Purebred Dogs vs. Mixed Breed Dogs Which Dog Breed Is Best For You? 11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy Advice You Can Trust: 180 Dog Breed Reviews Teach Your Dog 100 English Words How To Buy a Good Dog

Mixed breed dogs (mutts, mongrel dogs) vs. purebred dogs (AKC dog breeds and rare dog breeds). How pure breed dogs compare to mixed breed dogs in temperament, behavior, and health. Dog books I've written about choosing a dog, training a dog, and natural health care for dogs: Your Purebred Puppy: A Buyer's Guide (Available at libraries and bookstores) Teach Your Dog 100 English Words 11 Things You Must Do RIGHT To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy

Mixed Breed Dogs vs. Purebred Dogs We've already talked about purebred dogs. And I've already said that all dogs are individuals. When two dogs stand side by side -- one a purebred dog and one a mixed one dog -- either may be the more beautiful, the more intelligent, the healthier, the better family pet. We can only compare purebreds with mixed breeds in general terms. So let's talk about mixed breed dogs. Mixed Breed Dogs You can't predict what a mixed breed will look or act like Because... A mixed breed is not necessarily a mix of purebreds. Someone will say, "My dog's a Shepherd-Husky," as though his dog is the offspring of a purebred German Shepherd and a purebred Siberian Husky. Or "He's a mix of Shepherd, Husky, and Collie," as though his parents and grandparents were purebred members of these three breeds. In reality, such pure crosses are not that common. It is just as likely that a mixed breed dog is the offspring of TWO OTHER mixed breed dogs. The closest purebred in his heritage may be a single grandparent or great-grandparent. He may even be the product of many generations of mixed breeding... ...with nary a purebred to be seen anywhere. The term mixed breed, then, is misleading, because it suggests that a dog who is not a purebred has to be a MIX of purebreds. Not true. ONE-MINUTE HISTORY LESSON It isn't as though the first dogs started out as fancy purebreds and everything that isn't pure is some degenerate form of these purebreds. On the contrary. The first dogs were what we might call original village dogs. They roamed the edges of early villages and reproduced randomly. The purebreds that came along much later (mostly in the 1800s) were developed from these village dogs. But the original dogs have gone right along reproducing themselves, as well, and we still see the results of their random breedings today. So unless you know FOR SURE that a puppy had purebred parents, trying to guess "what breeds are in him" may be a waste of time. Because the truth may be, "No breeds at all. He comes from a long line of original village dogs." In other words, his parents and grandparents and great-grandparents may have been totally random mixtures of plain old CANINE genes -- not the more limited subset of PUREBRED genes. Personally, I think "non-purebred" is a more accurate term than "mixed breed." Even if you THINK you see some recognizable breed in a non-purebred dog... You may be mistaken. You're looking at a dog with black and tan markings. Does that mean he has Rottweiler in his heritage? Or Doberman? Is he part German Shepherd? Maybe not. There are only so many ways that canine parts CAN look -- and these "looks" can occur in any dog. A dog doesn't have to "get" his black and tan markings, or prick ears, or curled tail from some purebred. A non-purebred is entitled to the same basic canine genes and canine characteristics as a purebred is. Even if a dog really IS a mix of purebreds... You can't accurately guess which ones. You're looking at a stocky white dog with a big head. A Pit Bull mix? Maybe. But other breeds come in white (say, a Boxer). Other breeds have stocky builds (say, a Labrador Retriever). Other breeds have large heads (say, a French Bulldog). Combine these other breeds and you could get a stocky white dog with a big head who LOOKS like a Pit Bull -- and yet has no Pit Bull heritage at all! In mixed breed dogs, what you see on the outside often doesn't reflect the true genes on the inside. Don't jump to conclusions that just because a non-purebred dog LOOKS LIKE some breed, then he probably IS a mix of that breed. The old saying, "If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck," simply doesn't hold true for mixed breed dogs. Even if someone TELLS you what breeds are in there... They're often just guessing. Animal shelters and humane societies often post information tags about their dogs, such as "Lab mix." But in most cases, they are... Assuming that every dog MUST be a mix of some purebred. Assuming that because a dog has some body part (size, head, color) that LOOKS like a purebred, he must BE part purebred. Assuming that they can guess which purebred that might be. Even when the owner TELLS the shelter that their dog is a mix of some specific breed... the owner is often guessing, too. Or he was given misinformation from the original person HE got the dog from. Moral: Don't make your decision about which dog to adopt based on guesses of "which breeds are in him." Even if you know FOR SURE which breeds are in him... You don't know whether those parents and grandparents were "typical" of their breed. Remember when we were talking about purebreds, how there are many purebreds who don't have the temperament and behavior typical for their breed? There are Jack Russell Terriers who are calm and quiet, Doberman Pinschers who love everyone, and Golden Retrievers who are aggressive. Don't assume that purebreds ALWAYS have certain characteristics. You're looking at a puppy at the animal shelter. The shelter manager assures you that the puppy is a Fox Terrier mix -- he personally saw the mother, he says, and she was a purebred Fox Terrier. You're concerned, because you've read that terriers can be energetic, noisy, and stubborn. You reject the puppy. But what you don't know is that this particular Fox Terrier mother was one of the calmest, quietest, and most obedient dogs you could ever hope to find. She was not typical of her breed. Perhaps her puppy may have been the same way. Now here's an example from the other side of the fence... You're looking at a puppy at the animal shelter. The shelter manager assures you that the puppy is a Saint Bernard mix -- he personally saw the mother, he says, and she was a purebred Saint Bernard. You're pleased, because you've read that Saint Bernards are good-natured, friendly dogs. You take the puppy. But what you don't know is that this particular Saint Bernard mother slunk around with her tail between her legs, scared of her own shadow and nervous around strangers. She was not typical of her breed. Her puppy may be the same way. If you don't SEE the parents, you can't assume that they automatically have the temperament and behavior their breed "is known for." Even if you know FOR SURE which breeds are in him, and you know the parents VERY WELL... You still don't know WHICH genes a puppy will inherit from WHICH breed -- and which genes will "trump" the others. You're looking at a "Pek-a-poo" puppy. His father was a Pekingese, his mother was a Poodle. You know for sure that both of them act normal for their breed, because they live next door to you. But...since a Pekingese is very different from a Poodle, the Pekapoo puppy inherits conflicting characteristics. Will he shed heavily, like a Pekingese? Will he not shed at all, like a Poodle? Or something in between? Will he be stubborn (Pekingese)? Will he be eager to please (Poodle)? Or something in between? Perhaps the Pekingese genes will trump the Poodle genes in appearance... while the Poodle genes trump the Pekingese genes in temperament. Or vice versa. Or perhaps the genes will all blend together so that the puppy doesn't resemble either breed in appearance or temperament. You can't get around it. Non-purebred dogs are unpredictable. Now, I don't mean they're unpredictable as DOGS, as though you can't tell what they're going to DO from day to day! No, no! All I mean is that you cannot look at a non-purebred puppy and predict what he will grow up to look like and act like. To paraphrase Forrest Gump, "A non-purebred puppy is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." The solution, of course, is to look for an adult who already HAS the appearance, temperament, and behavior that you want. The difficulty with this solution, of course, is finding him! Non-purebreds tend toward the moderate The extremes of temperament and behavior often seen in purebreds are less common in non-purebreds. It is certainly possible for non-purebreds to be "very" energetic or "very" independent or "very" prone to chasing things. But many purebreds were specifically BRED to have those temperaments and behaviors because they aided the breed's performance of his work. In non-purebreds, extreme temperaments and behaviors are by happenstance rather than deliberate design. Because their temperament and behavior is more middle-of-the-road and less strongly "programmed," non-purebreds tend to be more flexible. They often adjust more easily to a greater variety of households and living conditions. If you want a dog with specific skills, such as herding sheep or pointing pheasants, or to compete in some specialized canine event such as schutzhund or lure coursing, a non-purebred is not the way to go. These are the areas where purebreds are at their very best. Health problems in non-purebreds Most individuals have good genetic diversity, i.e. their genes are unrelated and include a little of this and a little of that, which tends to promote overall health and vigor. Because their genes are usually unrelated, the chances are good that the parents of a mixed breed puppy did not both have the same defective genes. It is the pairing up of the same defective genes that causes some of the worst health problems. Mother Nature tends to make dogs moderately sized, with natural builds. For example, in non-purebreds you seldom find faces as short as a Pug. You seldom find bodies as long as a Dachshund, or as barrel-shaped as a Bulldog, or as huge as a Great Dane, or as tiny as a Maltese. Which is good, because these physical features are associated with increased health problems. It is almost unheard of for a mixed breed dog to have even one parent who has been tested for any genetic disorder. With a mixed breed dog, you have to put your faith in his genetic diversity, rather than in medical testing. Some mixed breed dogs are crosses of purebreds that share similar health problems. This means the same defective gene could come over from both parents and pair up in their puppies. For example, a "Cockapoo" puppy has one Cocker Spaniel parent and one Poodle parent. Both of these breeds are prone to a long list of similar defects that could easily pair up. Some mixed breed dogs are inbred just as much or worse than purebred dogs. For example, some people who breed "Cockapoos" have only a few dogs whom they keep interbreeding. Whether purebred or mixed, it is much easier for defective genes to pair up when the gene pool is small and the dogs are related. Non-purebreds are inexpensive Many people are reluctant to spend $500 or $1000 for a purebred dog. You can get a non-purebred at the animal shelter for $25 to $75. Classified ads in the newspaper may charge the same, or may even give their puppies away free. Dog breeders sometimes speak scornfully of people who don't want to pay hundreds of dollars for a dog. "If you can't afford the purchase price," they say, "how will you afford monthly food bills or emergency vet bills?" I believe these are entirely separate situations. If a beloved dog is ill, countless owners will scrape and scrounge to come up with however many hundreds (or thousands) of dollars it takes to help him, whether they found him as a stray, or paid $1000 for him. In fact, if they had to pay $1000 for him, they have that much less available to pay for health care. With all of the problems purebred dogs are facing, breeders do not have a compelling argument that you're automatically getting a better dog for all that money. To sum up, a non-purebred can be a fine choice... if you're willing to accept whatever characteristics he grows up to have -- or if you adopt an adult so you can already see what he looks like and acts like if you raise and train him correctly if you're willing to accept the potential for genetic defects and health problems (greater in some mixes than in others) if you don't want to pay a high purchase price and if you like the idea of saving a life that no one else may have wanted Back to Purebred Dogs If you would like to link to this article, here is the HTML code: <a href="http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/tutorial2.html">Mixed Breed Dogs vs. Purebred Dogs</a> Copyright © 2000-2008 by Michele Welton. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without the permission of the author.