A good indicator of the relative health of cross breeds vs pedigrees is the hunting world. Game keepers dogs have to work hard and so good health is at a premium. They are increasingly looking to crosses such as labradoodles as the traditional breeds are suffering increasing health problems which are rare in crosses.
Not up here they ain't - my pal has three doodles left from a litter of 6 that are 5 months old - from two health tested parents, one of which is a lab that is worked and has FT Ch parents and grandparents. She had five left up until last weekend. The first one went when they were 12 weeks old. Fortunately she has the facilities to look after them and do a wee bit of training with them, but be warned anyone who thinks they can make a quick buck from any kind of doodle. Any breeder, whether a one off or in large numbers should be prepared to take any dogs back or hold onto them until they find their forever homes. She had a lab dog a couple of years ago pup until he was 13 months - from the sister to the dam of the doodles, sire a FT Ch.
I dislike the Kennel Club enormously, but I have to admit it is the one organisation with the resources and clout to change things. They need to get away from the total aversion to outcrossing with different breeds to increase the gene pool, and get away from the stupid obsession with the current breed standards which are aimed at the show ring and put the long term health and welfare of the breed at the centre of any future standards.
I must take issue with this unfair and irrational condemnation.
Breed standards were initially written for working breeds and progressed from there. The problem is that non-dog people were employed to 'standardise' the standards. But if you read any standard properly you will understand that the word picture it paints is for conformation regardless of whether the actual dog works or not. And if a dog is not conformed properly it cannot reach its full potential in the field. For example "Chest deep. Brisket reaching to elbow. Foreleg length is slightly greater than chest depth. Ribcage well rounded. Back short with loin short and strong" indicates to me that this dog should have a deep chest for plenty of heart room, with plenty rib cage room for both heart and lungs, and short coupled, with a decent length of leg, so that it can hunt for me all day on either moors and woodlands. In addition, if you read the list of Health requirements for 'responsible' breeders (ABS) you will see that the KC are taking great care on health issues.
As regards aversion to outcrossing I think you mean cross breeding? You perhaps do not realise that there are regulations in place to do just that - but only to improve on what is there already - that is the whole point of breeding in my opinion, breed to improve the stock you have now - surely that applies to all animals??? The KC will allow dogs to be registered which are a result of continued crossbreeding provided they breed true within seven generations and are certified by two conformation judges to be of a quality conforming to the standard.
As for gene pools, in the majority of breeds there is a huge gene pool, the problem is that if a dog wins a lot in either bench or field it is the best thing since sliced bread and everyman and his wife wants to use it at stud. THAT is what narrows the gene pool NOT the number of dogs in the country. Human stupidity! The KC cannot regulate that!
And incidentally, the KC is run by a huge office organisation, not by a few oldies drinking G & T
