I don't think anyone would say there is a point in breeding any dog with those traits, if you are talking about Pedigree Dogs Exposed, it has been widely talked about and no one with any ethics in dog breeding would do that, if breeding for the show ring and no ethics then maybe.
As for widening the gene pool, cross breeding will end up mixing all breeds together, so no breeds at all asking for trouble that idea.

A proper dog?? That would be a dog??
Deliberate cross breeding and close gene breeding are two separate issues though both with an effect on dogs quality of life, that may not be good.

My fellas mate texted him whilst we were out the other weekend and said 'wont be out later mate am crackered, just got back from suffolk been to pick up our new puppy'

Knowing the family in question i told him to ask what it was offering my guess as 'sprocker or labradoodle'. And the answer was.... not far off... Cockerpoo! which they paid £650 for.

As other people have said if its no detrement to the mother health wise then hey who are we to say what you cross with what but give it a daft name and charge £650 for it?

I got Missy 5 years ago - dad is a pedigree CKC , mum a Shih Zhu. Owners had a KCK bitch and had been trying to breed both CKC's for ages. Then all of a sudden the Shih Zhu started looking portly...

Missy was advertised in Loot as 'one of 6 little accidents' I saw both the mum and dad and all their papers, no health problems there. Paid £100 for her.

5 years on and she would be called a Cava-Zhu and sell for £350-450! Mental.

But sadly they are still breeding them, my point is that cross breeds in the main bring a healthy balance to the dog world, i agree designer dog breeds are not maybe the best idea but no worse than some pedigree breeders.
By the way my point was not just about the programme 'pedigree dogs exposed' but my experience over a lifetime of talking to and being around some very unscrupulous breeders.

What healthy balance? Cross breeds are only as healthy as their ancestors and if they are using pedigree parents then they have the potential to inherit all that is wrong. Cross breeding doesn't just result in all the good points being inherited. You seem to imply that all pedigrees are unhealthy when that couldn't be further from the truth.
There are just as many unhealthy non-pure breds as there are pure breds it's just that no-one keeps records on them!
Becky

Max was a xbreed. Australian shepherd x his mum not sure what she was crossed with. Dad was supposed to be a breed of OES and bearded collie. He was advertised in loot along with his brothers and sisters 6 of them 3 with tails and 3 without like the Aussie. He cost us £50 twelve years ago.

He had aggressive T.Cell Lymphoma by 41/2 and had to be PTS

As long as you buy from reputable breeders for pedigrees and they are health tested its maybe the best way too go but you still cannot be sure your dog is not going to have a health problem. Just less likely

If you want a particular cross ok too but not any fancy names no ridiculous prices, silly names and hopefully both parents health tested.

To us we could see some of his mum round his neck ruff other than that more like a doberman or rottie in there whatever his make up he was a special boy and there will never be another like him.





He was ill in both these pictures.

He was a gorgeous dog, I'm sorry to hear what happened, I do have a question though, what becomes silly names, I call my dogs a Lurcher and Longdog, its what they are, is that silly, also what about Tumblers? All of them were originally breed for work out of a mix of breeds.

To be honest I always change that thought myself lol, sometimes the doodles and poo's annoy me, but then I look at my own dogs and think a bit like glass houses and all of that, so I believe that the price is what annoys me the most, people trying to make out there are what they aren't, as long as people know that they are crosses and not a breed, and charge accordingly, and breed responsibilty, call them what you like yes sometimes it may annoy me, but there you go

I wouldnt agree that a cocker x lab is a pointless crossbreed. I can see the benefits...you get a hunter, and perhaps better retriever than a standard spaniel but with the steadiness of a lab.

I do not agree however if the dam was considerably smaller than the sire but as somebody has pointed out, working labs can be fairly small.

Silly names like most of us agree labradoodle, cockerpoo etc., Zanta was a Newfiexbernese and that is what we told people she had no fancy name made up. Her parents were both health tested and she was an accidental mating.

I agree about the silly prices I think thats what annoys me the most too.

I have met a labradoodle and they are lovely.

I am sure we could of thought of something for Max too but he was a mongrel not even a first cross like Zanta but we told people he was a heinz 57 we knew what his mum was we were told his dad was a so and so and try to see if you can pick up the breeds in him. Thats all I meant.

I was also trying to say if they are pedigree, first cross mongrel (heinz 57) they can all have health problems it is a gamble whatever you choose.

Max as a heinz 57 certainly wasn't healthy as we discovered even my own family said to me heinz 57 are better health wise seems they aren't.

Yeah, I notice that glass house element myself.

I have trouble understanding why some take exception to portmanteau names - but then my mom bred Anglo-Arab horses as well as Arabs, so maybe I grew up with a tolerance.

I don't consider Labradoodle or Cavapoo anymore of a silly name than Weimaraner, or Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (those two always make me laugh), Karalean Bear Dog or even Plott Hound.

Either way, a names a name. Now if a breeder is being deceptive and pretending its a purebred - that's a different story.

I would like to add that I consider a mutt bred with proper care just as valuable as a purebred bred with proper care and would not hesitate to pay well for a mutt if that is what I wanted. I have in the past, and for one that had generations of knowledge and health testing behind her as well (and I still know her breeder and knew all four of her grandparents as well as parents.)

Keep in mind the Iditarod winner (sled racing) had no paper pedigree. I'm sure he is an incredibly valuable dog.

http://outside.away.com/outside/body...esearch-1.html

To just pass off mutts and mixes as deserving of a lesser price, without knowledge of what went into their breeding as is often done by those making blanket statements, is odd to me.

Ruby