I watched a programme a while ago which was about pedigree dogs and wondered if anyone else had gone from owning pedigrees to crossbreeds/mongrels either from things shown on there or because of the health issues of many Pedigrees?

We have in the past have bred Welsh Border Collies, owned an OESD, a Brittany Spaniel, Labs and had many bad issues with health problems that when we decided to get another dog we went for a crossbreed - not a "designer breed" like a Spoodle, Yorkiepoo etc, but a Labradoodle. We then went on to get another who was bred for purpose as an assistance dog (ok so he failed the tests through overexuberance admittedly, but that can happen with any pedigree too). We were horrified with the contents and I am not going into details of the programme because I am sure someone would otherwise come on and say "This topic has been previously discussed to death" and that isn't the reason for the thread anyway.

I am just interested in how many people have gone from Pedigrees to mongrels or crosses?

ive done a full circle!

First dogs were pedigrees

then my little mongrel - a yorkie scottie mix

and now my rescued pedigree


I certainly didnt choose my dogs due to their pedigrees or lack of at the time.

My rescue was chosen because i am involved in rescue and have hankered after one of his breed for a while,

my mutt was chosen because he was from an accidental litter of health tested parents from a very good breeder - so i knew the chances of health problems were lessened, however she still pays for his insurance as there are less " sound predicitons" to be made with a mix,

the pedigrees i had before that were all from good breeders although admittedly in the days before alot of the health testing was done now.


Oh and i also naievely bought a dog from a byb, spent an absolout fortune and broke my heart over her. With my experience now in the rescue field, and my experience of being one of the unfortunate general public duped by a bad breeder - this is WHY i am so vocal about bad breeding!

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What is the difference between a crossbreed and a designer breed then?

You consider a labradoodle a cross but not designer why?

In my eyes there is no such thing as "designer" breed just crosses and some are more popular than others just as some Pedigrees are more popular than others.

I have a cockerpoo he is a cross breed and I hate being classed as having a designer dog because this is just not the case.

Historically, Labradoodles were originally bred for assistance/guide dogs for people allergic to dog fur rather than just IMO breeders trying different crossbreeding either to make money from the "designer dog" label or as they sound better than saying crossbreeds or mongrels. That is what I meant by originally bred for purpose.

Got your Pm thanks! and cockerpoos have been breed in America since the 1950's so actually not a new breed at all.

Yes do agree people are breeding them for money, but I just love the Poodle crosses- infact to be honest I prefer crosses and mongrels as they are all different and I like the mixes of both look and personality. Don't get me wrong I love pedigrees too but if I had to choose it would be a x or a mongrel.

i love my little mongrel too CP and would choose him all over again if i had the ability to wind back time.

On the subject of labradoodles, yes they were bred for a reason, but i was under the impression that the reason they were first produced by the well known kennel in australia has now been disproved due to its unpredictability? Perhaps you could correct me on that score.

There are good and bad breeders on both side of the fence. Bad pedigree breeders and bad mongrel breeders. Unfortunatly fashion dictates the rises in bad breeders of one type of dog over another. At the moment the market is flooded with bad mongrel breeders because they are what are in fashion at the moment. The television programme you refer to was in part responsible for that. Its a shame it didnt actually show the good breeders and only the bad.

Interestingly I watched a programme on a puppy farmer. Many of the dogs featured were mixes, along with some of the more popular toy breeds. 15-20 years ago bichons and chihuahuas were not very common, i now see them very regularly. Fashions change, so the puppy farmers change their stock to suit. After all all they want is to make money.

Rescues have always had to bear the brunt of the dog fashion trends. When it was dalmatians, then they flooded the rescues, weimeranas have also flooded. Staffies were very fashionable status dogs not long ago (and in some places still are), as replacements of the banned pit bulls. Being more readily available and a more common dog they were bred even more. The result... thousands of them in rescue. I wonder what will happen in a few years when the fashion for mongrels (particularly poodle mixes and toy mixes) wanes..... i would bet money on the fact that many will end up in rescue.

I do think some people have bought mongrels because they mistakenly assume that they will automatically be healthier. I only wish that argument really stood up.

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What programme was it?

Why would mongrels and crosses be healthier than pedigree's?

If anything I would say that they are more likely to be UNhealthier! you have the risk of contracting health issues from two different breeds!! As for mongrels, they are called this as their parentage is unknown! At least with a cross you could be prepared for certain health issues that could arise, with a mongrel you just don't know what could potentially be on the cards!

I have nothing against Pedigree's, crosses OR mongrels, I just wish ppl would stop living up to propagander and fashion! A dog is a dog is a dog, what needs to be done is to make health testing MANDATORY for ALL breeders, and dogs that fail should be neutured or spayed! END OF!

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Sorry last poster, but this isn't the thread debating that topic. This one is just about if people have changed and why! The programme was a while ago on BBC and was predonimantly about the KC?Breeders and the way certain breeds have been caused suffering from that intervention... you can look back on old posts as I know that particular topic has been covered there.

I have a german shepherd and 2 cross breeds. A collie cross (I think Jack russell or other terrier) and an old english mastiff/dogue de bordeaux.

I've not had any experience with short snouted dogs but touch wood so far Luna is ok. Candy my collie cross is 12 and is still full of life. The only major surgery she's ever had was when she was neutered and the last time we went to the vets she only needed her anal glands expressed.

Sky my 'pedigree' (she's not KC) hasn't had any problems either.

I don't think of them as pedigree and cross breed. I don't think about how my 2 mixes could possibly be healthier than Sky, they're just my dogs and I love them all.

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