The Rise of the Designer Dog
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Purebred or mutt? That's how dogs tend to be categorized these days. You are either the esteemed owner of an expensive, pedigree holding dog or you picked up a free puppy from an accidental litter. You either searched and searched for the perfect breeder or you made a stop at the local shelter. Well as it turns out, that is no longer quite the case.
Hybrids, also known as designer dogs, are dogs that have two purebred parents of different breeds, and their rise in popularity is filling the gap between mutts and purebred dogs. They are recognized by and can be registered with the American Canine Hybrid Club (ACHC). Once a hybrid litter has been born, they may be bred with purebreds or fellow hybrids in the future to encourage certain traits, so litters may not always be fifty/fifty crosses.
Just as there are specific benefits to owning a purebred and specific benefits to owning a mutt, there are a number of reasons why one might want to own a hybrid. As with a purebred, you often have to search for a breeder to find hybrid litters, so you know where your dog is coming from. Unlike with purebreds, however, it is less likely that you will be able to predict what your puppy will grow up to be or look like. There is still a higher chance of genetic problems than with mutts, but the chances can be greatly decreased depending on what breeds have been crossed.
One major benefit believed to be involved with hybrid breeding is the heterosis effect, which is basically yielding a litter with superior genetics to their purebred and/or inbred parents. These benefits are the goal of the effect and produce what is called hybrid vigor, which is basically a measure of mental and physical health.
It is important to keep in mind that purebreds, hybrids, and mutts are still separate groups of dogs. While purebreds and hybrids come from known ancestry, the ancestry of mutts is uncertain. Not all hybrids are recognized by the ACHC, but new hybrids can be submitted. Hybrids crossed with purebreds are accepted for recognition. The most popular hybrid is the Puggle (a cross between a Beagle and a Pug), followed by the Goldendoodle (a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle), and the Labradoodle (a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle).
I own two unrecognized Chow Chow-Collie hybrids and a black Golden Labrador (a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Labrador Retriever), who are all healthy, energetic dogs. Hopefully, as the popularity of designer dogs continues to rise, so will the number of happy pets and owners.
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Thanks for the comment, Abaler! Puggles seem to be great dogs; I do beleive I mentioned their popularity in my article, though I've yet to meet one in person. The truth in that joke is definitely one of the benefits to giving a hybrid a home! Thanks again for the comment; I'll be sure to check out your hub!
I love puggles and goldendoodles, so clever an idea "designer mutts"
Ha ha, I find it great that not only are hybrids healthy and good dogs but they have been given such amusing names! Puggles...Goldendoodles...Labradoodles. It makes me want to own some! Good hub.
Great Hub!! My mom raises Puggles and they are very cute and have great personalities!!! I myself think pugs are ugly(except as puppies!!) and i like beagles....but pugs are awesome dogs....so when u get that smashed face out of the mix they are great!! lol.....Also i think it is very cool because there are things great about one breed and some about the other...so you can get all the good in one! Another up and coming hybred is the Mastador which is a Mastiff and a Lab and the other is a Mastweiler...which is a Mastiff and a Rottweiler....those two are making some very nice dogs!
I have been breeding the mastweiler for 3 years now (mastiff/rottweiler cross) and it am trying to formalize it more. If you are interested in learning more about the mastweiler, please visit www.mastweiler.com
Thanks for the comments! Great to hear about more designer breeds!
The designer dog concept is absurd! Designer Dog breeders, breed for one thing, and one thing only...and that's money. There are no standards/guidelines for breeding. A responsible breeder, breeds dogs for quality, temperment, standard, health profile and with a guarentee! I like to see a Goldendoodle breeder guarentee the hypo-alergenic trait. Haha yea right! People are brainwashed to think designer dogs are the magical result of the best of bothworlds.
Want a mixed breed, adopt! It's not rocket science.
The popularity of designer dogs also highly benefits puppy mills and backyard breeders, which leads to more dogs (the breeding stock) that have to suffer! That's my biggest issue. www.prisonersofgreed.org
If you really, really want some type of "doodle" dog, please check your local shelter and/or rescue group! AVOID PET STORES AND DESIGNER DOG BREEDERS! Don't buy a puppy from someone who is breeding for money.
Ugh. I cannot believe that there are articles that actually endorse these things. It is literally impossible to responsibly breed a mutt, and here's why. Most purebred dogs do not end up in shelters. Responsibly purebred dogs are either surrendered to the original breeder or end up in a breed-specific rescue. Almost all of the dogs that get put down in shelters are hybrids, or mutts. When so many of them are being killed every day, there is NO reason to bring more of them into the world.
Furthermore, hybrid vigor is bs. While it can eliminate issues that are specific to one breed, bad hips are common in almost all breeds of dogs. And if you breed a dog with bad hips to a dog with bad hips, your puppies will bad hips whether they're mixed or not. On top of this, it is near impossible for a person interested in breeding designer dogs to get their hands on quality stock in the first place. Any responsible breeder that produces healthy dogs with good joints will make sure that their puppies end up in homes that breed purebreds or keep the best dogs for themselves, making it impossible for the designer mutt breeder to start out with quality stock. Their stock comes from irresponsible breeders who do not breed for health, or from puppy mills. So regardless of whether or not you are breeding hybrids, if the parents are unhealthy the offspring will be too. Nobody that spends two days researching shelters and puppy mills would willingly give their money to a backyard breeder, and perpetuating myths about them as you do in this article as harmful to shelter dogs everywhere.
abaler 4 years ago
Hi Nion,
Nice article about the growing popularity of designer dogs! I'm a big fan of these types of dogs and have met several smart, fun Puggles at our local dog part. They've got a nice balance of Pug (see the page on Pug information I put together at http://hubpages/hub/PugInformation) and Beagle -- less of the squished-in face that a Pug has and the bigger body of a Beagle. Good luck with your two dogs!
P.S. Here's a joke I heard recently..."Q: What's the difference between a designer/hybrid dog and a mutt? A: About $2000." :-)