Making New Dog Breeds

[mtnhomechick]

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You have an adorable dog.

 

[Wifezilla]

My gf has a dog that is half Pekinese half nonsense. Smartest darn dog I ever met. You tell it to go get her toy and if you specify WHICH ONE (Goofy, teddy bear, etc...), she will get that individual toy. You can also tell her to "go get mom" or "go get Steven" and she will go get whichever individual family member you asked for

 

[Cara]

If one of your considerations when buying a dog is how much you're going to lose when you get sick of it and give it away, you shouldn't be buying ANY dog, mutt or otherwise, in the first place. Collies shed, the long coat is usually a giveaway. They don't suddenly wake up one morning and decide they're going to.

This is the reason pounds and shelters are so full; people are too self-absorbed. They want what they want because they like the way it looks, with no consideration to the purpose of the breed. They're suprised when their pointer or Border Collie needs 'too much' exercise; funny that, for a breed intended to work all day. Or their St Bernard has grown too big. It doesn't just apply to purebred dogs from breeders; often those adopting from pounds or shelters will fall in love with a dog on sight with no knowledge of its requirements. They expect the dog to fit into their lifestyle without a hitch, and with no consideration for the dog's needs, and when it doesn't do so they dispose of it.

Many shelters do have strict adoption guidelines, mostly created to make people think about the commitment of owning a dog before jumping in with both feet. If someone has to have a dog, and has to have it right now or will go elsewhere, they're obviously not that committed to that one particular dog. Sometimes they do seem to be shooting themselves in the foot, but equally they would be if they gave any dog to the first person that came along, only for it to return in worse condition or pregnant a few months later.

If a backyard breeder can easily sell a litter of mutts, they're inclined to breed more. If they're stuck with them on their feed bill, they will think again. It's just the same as 'rescuing' an animal from a pet store; all you're doing is making way for the next one, and lining some idiot's pocket. If people would just think, and think seriously before buying any dog, the world would be a lot better place for all dogs.

So you're claiming that if a person can't pass all the sellers requirements, pay top dollar, isn't willing to buy from a high priced breeder or commit to owning that dog for its entire life no matter what happens without fear of prosecution, they shouldn't be allowed to have one? Yet people can have kids with no requirements! Go figure!

You can go in circles on this forever and never win.

No, i'm not saying that at all. We have a pound dog that we paid $15 for, one that was over $1000, and three in between. My point was that wherever you buy your dog, and whoever you buy it from, it is not a commitment to enter into figuring that if things get too hard you will dispose of it. If you think you might need to, it's probably not a good idea to get one in the first place. Life isn't perfect, and dogs aren't perfect. It is forseeable that you might move house in the 12-15+ years of the dog's life. It requires more effort to find appropriate housing for yourself and your dog, especially rentals, but it is perfectly possible if you are willing to take the trouble rather than use it as an excuse. Believe me, i've done it three times with my dogs. It is forseeable that you might get married and have children. Unexpected things do happen, I understand that, but everyday life is no excuse although many people treat it as one. In dire circumstances, a responsible breeder will want the dog returned. A puppymiller or irresponsible breeder won't, there is no profit in it for them.

At the end of the day, those who will freely dispose of their dogs have no concept of what a devoted, dedicated and faithful companion they have, and in that case I guess the dog does deserve a better home. What it does not deserve is to be replaced with another equally disposable dog.

I'd also like to point out that AKC does not equal responsible. Many AKC breeders are responsible, but equally many are not. The key is finding a breeder who is a good fit as well as a breed of dog.​

 

[BantyHugger]

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Ok i have to agree with you guys that dogs aren't cross bred anymore for anything but money. The Border Lab i have was actually an accident. Her mother was a loud to run around and wasn't spayed. I got her for free and was going to train her for both hunting and herding. She turned out to be the single worst hunter in the world and she is scared of all animals larger than her. Most people around here are fairly successful at teaching these dogs to be dual purpose though. They hunt and herd with the best of them.


As for all you guys talking about the health issues, its not just designer dogs. I mean take Wolfhounds. They have been so inner bred that their life spans have been considerably shortened. Specific breeds are prone to hip displasia and frankly most breeders aren't doing anything to prevent it. I watched DogTown once and the lady didn't call the dogs mutts. She called them hybrids (which i consider a better term). She said that these hybrids were actually better sometimes because they had a much lower chance of having been inbred.

I agree that its ridiculous to pay such high prices when you can get a fine dog at the pound. I will not hold anything against any dog however. In the end a dogs a dog. I will always be partial to border labs. I have grown up a lot since getting this dog and she will always be my best friend. I guess it never really mattered if she was a recognized breed or not.

I thank everyone who explained why it wasn't a breed. I can now see that there really aren't ways to put standards on this dog. Thanks for feeding my curiosity.

Heres a pic of my border lab-Dharma (the start of this whole forum):

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

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First of all I didnt say I didnt like mutts, Ive got one myself. I just dont think everytime some one crossbreeds a dog that it should be registered, and start a new breed. And ALL purebred dogs arent inbred dogs.

 

[SunAngel]

Sorry for hijacking and cluttering up your thread. Good luck with your Border Lab and any future ones, they are awesome dogs!

 

[BantyHugger]

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I wouldn't be surprised if he was. Dharma had an almost full black sibling. It had 2 white feet.

 

[ninjapoodles]

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I do not have any problem whatsoever with the DOGS. I have a problem with the way they're bred. If any breeder of "doodles" can show me genetic screening or even rudimentary health testing, certified by OFA, I will gladly hail them as a responsible breeder. The dogs themselves, are, of course, adorable and can be perfectly wonderful pets!

The widely-hailed and properly controlled Austrailian "Labradoodle" project has long been abandoned, being given up as a failure as far as producing what they set out to produce. The banner was taken up by opportunists who saw an "in" to make a quick buck, and they've been very successful.

I will fight tooth and nail for the right of any person to own whatever pet they like--you will NEVER find me bashing anyone for the type of pet they choose to own. Just do your homework, and try to choose from health/genetic-tested parents with publicly searchable records, if you're buying ANY dog from a breeder. That's all I'm sayin'.

 

[texasgirl]

My crystal ball predicts this thread being locked at some point

 

[ninjapoodles]

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She's adorable! But, your statement about her being "less likely to develop health problems," is, I'm afraid, incorrect. You see, Golden Retrievers and Standard Poodles actually SHARE several heritable health problems. So really, for many diseases, you've actually increased your chances of hitting the genetic jackpot.

That whole "healthier" line of...malarkey is one of the things that breaks my heart that the breeders of these dogs are doing. It's just plain not true, and they have ZERO evidence to show that it is. Especially since they're not doing the health/genetic testing on their parent stock (if I'm wrong, and your dog's parents have OFA-certified health/genetic test results online, then I sincerely apologize--I've just never run into any that did any health/DNA testing). It's like a crap-shoot (which, of course, genetics always is, but you can, at least, stack the deck in your favor if you have enough data).

You're lucky if you got a non-shedder. Another problem I have with the breeders of poodle crosses is their touting them as "non-shedding," which is almost never the case. Guys, here's an easy rule of thumb to tell if ANY dog, whether purebred, mix, or plain ol' shelter mutt is going to be a shedder:

If a dog's hair is always the same length, then it is SHEDDING. If a dog's hair grows longer and longer and longer when it's not being cut, then it is NOT SHEDDING, at least not in the traditional dog-shedding sense ("non-shedding" breeds actually do gradually shed hair, but they do it like people, and do not have an undercoat). Period. There's no two ways about it, and no "semi-shedding" breeds.

I hope that clears up any confusion. Seriously--I am all for everyone having the pet(s) that they love, no matter what they may be. But I can't stand when misinformation is spread, especially about health issues.

Peace!