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Question
My mom has the best dog. His name is Cooper. Great temperment,loyal,sweet,obedient,etc. He is half Black Lab, half Doberman. Both of his parents are registed. His mom the Lab and his dad the Doberman. I think many people would benefit from a dog like him. He is the perfect big breed dog. I was wondering if it was possible for him as a mixed breed to be noticed in some way. I didn't know if mixed breeds could be registered or not. They came up with cockapoos and labradoodles. Why not a Labradobie. Thank you for your help.

Answer
Hi Shelby,

Cooper really sounds like a great dog.

There are a few of organizations dedicated to mixed breed dogs, they have shows and judge dogs a little differently than a purebred dog show.
For purebred dogs in the AKC, each breed has a clearly defined appearance standard, including such points as the length, thickness, and color of the coat; the dog's height and weight; the length of its back in proportion to its height; the shape of its ears and muzzle; and so on.

Because all mixed breeds are different, it is impossible to use such rules. Instead, dogs competing in mixed breed shows are must demonstrate physical soundness, good health, and a well-balanced and symmetrical appearance. For example, dogs must not be knock-kneed, have spinal problems, or have excessive overbite or underbite; their coats and skin must be healthy; and they must not be overweight or underweight for their build. Dogs compete against other dogs of similar height.

Some mixed breed dog organizations require a dog to complete an obedience title before it can complete its conformation championship. This ensures that the dog is not merely attractive but has also learned basic obedience.

Here are some mixed breed dog organizations you might be interested in:

The Mixed Breed Dog Club of America (MBDCA). A national registry for mixed breeds, it provides many of the same opportunities that the American Kennel Club (AKC) offers for purebreds.
http://members.tripod.com/mbdca/

The North American Mixed Breed Dog Registry (NAMBR) provides the mixed breed dog owner with an equal opportunity to earn titles in selected disciplines through NAMBR sanctioned Obedience Trials and Tracking Tests. In NAMBR there is no distinction between the pure and not so pure bred.
http://www.nambr.cardoso.ca/index.php

American Mixed Breed Obedience Registry (AMBOR), founded in 1983.
http://www.amborusa.com/

Nuts For Mutts, an annual dog show and pet fair celebrating the best of mixed breed dogs.
http://www.nutsformutts.com/

Just for the record, Cockapoos and Labradoodles (and the like) are not dog breeds. They are popular breed mixes, for which people are paying pure-bred prices.

Strictly speaking, these new designer "breeds" cannot be described as a dog breed because they do not "breed true". In breeders' terms, "breeding true" means that, when two specimens of the same breed are mated, the puppies have more consistently predictable characteristics and will resemble their parents, rather than exhibiting random characteristics of the dog breeds in their parents' ancestries.

So, Cooper really is a Labradobie (or maybe a Labman), he's just not a breed of dog.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti