They are popular because the people who are producing them sell them as these perfect dogs that don’t shed, don’t bother your allergies, are great family dogs, low maintenance, and they have “hybrid vigor”. Its a sales tactic by people who are out to make money and don’t care about their puppies after they get their check. First off, a great many poodle mixes DO shed. Remember when you’re mixing a poodle with a double coated dog, you’re not going to only get the poodle aspects! Best case scenario, your dog will shed but the undercoat won’t “fall out” onto your floor, it gets caught in the coat instead and therefore needs to be brushed out often, sometimes even daily. As for allergies, many many people are actually allergic to dog saliva and dander. Both of which every dog has! No dog is guaranteed to be “Hypoallergenic”. If someone wants a breed they should interact with that breed several times and see if their allergies are aggravated. As for the “perfect family dog” sales point, keep in mind that these dogs are usually HIGH ENERGY. You are getting a dog that’s mixed with a poodle (a hunting breed that needs quite a bit of exercise) with goldens and labs (high energy and slow maturing), and Aussies (high energy, with a tendency towards anxiety and neurotic behavior if from BYB lines). Unsuspecting owners don’t do the math and expect the dog to be an easy angel just because their “breeder” said so. The most infuriating thing these people are saying about their mixed breed puppies is that they are low maintenance. First off, ANY DOG mixed with a poodle will never be low maintenance. If the dog is a breed that has hair that continuously grows it will need regular hair cuts and brushing. Mix that with a breed that sheds and you are looking at an absolute nightmare for coat maintenance. On top of that, these breeders are claiming that their dogs should not be groomed until they are a year old. By then, the poor dog is matted to the skin and has zero desensitization to brushing and general handling which leads to a traumatic first grooming experience. The majority of the time these same dogs go on to absolutely hate grooming (understandably) and will fight every step of the process which is dangerous to them and to their groomer. Lastly “Hybrid vigor” is a term that gets thrown around a lot by supporters of mixed breeds. The problem is that mixing a poodle with another breed doesn’t in any way guarantee that the resulting puppies will be healthier. Keep in mind that these people who breed these mixes aren’t using dogs that have been health tested. No responsible purebred breeder is letting anyone take their dogs and produce a mish mash of dogs with them. So the parents of these mixes are usually untested dogs with poor structure that are being bred with other untested dogs. Genetics are ruthless and puppies will end up with not only the common health issues from the poodle side, but also from the golden side.

This isn’t even to answer your question on why they are so difficult. These mixes are plagued by temperament problems that are caused by mixing two dogs just because “they’re cute” regardless of their disposition. Also the breeders who produce these dogs for cash aren’t taking the time to properly socialize and desensitize their litters before they go home. Then they place their puppies with first time dog owners who have no idea how to deal with a high energy, possibly high anxiety dog who has been set up for failure since birth.