I would think that a cavalier-poodle would be healthier than just a regular cavalier. Mixed breeds are often healthier thatn full bread dogs.
Um, not quite. Mixed breeds only have greater genetic diversity--which generally translates into fewer
recessive health problems for dogs of
several generations of genetic diversity.
What do you get when you breed two purebreds (genetically homogenous) of low quality? A puppy who is likely to inherit undesirable traits on both sides! Yes, the dog is slightly more diverse than its parents, but since high-quality purebreds aren't often crossbred... You actually have greater chance of buying a puppy with bad genes.*
And what does this mean in terms of general health? Well, only some health problems are genetic anyways. If the Cavalier's health problems are due to the shape of its heart, one generation of crossing with a poodle isn't going to alter its heart problems. If there's just a chance that a puppy will be born with a hole in its heart, then a single generation of out breeding might prevent this problem... provided that the other parent's breed doesn't also carry that genetic problem.
*and here's the real kicker: breeding together two cockapoo puppies of low genetic quality
increases the likelihood of their babies having defects! why? because the cockapoos have the bad genetic probabilities of
two genetically homogenous populations instead of just one.
So!
Short version: Hybrid breeds like cockapoos are only genetically healthier if you know that the parents are of high genetic quality. So shop carefully or you will actually be more likely to buy a puppy with genetic/congenital health problems.
Not that I'm targeting guppy fan... I'm just tired of hearing that oversimplification. If anyone is confused by what I wrote, there are some simple diagrams that I can draw to help explain.
