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Purebred Versions Of "designer Breeds"


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I hope this is allowed, I thought it would be interesting to brainstorm different breeds that people cross together to get traits that are already apparent in an "actual" breed biggrin.gif

EG: Labrador X Poodle: Lagotto Romagnolo, Curly Coated Retriever

Pomeranian X Husky: Finnish Lapphund, Japanese Spitz, Schipperke

Beagle X Cavalier: Tibetan Spaniel

Maltese X Shih Tzu: Maltese, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso (small, cute & fluffy, sometimes with colour? I don't know much about temperament)

Pug X Cavalier: WTF I got nothing.

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I have a feeling discussions on these topics is a no-no, but I just want to point out that a breed may look similar to a cross but the temperaments are often way off. A Finnish lapphund, for example, is a herding breed. To think it would have a similar temperament to a Pomeranian (not sure what they are for) and a husky (sledding dog) is pretty far-fetched and there is no way I would suggest that as an alternative to somebody interested in that cross.

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What people tend to forget is that they can get undesirable traits, like hereditary illnesses or faults that may be different in each breed that there are not always tests for.

Put them together & pups now have a double chance of having something that may not be common or occur in the original breed.

Also not knowing the ancestors, pedigree & background of the dogs behind them how would they know about risk of things like epilepsy or luxating patellas, for example ? They wouldn't.

Then factor in that there is no actual or factual prediction of what these dogs will look like. Pups get random parts of parents & not all equally so some may look very cute while others in the same litter can look extremely weird.

In the cat world one can apply for an experimental breeding licence to cross pedigree cats to produce a new breed. Tonkinese are a cross between Siamese & Burmese & a beautiful cat but if granted it is strictly supervised. All kittens except those retained for breeding must be desexed. Those kept for breeding must be checked over by a judge & vet. They are not allowed to be called the breed desired until they have bred true for 4 generations, I think it is.

This means first that someone must get other breeders to agree to supply the original cats, which most will not do. It also means many cats are bred once only then desexed & re homed to get the desired result. The gene pool is small, which can be problematic. Not many breeders want to create new breeds, they are happy enough generally with what is around but a few new ones are appearing in the last few years.

Traits are not 100% guaranteed in any breed, they can be variable to a degree in the same breed & good breeders will know their lines traits. I don't understand why people want so much more choice & fads when we have so many breeds to choose from already.

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I don't see why the thread is a no-no given it is actually promoting pure bred dogs?

I agree with DC though that it is best not to focus on looks only though. For example, people tend to get poodlexlabs because they want a low shedding family dog. I wouldn't classify a lagotto as one of those - they are rare, hard to get hold of and the ones I've seen have been skittish with strangers.

How about something along the lines of:

"Are you looking for a family dog that gets on well with visitors, likes playing with other dogs and will love his family through thick and thin? Then a well bred lab (or whatever) could be the dog for you".

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I agree with the discussion re traits. If you want something similar in nature to a lab x poodle,a Lagotto wouldn't fit the bill. They often look similar but a LR is very different to most labs.

megan_ you need to meet our LR - he is a human and dog lover! It was this site, actually, that led to us getting a LR. I came here looking for a x breed and found this site to be so helpful and informative. I quickly realised that I needed to really look at what we were looking for in a dog and which breeds may or may not suit. We are so happy to have found our beautiful boy.

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I was watching a clicker training video that had a portugese water dog puppy . It looked very 'oodle' like .incredibly clever as well !

But when it comes to oodles most of the features people desire actually are already there in a beautifully bred poodle . So I never understood the oodle craze anyway !

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yep the best non poodle looking poodle you can get is a poodle that's clipped differently

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even then their prey drive can be a bit much for some people

If you want a low shedding cocker spaniel just desex it before it's adult coat comes in and you get a fluff ball

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...If you want a low shedding cocker spaniel just desex it before it's adult coat comes in and you get a fluff ball...

...desexing for fashion?... :mad ...worse than docking IMO....

Edited by Willem
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...If you want a low shedding cocker spaniel just desex it before it's adult coat comes in and you get a fluff ball...

...desexing for fashion?... :mad ...worse than docking IMO....

Yep should totally wait until a dog is fully grown before docking :doh:

and a fluffy cocker isn't particularly fashionable although it does help with my allergies by keeping the dust bunnies down

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Your first problem is that you're chosing the purebred substitutes based on appearance.

Many of the dogs chosen are quite different terms of temperament to one or both of the breeds used to crossbreed - and they are often quite different from each other.

A Beagle is a very different dog to a Pug or a CKCS. This is part of the problem with intentional crossbreeding - you can end up with VERY different results from what was intended - if the intention was to produce anything other than $$$

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A Beagle is a very different dog to a Pug or a CKCS.

I reckon it's very similar. small to medium affectionate dog loves people, won't do what it's told if you don't train it with some dedication, LOVES FOOD (so ought to be easy to train). Doesn't mind being a lap dog. Usually great with children. Even naughty children.

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...'my dog's tail swirls too much dust up...and I'm allergic to dust'....hm, never heard this argument from docking lovers before...

Getting slightly off topic willem, if you wish to discuss the similarities between desexing a small breed dog before it's fully grown vs tail docking you might want to start a new thread

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A Beagle is a very different dog to a Pug or a CKCS.

I reckon it's very similar. small to medium affectionate dog loves people, won't do what it's told if you don't train it with some dedication, LOVES FOOD (so ought to be easy to train). Doesn't mind being a lap dog. Usually great with children. Even naughty children.

Clearly it's a matter of perspective. I've yet to see a Toy Breed that has the pack drive or the desire to scent to match a Beagle. They are a much larger dog than either a Pug or a CKCS (who are extremely trainable by the way) and neither of those toy breeds has the voice or the escape capacity of the larger dog.

To me there's a huge difference between breeds developed for solely for companionship and those developed for pack hunting - and it shows in their behaviour.

Edited by Haredown Whippets
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Your first problem is that you're chosing the purebred substitutes based on appearance.

But this is the majority of the reason cross bred dogs are chosen and are selling so well, simple fact. People like the look of them. Most that I talk to have no idea what each breeds characturistics are like and when you explain them they say to me, "that's why he does this or that" yup.

Many people buying a purebred buy because of how they look first. Then they investigate to see what they are like, but if one breed doesn't suit (is too prey driven for example) often they will try to find something less so, but looks similar.

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Oops, I should clarify that I know that a lot of traits aren't going to match at all between litters or even in the same litter. But does anyone wanting a Designer dog ever actually care about traits besides the outside appearance? I'm very aware of health issues not being cancelled out by cross breeding. If both parents have hip dysplasia, it's not going to magically disappear in the puppies because the parents are of the same breed.

I find the trend for crossbreeds disturbing... Saw someone looking for a Chihuahua, but they'd prefer a Chihuahua X Chinese Crested confused.gif Why not just a CC?

Edited by Scootaloo
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Yeah I find that the most disconcerting thing about "designer breeds"...

That they will get dumped or neglected along with last years fashion jeans and shoes.

The people who want these dogs have no clue about how to look after a dog. Some are willing to learn but some just think the dog will adapt to their needs with no input or effort from them. And they absolutely choose for appearance and the "back story" - work of fiction on the part of the breeder about what the dog will be like.

This is the kind of BS the cross breeders are peddling:

Ideal for all owners

reducing the health issues associated (with the pedigree part of the cross)

loads of character

they don’t need to be walked too often

low shedding

a range of gorgeous colours

affectionate, gentle and intelligent small sized dog

content around the home

What could possibly go wrong?

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