Since half your cross breed is a Labrador, and I know cockers well, well, the working variety, here you go.

I've planned and bred one litter of of Labradors. Out of the litter, the pups were guaranteed never to develop PRA, CNM or EIC, both parents have been tested, the bitch twice, for their BVA eye cert, the sire more times, both clear. My bitch has 0/0 hips, 0 elbows, the sire has (I think) 3/4 hips and 0 elbows.

Looking at both pedigrees, there haven't been, that I could see any incidences of epilepsy, or high incidences of cancer, I did look, but there is only so much research you can do.

So, what health tests would apply to your cockador? What health tests do the parents have, and what health aspects did the breeder understand about conformation, and how that might affect health?

I'm not knocking your dog, none of them choose to come into the world, *we* choose to breed them, but many cross breeds have little or no thought put into their breeding. And yet it's the pedigrees, where *some* breeders put an awful lot of thought and planning into breeding, that seem to get criticised by Joe Public.

A "Sh*t Dog" Billy is a Staffit, or when he farts he could be a Whiffy :P

Hear Hear !!

Its just a marketing ploy with no regard to health issues in either breed. Just because they are crosses doesnt mean they dont have hereditary defects - even mongrels get ill and have to go to the vets and have inherited diseases. There is no other reason to breed one of these crosses and that is to make money. They dont necessarily breed true in the first generation so how can they breed on to next generation therefore they will never be a 'breed'.

I would never sell one of my quality pedigree puppies to someone who wants it to be crossed with a poodle so all dogs used for this crossing purpose must surely be sub standard in some way.

I spend months studying pedigrees and looking at health & temperament issues before I carefully choose a stud dog for one of my bitches so how can it be right to irresponsibly buy in one of each and hope for the best.

This is just a big con....

A while back, my husband didn't know what a labradoodle (Lab x Poodle as we call them) looked like so I said I'd point one out when I next saw one.

When I eventually saw one and said 'there you go, that's a Labrador x Poodle' the owner very defensively informed me that her dog most certainly is not a Lab x, she's a Labradoodle, and that I must know nothing about dogs and that's why we had a mongrel (Bentley, our JRT) :rolls:

My husband just burst into laughter and had to walk away. I couldn't speak.....which for me is pretty impressive

I have two cross breeds and were both were the result of accidental matings.

Skye is a Deerhound x Old English Sheepdog and Breagh is a Labrador x Pointer

I guess I could call Skye a Lurcher even though he's not typical of the 'breed' however I just call them cross breeds or name the mixes.

I don't think I've ever managed to be so impressive as to keep my mouth shut! Well done!

Oh that's what I'd do too. Because I'd feel a bit stupid telling people my dog was something like one of those 'funny' names!

Methinks it matters not what anyone here thinks of this cross breeding - it isn't going to stop people doing it because there isn't a law against it. And if it's something people can make money out of - even less likely it will stop or that most of those who do it will carry out anything other than what they 'have' to do before selling them. (Otherwise they make less money).

Leaving any sort of 'industry' to police itself has never worked.

We meet a " Labradoodle " frequently and I could make you wet your pants with some of the stories about him, let's just say Fenton looks like a saint compared to him.......

But, as his owner frequently tells me he's from top show Labradoodle lines dontcha know .....

LOL! More of a TOSHADOODLE then?