Have certain breeds of hunting dogs fallen out of favour over the years?

[ninepointer]

Golden Retrievers and Cocker Spaniels certainly fall into the “diluted” category.

[Fox]

That's completly subjective as to it being better in the house.
And what does a lab cross with a poodle offer that a lab doesn't already possess. There is so so much more then breeding two retriever breeds together and thinking that you've done the dog world a favor the same can be said for breeding a Brittney and a setter what would you be trying to achieve?
In many cases the best part of buying a dog from an established breed and even from certain established lines that have been breed to a type and temperament.
To remain on topic I would think that the switch in the police dogs is due to the German Shepard being over bred for the wrong traits and the current group of police dogs being selectively bred for a repeatable sound structure and personality traits that enable them to Cull less and have smoother training programs. Which is what every sound breeding program should be regardless of job.
I'm not an expert on retriever breeds but I can tell you that how much pressure, timeline and when can be different from Brittneys to Setters to pointers and when you cross them you don't always know what you are getting and I'm certain that it would carry over in to other venues as well.

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What does breeding the two offer that a lab does not possess? Well first of all they are hypoallergenic, that is a significant thing.

A buddy had labs all his life, he wanted a new dog, wife did not want the hair all around so he got a doodle, best retriever he ever had.

Oh, and grandpa had a border collie, was a great grouse dog, pointed and retrieved.

The dogs have natural drive are the ones that you want, trainable with natural drive, there is no reason a mutt cannot be as good a hunting dog as pure breeds and honestly Labs right now have been bred to be massive and lazy compared to what trials dogs used to be.

[trkyhntr21]

What does breeding the two offer that a lab does not possess? Well first of all they are hypoallergenic, that is a significant thing.

A buddy had labs all his life, he wanted a new dog, wife did not want the hair all around so he got a doodle, best retriever he ever had.

Oh, and grandpa had a border collie, was a great grouse dog, pointed and retrieved.

The dogs have natural drive are the ones that you want, trainable with natural drive, there is no reason a mutt cannot be as good a hunting dog as pure breeds and honestly Labs right now have been bred to be massive and lazy compared to what trials dogs used to be.

First not all Labradoodle are hypoallergenic some quick research would show you that.
Second can a border collie be a hunting dog sure, can my pointers chase sheep you bet can a person get lucky with a dog sure they can doesn't mean that it would work out every time.
Takes just as much or more time to train a mediocre dog and the same amount of food to feed. Thats the point of buying a dog suited for the type of game you want to play.

Actually all the trial labs I've seen or dogs from them are athletic,perhaps you are looking at the wrong ones.

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[krakadawn]

What does breeding the two offer that a lab does not possess? Well first of all they are hypoallergenic, that is a significant thing.

A buddy had labs all his life, he wanted a new dog, wife did not want the hair all around so he got a doodle, best retriever he ever had.

Oh, and grandpa had a border collie, was a great grouse dog, pointed and retrieved.

The dogs have natural drive are the ones that you want, trainable with natural drive, there is no reason a mutt cannot be as good a hunting dog as pure breeds and honestly Labs right now have been bred to be massive and lazy compared to what trials dogs used to be.

Not sure what labs you're seeing or exposed to but that's not what I see cuurently. Field trial bred dogs certainly vary but in general are very athletic in size and structure. I won't comment on what some backyard breeders might produce.
Cross bred dogs rarely have a level of predictability in their get, you would be making an unsupported prediction on the qualities that the next generation may or may not have. Do not assume that the best attributes would be front and centre in a cross, can actually be the least positive.

[swampsinger]

Not sure what labs you're seeing or exposed to but that's not what I see cuurently. Field trial bred dogs certainly vary but in general are very athletic in size and structure. I won't comment on what some backyard breeders might produce.
Cross bred dogs rarely have a level of predictability in their get, you would be making an unsupported prediction on the qualities that the next generation may or may not have. Do not assume that the best attributes would be front and centre in a cross, can actually be the least positive.

I agree, and I can trace the pedigree on my pups back well over a hundred years. Like myself the Breeders before me carefully chose hounds to consistently bring the most desired qualities forward. I can confidently say every pup I breed can place in field trials.