Cross breeds

[princessstacie22]

Right i may cause i few raised eyebrows fr this but its really annoying me so i have to say it.

Why oh why when two little dogs such as a pug or a chiuawa(sp)
have a litter of pups, do the 'breeders' then have to mix the names to make it sound like a breed?
I know with the poodle and lab - labradoodle it is now a registered breed but why do people have to do it with everything now?

I've heard of chugs, jackadoodle, jackollie and thats only to mention a few.
why dont people just say its a cross breed?? They are making it sound like some fasion accessorie or something!!
Surely its misleading people into thinking they have a true breed of a dog?
Sorry if i have affended anyone but it does annoy me.
I do not have any dis respect to a cross breed dog at all, i know some make brilliant pets.

[Milliesmum]

Well I have a c0ckerpoo, that's what she was advertised as, but I wasn't mislead in any way, I knew exactly what cross I was getting, and that it was classed as a cross breed. But I also had researched them and knew what she was going to look like, how big she would grow and what sort of temperament she would have. I didn't want one for any fashion reason, any one who takes one look at me will know I don't give two hoots what's in fashion! Surely by the name you would know that it's a combination of two different breeds?

No offence taken btw!

[suzee]

All the time the public think they are buying something different and the breeders can sell them then it is self fueling.A mongrel/crossbreed it is, it is not a new breed There are so many designer dogs filling the rescue centres due to poor health,bad temperament and coat/skin problems,you often end up with the worst attributes of the breeds involved

[Milliesmum]

There is a demand for certain crosses now, but I don't necessarily agree about the health problems, I think a lot of pedigree dogs are renowned for certain health problems, GSD's with hip problems etc., there will be responsible breeders who check for these things and there will be the not so responsible types who don't, and that's true whether it's a pedigree or a cross. It's up to the buyer to check out the health problems of both breeds involved, and make sure the parents are screened. Buy from a reputable breeder, check them out properly, see the parents and be prepared to make veterinary provision for the lifespan of your puppy - that applies whether a cross or pedigree dog, IMO.


I think what Princessstacie was objecting to though was the fancy names - not the actual breeding of these crosses, more the daft names given to them! Wouldn't have mattered to me what the name was, I'd still have wanted the same dog!

[squidgetmidget]

i think the cross breeds are far better than the pedigree breeds! i have seen some great and very different from normal dogs because of it. its nice to see something different from the norm. but yes the names are ridiculous! best so far has to be a "jug". a jack russell x pug!

[Milliesmum]

I'm thinking of getting a Bulldog crossed with a Schitzu! Just to see people's faces when I tell them what kind of dog it is!

[ponymum]

hahahahahaha nice one mm!!!!

[Springclassic]

Iv heard of a jack sh1tz....jack russell x sh1tz sue (sp)

I have a mongrel dont know what she is...but her temperament is second to none...that is the most important thing in my eyes....of course they have to be healthly too...
But i do agree about the silly names people are giving these crosses

[Springclassic]

lol laughing at how it has changed the name of the dogs....he he he it should be S**tz

[suzee]

In my experience the vast majority of people breeding crossbreds do not health check both parents beforehand and usually when asked the stock answer is we do not have any problems/If you cross 2 breeds with health defects the chances of passing them to the pups are still likely. A KC accredited breeder has to health check their stock before breeding

[Milliesmum]

Can someone who knows answer me this then. When breeding horses, if your mare had a weak hindleg you would choose a stallion with a good hindleg to compensate, therefore hoping that would be passed on to the foal. Likewise if your mare was light of bone and you wanted a heavier type you would choose a stallion with plenty of bone. So does this not work the same in dogs, if say a certain breed was prone to hip defects, or eye defects, you would cross with a breed which is strong in these areas, thus producing offspring free of said defects. Surely if crossing two dogs of the same breed, you would multiply the chances of getting the common defects, and by crossing different breeds the puppies would have less chance of inheriting these faults?

That seems to make sense to me, but maybe one of the knowledgeable people on here who breed dogs (and I know there are some!) could explain to me why this isn't so?

[suzee]

The recommendation by genetic experts has been to screen breeding stock for the relevant hereditary defects before breeding.For example hip displasia there has been an official HD
testing scheme for many years.HD affects many breeds and in the worse cases the dog is PTS or faces invasive surgery,but even when breeding from "good hip stock"it will not erradicate
the problem,but it will reduce the incidence of occurence.So by crossing high risk breeds you are risking the resultant pups inheriting more problems not less.As you say you should try to select a stallion to compensate any shortcomings in your mare
so would you put a mare to another breed which is likely to
be totally unsuitable?For example breed to reduce the height of
Section Bs to 9 hands,or keep crossing 16hh TB with a Shetland
just for money because if you were to promote it enough the public would think they are buying something special and pay mega bucks. Also with dogs there is the coat problems that occur with crossbreeding,some are growing up to have coats like
Yaks totally unmanageable for the average pet owner.Temperament also can be very much more unpredictable
than in a well bred purebred.But when all is said and done if people are happy to pay vast amounts for a crossbred then thats their choice.A few years ago those pups would probably have been given away to good homes

[squidgetmidget]

Jan 23, 2010 11:33:36 GMT Milliesmum said:

I'm thinking of getting a Bulldog crossed with a Schitzu! Just to see people's faces when I tell them what kind of dog it is!

we had a staffordshire bull terrier x shih tzu come into work and apparently that is known as a bull s***. the owners took every opportunity to remind us of this!!!!

[squidgetmidget]

in response to MM question, cross breeds to have less health related problems, however, if you breed from an animal with an undesirable trait such as hip dysplasia or the god awful squashed in faces of bulldogs etc then even if you mate them with a perfect specimen for that trait, you will still see these problems. KC are trying to reduce this within breeds by having the hip dysplasia/elbow dysplasia and eye schemes but there are still a lot of idiots that will breed from a dog that is not a good representation of the breed. like the program on tv last year about the ckcs that had syringiomyelia (where the skull is too small for the brain), he still won at crufts and sired plenty of litters even though his breeder knew he had this condition. i guess whilst there is a market for such unhealthy animals solely because of their looks, this breeding will continue. :-(

[viking]

Jan 23, 2010 11:33:36 GMT Milliesmum said:

I'm thinking of getting a Bulldog crossed with a Schitzu! Just to see people's faces when I tell them what kind of dog it is!

Best one yet ! ;D

[dazycutter]

interesting post... and MM your right.. when breeding pedigree dogs, a responsible breeder would look for a sire to have the attributes the mother may lack and should not in any way breed from dogs that have hereditary problems. For instance my first brood bit*h was lovely but did not have a good coat, so I found a stud dog with a profuse coat..

A lot of pedigree breeds have to have health screening.. for instance in Irish setters, if they are not CLAD tested, you cannot register them with the KC.

Cross breeds are supposed to have whats called "hybrid immunity" which means they should be less susceptible to the more common doggy illnesses and be tougher.

any decent breeder would never purposely breed from dogs that have re known inherited problems, but unfortunately there are the ones that do...

[Milliesmum]

But what makes me cross, is people have slated me in the past because I have defended these crosses, and said that it's irresponsible to breed them because of the health problems? Now from what people are saying, it seems that the health problems can be avoided by responsible breeders, but in any case a pedigree dog is more likely to have these defects than a cross breed?

And as for people who breed these crosses being just after the money, then do breeders of pedigree dogs give them away for free? No of course not! ANYBODY who intentionally breeds a litter of puppies is going to sell the majority and maybe keep one or two, whether they are crosses or pure bred. I really have yet to see a valid reason why people become so incensed about the breeding of these popular crosses, unless of course it's doggy snobbery! (not you Princessstacie, your query was about the names).

[halfpass]

Could some one please answer this question, if it is so wrong to breed cross breads why does your common Heinz 57 mongrel in general out live pedigrees by many years.

[dazycutter]

there is nothing wrong with breeding cross breeds.. if there is a demand for a certain cross of dogs, then thats absolutely fine. People meed ot breed healthy dogs whatever the breeding....

and regarding breeding for money... well... I breed pedigree dogs.. my last litter was 4 years ago as I wanted another bit*h, no other reason. To be fair if you do the job properly, you dont actually make that much money. Yes, I did come out with a profit if you dont take into account the time I spent for 7 weeks rearing them, let alone the costs of feed, vet bills etc etc.... Its a myth that you can just let the bit*h get on with it if you have a larger breed.

I would glady give mine away to a good home, but the reasoning behind selling them in my eyes, is if they are willing to pay decent money for a dog, then they should have the means to care for it responsibly.. ie vet bills, insiurance, decent food, and that they are serious about having a dog and not going to kick it out at the first sign of trouble.. etc etc...

The reason a lot of cross breed live longer is down to the hybrid immunity...

saying that I have a girl who is coming up to 14 and for a setter, that is really old.. she still goes out on excercise and can jump in the back of my 4x4.. bless her.. :-)

[ticketyboo]

I have a Jack russell x shihz tsu = jack s**t! she was advertised as a designer dog but the reason i bought her was they are my two favourite breeds and she is gorgeous and such a character...best little doggie ever X

[suzee]

Milliesmum,can i ask if the parents of your dog were tested for the relevant health problems before being bred from? Hope you don't mind me asking Suzee

[Milliesmum]

Well both parents were KC registered and I have the full pedigrees for them. The father I never had the opportunity to meet, but I did meet the b!tch and several of her offspring, this was the first cross bred litter she had produced, and yes the c0cker puppies were all registered, so I'm assuming this wouldn't have been possible had the mother not had all the relevant tests. Millie has actually been spayed as I had no intention of ever breeding from her, so even if she did develop any health problems (none so far, touch wood) I would not be passing them on.

[suzee]

Milliesmum at present the Kennel Club does not force owners to Health Check their animals,except in the case of Irish Setters,so as you presumably were not shown any certification for either parent it is assumed they were not tested prior to mating.Speying your girl is very responsible,but will not prevent the possibility of her developing problems,if either parent was a carrier of a hereditary defect.

[dazycutter]

I think that we all take a chance when buying or breeding.. lets face it, with modern day feed stuffs and all the rubish dogs sometimes get fed, they are much more prone to illness than if kept in the wild.

My first dog was a x bred and she had her fair share of problems....

I agree, that dogs that have know traits such as HD. Bloat, CLAD, PRA etc etc should not be bred from.. but sometimes you just dont know and they can develop problems...

All we can do as responsible dog owners is give them the best care and life that they deserve , try to buy from reputable breeders albeit pedigree or cross breds and when the time comes to say goodbye to do it with dignity...

[gtr121]

With so many puppies and adult dogs in rescue centres and many being on death row I have no idea why anyone wants to buy a dog. Mine came to me as completely unmanageable and for a week he was, now he is the most loving, well behaved dog I could wish to own. Before buying a dog go and look in a rescue centre.

[dazycutter]

in the UK, they dont put any healthy dog down unless it has severe behavioural problems...

people buy dogs for the simple reason they want a particular breed.. You could say the same for horses.. there are hundreds in rescue centres all over the country, so why buy one!

[Milliesmum]

The only reason I didn't get a rescue dog, was the fact that I had small children, I wanted to research the general temperament of the dog that I chose (hence rejecting the other option which was a border collie), and also for a puppy to grow up around children and used to them.

With a rescue dog you can never be 100% sure of their background or temperament, which wouldn't bother me if it was just me, but having my children quite young I wanted to do everything possible to make sure I ended up with a suitable dog, although of course there are never any guarantees.

[dazycutter]

I agree MM.. and you can never be too sure, I once had a lovely setter that hated children after some revolting child tortured her whilst i was helping out at the village fete.. she was tied up by the stand I was helping on and this horrid child really hurt her... she would bite children after that... cant blame her, but I never left her with any small children afterwards....

all dogs whether bought, resuced, purebred or cross breds have their attributes and down sides... as long as we love them and give them the care and attention they need... thats all that is important.. :-)

[jasper1]

Last year I bred a litter of JRT/Poodle puppies - Jackapoos if you like. I didnt breed them to make money, (just as well!). It took ages for me to find the right sire, he was kc reg, but more importantly came from a loving home and was BVA/KC/ISDS tested and clear. My puppies went to super loving homes, mainly friends, who where looking for a small, bright and fun loving family pet. They are now 5 months old , all loved to bits and sending their owners mad. You get good and bad in all breeds and good and bad breeders!

[Philippa]

So why did you breed an intentional litter of mongrels then jasper?? Sorry but I find that so irrational I am struggling to comprehend it.
Quote - Milliesmum
And as for people who breed these crosses being just after the money, then do breeders of pedigree dogs give them away for free? No of course not! ANYBODY who intentionally breeds a litter of puppies is going to sell the majority and maybe keep one or two, whether they are crosses or pure bred. I really have yet to see a valid reason why people become so incensed about the breeding of these popular crosses, unless of course it's doggy snobbery!

We breed ours to better our stock, the only ones rehomed for pets are the ones that are not ring standard. To date we have had 2 litters of boston terries and only rehomed 1 from each litter. The rest we have kept to improve the breed standard.