I'm watching my figure
Dogs.
- Thread starter gavroche
- Start date
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I'm watching my figure
jhawk
Veteran
- Location
- New Brunswick, Canada
This morning! Being his beautiful self, as-per.
coffeejo
Ælfrēd
- Location
- West Somerset
It's not just me who thinks so!
Vets warn people against buying 'flat-faced' dogs
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37423040
steve50
Disenchanted Member
- Location
- West Yorkshire
I couldn't agree more, these so called "designer dogs" are ruining some breeds, creating cross breeds just to satisfy peoples vanity is wrong on every level.
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
On the subject of selective breeding, you only have to look at the difference between working strain and show strain to see the damage being done. Labradors are a good example. Willow is now full grown, has a waistline and weighs about 20kg. She can clear a drystone wall and jump from a standstill onto the tailgate of my discovery. Of the working labs on my shooting syndicate not one is carrying any weight. The class winner at Crufts this year was obese by comparison. How can it be right to breed "desirable characteristics" involving massive chunky bodies into a breed that already suffers from major joint problems?
As for "designer crossbreeds," I think I mentioned that upthread. The fad that best illustrates this is the "cockerpoo". Poodles are highly intelligent dogs, cockers are natural hunters with a thirst for activity that would drive many to distraction. They look adorable, but a cockerpoo in the wrong hands could well turn out to be a nightmare. The level of ignorance around them is breathtaking. One owner I spoke to insisted hers was a pedigree cockerpoo, because she was told both the dog's parents were cockerpoos. I asked her what the kennel club papers said about the lineage. She simply couldn't grasp what a crossbreed was. One of the people I was with inadvisedly used the word "mongrel" which led to quite a spat. The fact that she paid over 800 quid for the pup astounded me. No wonder the puppy farms are flourishing.
As for "designer crossbreeds," I think I mentioned that upthread. The fad that best illustrates this is the "cockerpoo". Poodles are highly intelligent dogs, cockers are natural hunters with a thirst for activity that would drive many to distraction. They look adorable, but a cockerpoo in the wrong hands could well turn out to be a nightmare. The level of ignorance around them is breathtaking. One owner I spoke to insisted hers was a pedigree cockerpoo, because she was told both the dog's parents were cockerpoos. I asked her what the kennel club papers said about the lineage. She simply couldn't grasp what a crossbreed was. One of the people I was with inadvisedly used the word "mongrel" which led to quite a spat. The fact that she paid over 800 quid for the pup astounded me. No wonder the puppy farms are flourishing.
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
Willow
Crufts class winner 2016. OK, not as obese as some, but nevertheless a hefty lass.
Crufts class winner 2016. OK, not as obese as some, but nevertheless a hefty lass.
steve50
Disenchanted Member
- Location
- West Yorkshire
Unfortunately ignorance is bliss to some people, they do not or will not acknowledge the "designer dog" is nothing more than a cross breed, as far as they are concerned their dog is the bees knees and should be rcognised as a pure breed. I have had the same conversation with someone who owns a "jug" jack russell cross pug. They were very insistent that their dog was a recognised "breed".
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
Cubester was following a post on Facebook where someone was advertising a Labradoodle. They were very keen to point out it was a poodle crossed with a cross between a Rottweiler and a Neopolitan Mastiff, so much better than the ones with Labrador in them.
coffeejo
Ælfrēd
- Location
- West Somerset
My lab is nine years old and weighs in at just under thirty kilos. She can jump the hurdle that acts as a garden gate from a standstill, or at least until I figured out how she was escaping and made some hasty changes! I got her when she was six months old so I've no idea if she was from a show or working strain, but the Crufts dog you posted about looks awful. Nobody believes me when I tell them that Snipe is nine!
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[QUOTE 4476153, member: 259"]Youre going to have to come down off that fence eventually.[/QUOTE]
Never! I don't think I need to either. I'm never going to get a dog, people with dogs can do what they like with them (providing it doesn't stray into anti-social territory) and I can continue to tolerate their existence and maintain my fence position just fine.
Never! I don't think I need to either. I'm never going to get a dog, people with dogs can do what they like with them (providing it doesn't stray into anti-social territory) and I can continue to tolerate their existence and maintain my fence position just fine.
Profpointy
Legendary Member
In a sense pure-bred, cross-breed and mongrel are merely marketing labels. Also interbreeding different "breeds" done sensibly should be a good thing as it introduces a bit more genetic diversity and hopefully mitigates the weaknesses of both. They do this with horses deliberately combining say 3/4 "thoroughbred" with 1/4 Irish cart horse or whatever. Some of the extreme "pure bred" creatures replete with problems and likely rather in-bred too - can't be a good thing.
Cats are just as bad. My uncle had a couple of lovely athletic and healthy siameses 40+ years ago. See a siamese today and it looks more like the creature from Alien than a proper cat. Even Maine Coons - superficially big farm cats - don't live very long, at least ours didn't - lovely and fun cats though they were. Now got a stripey moggy so no more in-bred pedigrees in for us.
shouldbeinbed
Rollin' along
- Location
- Manchester way
[QUOTE 4476153, member: 259"]Youre going to have to come down off that fence eventually.[/QUOTE]
I don't not like your post
I don't not like your post
Panter
Just call me Chris...
- Location
- Sittingbourne, Kent
Ours is NOT allowed on the sofa!
coffeejo
Ælfrēd
- Location
- West Somerset
Ours is NOT allowed on the sofa!
I remember a friend's dad saying that about their Great Dane puppy. Obviously the day came when she could get on the sofa simply by leaning over.
With Cockerpoos and Labradoodles, and the like of designer dogs, if you were to mate two cockerpoos say, you could end up with a mix of poodles and Cocker Spaniels. You could end with more cockerpoos. Genetics may revert them back to the original breed, whichever has the dominant gene line.
With two pure pedigree dogs of whatever breed you will end up with the same breed but maybe different colours, again down to which is the dominant gene.
With two pure pedigree dogs of whatever breed you will end up with the same breed but maybe different colours, again down to which is the dominant gene.
