While i agree with all of the above, i'd say no gundog breeeds are really bred to un healthy extremes (possibly the clumber being only exception, droopy eyes) and if u buy a working strain then its not really an issue anyway.
While those 'big' labs would not be fit for a genuine day working it's surprising how some aren't actually fat but just bloody massivly built.
As for mongerals? When u cross a BMH and a lab do they actually look into the characters/strengths/weakness's of both sire and dam before mating or is it just the 1st dog of the correct breed?
Seen some very good lab/spaniel crosses over the years but both parents were decent working dogs anyway, buut breeding 2 **** dogs together is only going to produce **** no matter which random breeds u cross. Seen some truely horrendous lab/wire crosses too, would fight with themselves if no other dogs around to figh with
The biggest problem facing working strain dogs is in-breeding, which is a ridiculas thing to say for a population the size it is.
But far too many folk are breeding **** bitches to fashionable FTCH stud dogs so they can charge £££££ for the pups to folk that don't know the bitch.
Far too few stud dogs lining too many bitches, very hard to find a yellow/fox red pup in my area that is not out of 1 cracking dog within last 2 gens.
We seem to have lost the stocksmans eye for breeding dogs in this country which has been used for generations.
Really could go with going down a more german route where all dogs need to be health tested and pass working test before they are allowed to be bred with and someone plans the breedings so 1 stud cannot be use excessively.
But that will never happen as cost some folk a lot of money