I rather like the current trend towards crossbreeds. It should help breed out some of the genetic nasties that the Kennel Club's obsession with breed standards have saddled us with on the pedigree side.I've been out of the "doggie world" for too long but this would not have happened except amongst the highly unscrupulous, say 10 years ago and more.
The lunatic unscrupulous is the prices asked for bitsas/Heinz pups that have no actual intrinsic value, pups that would have been worth maybe £5-10, 15 years ago or so - all of these crosses that have become insanely popular.
I rather like the current trend towards crossbreeds. It should help breed out some of the genetic nasties that the Kennel Club's obsession with breed standards have saddled us with on the pedigree side.
I’m not vain enough to get anything other than a bitza cat from a rehoming centre. I’d be the same with a dog. I’ve no need for a working dog, so don’t care too much about all that stuff. They’re all loveable, aren’t they?
the competition in the market will help focus their minds.
why else would anyone breed inherently worthless crosses and sell them for lunatic prices? It is jumping on a money-making band-wagon.
My experience of dogs like Cockerpoos, Labradoodles etc (admittedly only from meeting them and their owners in the park) is that they make delightful family pets and have bags of character and do inherit many of the traits of their parent breeds. While also not inheriting quite so many of the problems of generations of inbreeding, such as hip dysplasia. They have that hybrid vigour. They are only worthless if you value a pedigree, which is to my mind pretty much as arbitrary a standard as anything else.In my experience, the crosses are being produced by those who see not much further than £££ - why else would anyone breed inherently worthless crosses and sell them for lunatic prices? It is jumping on a money-making band-wagon.
My experience of dogs like Cockerpoos, Labradoodles' etc (admittedly only from meeting them and their owners in the park) is that they make delightful family pets and have bags of character and do inherit many of the traits of their parent breeds. While also not inheriting quite so many of the problems of generations of inbreeding, such as hip dysplasia. They have that hybrid vigour. They are only worthless if you value a pedigree, which is to my mind pretty much as arbitrary a standard as anything else.
Unless you need a working breed known to be perfect at a certain job, pure breeds make much less sense for a domestic situation I think