OK, if that is what you prefer, for designer dog read created dog, neither are a breed saved from extinction. Created dogs are produced to fulfill the breeders requirements what ever that may be, today it is mostly financial.

fair enough , I like to feel that sometimes it does happen for the love of type, but in most new "breeds" you are right it seems to be a fad or to make money.

What is the cut off point though, say you have 5 of a recognised breed left within a tight gene pool, but in the area their are very similar dogs available, surely you would introduce some of the fresh blood into the gene pool and then try to breed back in the type over generations?

Definitions Designer Dog:
A dog hybrid (also called a designer dog) is a new term for an individual dog with ancestry in two different purebred dog breeds, traditionally called a crossbred dog. Designer dogs are described by whimsical portmanteau words, such as cockapoo. Dog hybrids (designer dogs) may be first generation crosses from two purebred breeds, or any of various backcrosses, or the result of breeding successive generations of crosses in an effort to create a new breed of purebred dog, or outcrosses of any of those; the term hybrid dog (designer dog) does not have a consistent meaning. (Wikipedia)
A hybrid dog is a mix between two or more purebred dogs (usually two) of known parentage. A designer dog has documented purebred ancestry, and one knows for sure what it is. (ACHC)
Designer breed dogs are mixed breed also called as hybrid dogs or mutts. (Designer Dog Breeders Org)
a designer dog is two pure breed dogs that is deliberately crossed to create a "new" breed/designer breed such as a Beagle & Pug = Pugul, Lab & Poodle =Labradoodle
Golden & Poodle =Goldendoodle etc.


This breed was not "created for money making" the cynologist and specialist on shepherd dogs at the time saw this as a regeneration of an Old National Breed, in Czech it is recognised as a National Breed, there are limited numbers outside of Czech and those that are in other countries are being used as SAR dogs and other specialist service dogs. They are not sold just to anyone with money and breeders will take back off people if they are abused whether this be physicaly or mentaly, if they are left unexcercised and obese they will also be removed from the owners.
The breeders have no say in how many litters they can have or what matings can take place, it is very closely monitored and you are not allowed to breed any bitch to any dog without clearance from the Breed Club, otherwise they cannot be reistered with the CMKU.

as it should be...it sounds like they've done a good job.

Yes and no, you do an awful lot of hard work, spend an awful lot of money and devote your entire life to saving a breed.

After WWII the Swedish vallhund had all but died out, Count Von Rosen and a friend (whose name i have forgotten but i am writing this whilst at work with no reference material) searched high and low to find what dogs they could (bear in mind at that time the breed was virtually unheard of outside southern Sweden). They found 4 bitches and 1 dog. From those five dogs, and with others they found eventually on outlying farms, they started a breeding programme which has meant the dogs are still around today.

Yes, they used dogs who didn't have an official pedigree, but only if they met the breed standard which was set using Topsy, one of the original bitches they found. They didn't deliberately introduce any other breed or non typical dogs simply to widen the gene pool

What most will probably find surprising is that for a breed which was restarted from such a small gene pool there are relatively few health problems with dogs living on average around 13.5 years.

The breed is still numerically very small and the Swedish KC have requested that the European Union put it on the Endangered Species list for it's own protection.

The breed itself still closely resembles the herding breed of dog used by the vikings over 1000 years ago and is still capable of doing the job it was bred for.

Link to SKV page with the history here

Thanks everyone for your input. It is good to learn about different breeds and what has happened in their history to 'save' them xxxxx