Does anyone have a Pointador?

Teaandacrunchie

Thank you Mac, that's really kind. I am so sorry you're facing the same thing. They are such a huge part of the family aren't they. Our grief has knocked us for six. The worst was knowing that he would have kept going if he could but that his body had failed him. We miss him every day.

I shall definitely look at rescues before we decide. I am holding back because I know I shall fall head over heels and it won't be the right time so I think we'll look when we are near the right time to offer a home. I met an adorable lab cross at the park today who had been a rescue case & he was just lovely so it hadn't been ruled out completely.

candygirl

I had a lab x spaniel for ten years, n she was the cleverest dog ever.She could open doors and everything
Hope you get a pup to share your lives very soon

MysteryMe

You have a better chance of getting the temperament of dog you want by going to a rescue centre I'd have thought. They tend to be careful to match owner to dog as the last thing they want is to have the dog back at the centre after a couple of weeks. Good luck with your search, losing a beloved pet is always heartbreaking.

krlyr

Teaandacrunchie wrote: »

and I feel that a cross would be less likely to have those problems due to the larger gene pool.

It's really not about the size of the pool, but the genes that are in it. You breed a Labrador with a history of hip problems with a Pointer with a history of hip problems (because they're a breed also prone to hip dysplasia) and you will still get puppies who are prone to hip problems.

Whereas you breed a Labrador with a small gene pool free of hip problems, to a Labrador with a small gene pool free of hip problems, and you're very unlikely to have "bad hip genes" sneaking in there. This is one of the reasons "inbreeding" (called line breeding) is done in dog breeding actually - not normally as close as parent to child or siblings, but say grandparent back to grandchild, because it closes that gene pool and keeps the good genes in and the bad genes (from that wider pool) out. Obviously it may then "trap" some of the undesirable genes - which is why breeders may choose to breed out to a different line now and then, e.g. using a European stud for a new gene pool or similar.

Of course, a good line of Labradors bred with a good line of Pointers will result in a good line of Labrador x Pointers, but it's finding that reputable breeder who's in it for health and temperament, not the whole designer crossbreed cash cow.


There is the whole "hybrid vigour", where some crossbreeds are healthier, but this is real mutts - your Romanian streetdogs, for example, where the gene pool is wide but there's also an element of natural selection in there, i.e. the fittest dogs are the ones able to feed themselves and to compete their way to getting the healthiest females pregnant. Your average puppyfarm/back-yard breeder crossbred litters will likely be from dogs sourced from similar backgrounds with a poor health history, kept in poor conditions (studies have shown that stress during pregnancy results in a stressful temperament in pups) and without that "vigour".

melbury

unforeseen wrote: »

Why this urge to concatenate two breed names. It's a cross breed being produced by uncontrolled breeders to cash in on a fad. Give it a 'name' and you add a few hundred pound premium on top of the £30 you would get for a cross-breed/mongrel.

I suppose i should start calling mine a Rhodesian Boxer to follow the fad. In reality she is a cross breed.

They used to be called mongrels and were cheap - the world has gone mad:)

adandem

The beauty with a rescue is many dogs have undergone rigourous assessment before being put up for adoption so you know to some extent what you're getting. There are many independent and breed specific rescues who have all their dogs living in foster arrangements and a really detailed profile of each dog is available. Please don't rule it out.

Teaandacrunchie

I just wanted to do a quick update and let you know that we are re-homing a puppy on Sunday! We have no idea what he is, a whole bunch of all sorts but we can't wait to give him a good life. Thanks for all the advice.

elsien

And photos, as always, are obligatory.