There’s a trend at the moment for cross-bred dogs.

It started in LA (where else?) with Labradoodles, basically a Labrador that doesn’t shed its Poodle coat.

They sold for silly money, a point not lost on breeders who found they could ask more for an unregistered mongrel than they could for an official Kennel Club breed.

Then came the Cockapoo with the Cocker Spaniel replacing the Labrador in the mix, closely followed by Springadors where the Labrador took over from the Poodle and each time the price of puppies increased.

We are now into fantasy land with breeders stirring and mixing like Jamie Oliver.

There’s even a Cocker crossed with a Shiatsu (you can make your own name up for that one).

Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong in cross breeding, in many cases it eliminates genetic faults. But buyer beware.

It is a fad and there are no Kennel Club guarantees that the dog you buy is anything more than a mongrel.

It may be a lovely dog but it’s still a mongrel and you should not be duped into paying more that you’d expect to pay for any cross-breed.

Most rescue centres have mongrels you can adopt for a basic fee of around £60. They’d be delighted to help you choose one.

Some of my most successful pupils have been mongrels but there are no pedigrees and no Kennel Club recognition. It’s lucky dip.

If you don’t want a pedigree dog then the world’s your wolf pack and there is no need to pay over the odds.

Go to The Dogs Trust or Cheshire Dogs’ Home and they’ll show you a selection of wonderful mongrels available for a small donation.

You can email Vic at vicbarlow@icloud.com or by text on 07590 560012.