Considering breeding

[Monstersspaniel]

I don't pedigree pups I want crosses and I don't want to it for designer puppies


I would like Millie to have pups but id want cross pups I would like to breed for temperment and quality for this what breeds would be good to cross with a cocker? Ideally id like cross her with a poodle in your opinion would this be a good mix?? Id also want to keep the Blue roan gene so what would be a good colour to cross with to keep her colour/patterns I have notticed many cockerpoos (cocker spaniel poodle mix's)) turn out black and white or solid black.

Any advice welcome

[*Jay*]

What is your reasoning behind breeding crossbreed pups rather than a litter of purebred ones? I don't think you'd be able to have blue roan pups if you bred her to a poodle but I'm sure someone with more knowledge on colour inheritance can correct me if I've got that wrong.

[LynneB]

I don't understand why you would want crossbreeds. If pure bred parents are fully health tested and chosen for their temperament there is a much better chance that you will be able to predict the outcome of the mating.

[Mel]

I don't know much about breeding but I've read quite a bit of stuff on cockerpoos and they are not always the healthiest of dogs.

Most cocker breeders would not lift breeding restrictions on their cockers to create crossbreeds anyhow.

Maybe you should try a cockerpoo forum?

[Sarah1985]

I would have serious concerns about actively breeding cross bred puppies. How can their future owners make informed decisions about whether the dog is suitable for them if you can say to what extent the pup will take after mum and what extent it will take after dad. You cant say if they'll have the personality of a cocker or whether they will moult, what size they will be fully grown.

I know several Cockerpoos and they vary widely. I know two particularly well their owner had no idea what she let herself in for. Ultimately she was sold 2 none moulting highly trainable lap dogs, and has ended up with two high energy, high hunt drive dogs with a coat that picks up every single leaf and bramble the dogs comes into contact with.

ive tried my best to point her in the direction of mentally stimulating activities to make the dogs more managable but I do fear its falling on deaf ears as shes ended up with a dog completely unsuitable for her lifestyle.

[Magic Star]

Whether you intend to breed pure bred or cross bred puppies, you should think long and hard about the commitment and responsibility involved, for starters you could read http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=3428.0 and there are many many threads on this forum and the internet in general about the pro's and con's of breeding.

Your girl is just a pup at the moment, I think you should for the time being just enjoy her and see how you feel in a couple of years time

[Monstersspaniel]

I want to try it out I know that its unfavourable among pedigree breeders because of all the designer dog breeders out their but it just something im interested in trying out of course their is the chance that the outcome is unpredictable because of the crossing  ideally poodle cross is what I want but are their breeds out their that would suit a cocker crossing better???

[Sarah1985]

it just something im interested in trying out

Seems quite a risky experiement to me....

If you do go ahead I would certainly recomend you making sure you find a number of suitable homes  lined up (who know what they are letting themselves in for) before the mating.

[Magic Star]

Its not a new recipe you are *thinking of trying*   , these are living animals, that come with bills,time and masses of responsibility.  I think you also need to consider that the country is in a recession, there are dogs/puppies getting put into animal shelters because their owners can no longer afford to feed them or pay for expensive vet bills .  Will your litter of pups be adding to the extreme pressure already put upon these shelters, can you guarantee you can sell your pups, can you afford to keep them if you can't sell them can you afford to take them back if the new owners decide they can't keep them for whatever reason (all part of being a responsible breeder)  These are just *some* of the questions you should be asking yourself never mind, what colour you will get

Like I said earlier, please think, long and hard and search every single possibility of things going wrong, before embarking on bringing a litter of more puppies into a country that is jam packed to the rafters with animals that people cannot keep anymore due to financial situations changing.

I have just read a post on the health thread of a lady who has recently had a litter of pups, one of which sadly has heart condition, which her vet said will cost thousands to operate on, she is faced with a heartbreaking dilemma of finding the money for that op, or having a dog with a short lifespan or even as another breeder has suggested to her having it put down, thats the kind of choices you may face when breeding, thats the kind of responsibility you are taking on.

[bajoleth]

I want to try it out I know that its unfavourable among pedigree breeders because of all the designer dog breeders out their but it just something im interested in trying out of course their is the chance that the outcome is unpredictable because of the crossing  ideally poodle cross is what I want but are their breeds out their that would suit a cocker crossing better???

To be honest, none, I don't believe in mixing dog breeds on purpose. Why would you want to? You have a young pup and all that that entails, just enjoy her for now and if this is something you would want to seriously consider in the future then quite frankly I don't think you will get much help on COL. COL is all about doing what is best fro our breed which involves sensible breeding plans with appropriate health tests etc, trhe KC for all its faults does serve a purpose,it has laws and guidelines for breeders a pairing such as you are thinking of would not be registered with the KC therefore no 'rules' would need to be adshered to. I know you say you don't want to breed designer pups but I think that in effect is what you are saying. There are silly people out there who will pay a silly amount of money for a non pedigree non KC registered non health tested pup the breeders are not held to account by any governing body and who knows what characteristics they will inherit from their parents?
I also think that some people who buy these crossbreeds believe that because the dam and sire were KC reg , pedigree pups that their pups are too, when we entered a fun dog show once the organiser who was a friend of mine had said she had loads of owners wanting to enter their dogs in the pedigree classes and couldn't understand why they couldn't, they were flumoxed when told that parents being pedigree pups of a different breed made their pups 'mongrels'. I am not being elitest one of the best dogs we had when I was growing up was a collie cross
Cross breeds do occur and most make lovely pets but to set out to deliberately crossbreed 'just to see' is not on

[Monstersspaniel]

Of course these are all things that i will take on board its not something that I will put into motion untill she has had her first season but theirs no reason why i can't learn about the coat colours/temperment breeding stuff in the mean time.

Naturally as mentioned its dammed expensive keeping a dog i dont think a lot of people who go into it realise the cost and how hard it is to cope with a puppy it a massive commitment this is a few of the things that makes me really think twice about breeding the cost of investing time and good money to create a good pup and the fact that their are laods of mutts out their in shelters all ready because their owners made careless decissions or simply could not cope and of course their is Millie herself to consider her health and happyness ive read some threads on seasons and its one of the reasons alone that I would have her spade before considering breeding but the more i think about the more i want to do it.

[Helen]

When I hear of the heartbreak that some breeders go through - culminating in losing their bitches and/or pups - I find it hard to believe that anyone would lightly consider 'trying it out' 

There are so many things that could go wrong 

I believe in breeding to improve a breed so cannot agree with your motives to breed at all I'm afraid 

[Mel]

I've had cocker spaniels for 27yrs and one day I would like to breed a litter to see if it's something I want to continue doing. I would only breed to enhance the breed with happy, healthy dogs. It's a very big thing to just do without much knowlegde or back up.

[bajoleth]

Of course these are all things that i will take on board its not something that I will put into motion untill she has had her first season but theirs no reason why i can't learn about the coat colours/temperment breeding stuff in the mean time.

Naturally as mentioned its dammed expensive keeping a dog i dont think a lot of people who go into it realise the cost and how hard it is to cope with a puppy it a massive commitment this is a few of the things that makes me really think twice about breeding the cost of investing time and good money to create a good pup and the fact that their are laods of mutts out their in shelters all ready because their owners made careless decissions or simply could not cope and of course their is Millie herself to consider her health and happyness ive read some threads on seasons and its one of the reasons alone that I would have her spade before considering breeding but the more i think about the more i want to do it.

I am not knocking you for 'looking into it' , but she will have to be at least 2 before you consider breeding so it is a long way off yet What I am opposed to and don't quite understand is why you would want to breed her with another breed, why not another Cocker. I don't understand the logic behind that I'm afraid

[Jane S]

What is your reasoning behind breeding crossbreed pups rather than a litter of purebred ones? I don't think you'd be able to have blue roan pups if you bred her to a poodle but I'm sure someone with more knowledge on colour inheritance can correct me if I've got that wrong.

Absolutely right Jay - you cannot reproduce the blue roan pattern in Cocker x Poodle puppies since both breeds have to carry the gene for this coat colour pattern and Poodles just don't have this gene.

To be honest Monsterspaniel, you are probably in the wrong place to get advice on the deliberate breeding of cross-bred puppies as this is a forum for people who love Cocker Spaniels and most would not agree with the breeding of Cocker cross puppies unless for exceptionally good reasons (and offhand I can't think of any, sorry, except for perhaps certain kinds of assistance dog breeding programs). Re health issues, Poodles and Cockers have some of the same hereditary problems (eg the eye disease PRA) and mating the two breeds can still produce affected puppies (unless all available health tests have been done on the parents with clear results)