterinary medicine,7 as well as among reputable breeders of purebred dogs, with planned outcross

projects for increased genetic diversity now being openly discussed.

Methodology summary

For the analysis of popularity, populations of purebreds, crossbreds and mixed-breeds were isolated

and then compared with the entire population of dogs insured by Nationwide, both in 2013 and in

2021. The resulting figures reflect relative percentage as a snapshot in 2013 and again in 2021.

The cancer claims analysis for this white paper and others that will follow was more complex. In brief,

the in-house veterinary analytics team looked at all Nationwide-insured dogs, identifying claims

activity among 1,612,884 canines over a six-year period (October 2015 to September 2021). The team

then identified claims diagnostic codes relating to cancer diagnosis and treatment. Any policy with

a claim submission for a cancer diagnostic code was used to calculate the relative risk for having

submitted a cancer claim.8

A complete disclosure and discussion of cancer claims analysis methodology for all cancer studies

in this series as well as any possible limitations of our analysis is available as a separate document at

PetInsurance.com/veterinarians/research.

Purebred dogs are

nearly two times

more likely to have

a claim for cancer

than mixed-breed or

crossbred dogs

7 “The effect of inbreeding, body size and morphology on health in dog breeds,” D. Bannasch, T. Famula, J. Donner, et al., Canine Medicine and

Genetics (Dec. 2, 2021).

8 Proprietary business reasons preclude the release of any Nationwide raw data to the public.

9 For a larger discussion of veterinary data responsibility, use and stewardship, see “Pet health ‘data’ isn’t a four-letter word: Why—and how—we

all need to help,” Jules Benson, BVSc MRCVS, VetSuccess, vetsuccess.com/blog/pet-health-data-isn’t-a-four-letter-word (Aug. 31, 2021).

Final note

This is the first of a series of white papers analyzing claims for cancer diagnosis and treatment in

dogs, and the first of a series of analyses on companion animal health and veterinary industry financial

trends. While most will be conducted by Nationwide’s veterinary analytics team of veterinarians,

biostatisticians, actuaries and science writers, others will be conducted with input from academic

partners. As the leading U.S. pet health insurer with more than 1 million pets actively protected,

Nationwide believes these studies to be of use to veterinary professionals and pet owners alike while

helping to advance the use of industry data sources9 in developing guidance on pet selection and care

to the benefit of all.

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.

To reach Nationwide’s veterinary analytics team with questions, comments or media requests,

contact Nationwide’s Corporate Communications team, news@nationwide.com.

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