I thought Obama was getting a "Sprocker" or something like that? They're everywhere!

Doesn't Richard Hammond breed Labradoodles because they "look nice" ;o 0

As I said on the thread in question, the only time I have a problem with such crosses is when they are purposely done with no health testing or little thought, or the owner of said pup is under some kind of delusion that their dog is some kind of new and rare breed and not a cross/mongrel.

I will happily stand up and say that my sprollie and dalmador are both crosses it doesn't bother me in the slightest, both were accidents, neither sold for stupid money but doesn't deter from the fact they are lovely dogs.

I just worry that with crosses that include (IMO) 'not-really-for-first-time-owners' breeds that people won't have done any research or have any knowledge on the breeds which make up their cross as it's common for naive people not to research a pure bred dog, they would think even less about researching the 2 breeds that make a cross and as their dog gets older and proves too much of a handful they will wonder why. And lets face it, the majority market for such 'designer' dogs are the more naive or first time owner.

Personally I think Weimador sounds better anyway ;o)

Also speaking for my breed weims, knowing what they are like in general there's a lot of breeds you could cross them with which would just be a recipe for disaster. JMO.

I for one have never been under any illuison or have been sold a fancy name when I brought my dog.
He is an american bulldog x staffy and was sold to me as such!
We fell in love with him, he is everthing I could ever ask for in a dog.
He is my dog...my life!
I dont agree with delibratly crossing breeds by people or byb to make money, nor do I agree with giving them a fancy name so they can be sold for more money!
I dont agree with them being sold as an acessories like a new bag or pair of shoes!
But I dont agree with badly breed peds or good bred peds being sold as a fasion statement either etc beause paris hiton has one!
I dont agree with so called good pedigree breeders that breed when the focuse is NOT on the health and well being of the dog, but the aesthetics of the breed.
When the dogs health is compromised and the dog has to suffer illnesses or deformaties beacause of the breed standard it has been breed to!
Nor do I agree with the the inter breeding practces of some so called good pedigree breeders.

But seems to always turn out to be a 'us' against 'them' argument WHY???

These are all dog issuses, wether its the over population crisis, the delibrate crossing and breeding of dogs for money, the interbreeding pratices of some ped dog breeders or the delibrate breeding to a standard that inflicts health problems on to the breed...ALL DOG ISSUSES!

We have many problems out there with they way people are using and abusing dogs its time people woke up and realised its not just one thing, not just one breed, or one trend, is ALOT of different things, Alot of different practises!

i have a 'sprollie' if you want to get techincal.... to me shes amut...... if people ask what dogs i have its acollie and a springer x......

does my nut in when people think they havea new rare breed dog - obviously shows how little research they have done on the breed as they dont realise - their rare breed dog - is actually a mut!!!

Well doen Pidge. I totally agree. People who buy pedigree or Bitzas don't get bashed about the dog they buy so nor should the "crossbreed" owner. There are enough discussion threads where people can air their views. If someone is coming on to share the excitement and thrill of having a new puppy we should celebrate with them. If they stay on Dogsey they will eventually read about responsible breeding etc. The best way to ensure they read these discussions is to keep them coming back to Dogsey. The best way to do this is with a WARM welcome.

I didn`t see anything insulting in the thread - maybe it was removed? I can understand a newbie getting offended by the term Mongrel because that can be used as an insult, but Cross-Breed is a fair term, I`d have thought. I`ve had a Lurcher, which is a `traditional` cross to produce a certain sort of dog.
I think the trouble has come about by the unscrupulous preying on the ignorant to set up the chi-poos and T-cup/coffee cup dogs who have been bred simply for the name, and the sad Doodle market. Anyone who has the smallest knowledge of genetics should be able to work out that for every Poodle / Lab cross with the Poodle (non-shed) coat there will be one with the Labrador coat. This Doodle `Breed` was supposed to be the answer for people with allergies / asthma. In fact it is the dander that sparks the allergy, not the odd hair on the sofa.
So yes - this a can of worms - even if you discount the feelings of people who are passionate about their breed.

It's a long time since I heard that said Vicki, made me laugh 'tho

If the Portugese Water dog is recognised by the American Kennel Club that's fine, likewise a Labrador / Poodle cross from a rescue centre is even better, just don't call it a Labradoodle as the Sky reporter did

Yes, many problems, I just feel so disheartened that, as fast as the legislation and dog world authorities try to improve matters, dishonest, greedy people come along and make matters worse, there was cruelty 20 years ago but not SFAIK any issues with 'designer' dogs. This particular problem has come about due to the huge increase the media has over about 80% of the worlds population.

But don't get me started on the 'media'

Agree about the labradoodle coat, also people don't consider that both labs and poodles are high energy dogs and very intellegent and need LOTS of socialisation and training. They can also be slow to mature and very boisterous. So a combination of the two is not always a good combination. I know a lady with a Labradoodle (which is actually a first generation cross, but who am I to shatter her illusions) and he is HUGE. She was told he would be the size of his mother who was a small lab and he is a really tall and stocky dog. She said she wouldn't have gotten him if she'd known how big he would get. At least with a pedigree or an adult rescue mutt you have a good idea of how they will turn out.