Mixed-Breed Dog
Dogs
Mixed-Breed Dog
This small dog of unknown parentage may be part
Chihuahua or
Miniature Pinscher.A mixed-breed dog (also called a mutt,
crossbreed, mongrel, tyke, cur, or random-bred
dog, see Terms for mixed-breed dogs, below) is a
dog that is a mixture
of two or more
breeds,
or a descendant of
feral or
pariah
dog populatons. Since, except for extreme variations in size, dogs interbreed
freely, mixed-breed dogs vary in size, shape, and color, making them hard to
classify physically. Historically, all
purebred
dogs have been selected from a mixed-breed population. See
Golden Retriever for an example.
Terms for mixed-breed dogs
Short-haired brown, black, yellow, or brown-and-black coats like this are common
in mixed breeds.
There is a profusion of words and phrases used for non-purebred
dogs. The words cur, tyke, and mongrel are generally viewed
as derogatory in America, whereas in the
United Kingdom mongrel is the unique technical word for a mixed-breed dog,
and is not a term of disparagement when referring to a dog. Therefore, many
American owners prefer mixed-breed. Mutt is also used (in the
U.S.A
and Canada),
sometimes in an affectionate manner. In Hawaii, mixed breed dogs are referred to
as poi dog. Some American registries and dog clubs that accept
mixed-breed dogs use the breed name All American, referring to the United
States' reputation as a
melting
pot of different nationalities. In South Africa, the tongue-in cheek
expression pavement special is sometimes used as a description for a
mixed-breed dog. Random-bred dog, mutt, and mongrel are
often used for dogs who result from breeding without the supervision or planning
of humans, especially after several generations, whereas mixed breed and
crossbreed often imply mixes of known breeds, sometimes deliberately
mated.
In Brazil,
the name for mixed-breed dogs is vira-lata (vira: to turn, to
bring down; lata: tin can,
trash can)
because there are dogs without owners that feed on urban garbage on the streets,
and often knock over trash cans to reach the food.
Slang terms
are also common.
Heinz 57
is often used for dogs of uncertain ancestry, in a playful reference to the "57
Varieties" slogan
of the
H. J. Heinz Company. In some countries, bitsa is common, meaning
"bits o' this, bits o' that". A fice or feist is a small
mixed-breed dog.
To complicate matters, many owners of crossbred dogs identify
them—often facetiously—by an invented breed name constructed from parts of their
parents' breed names. For example, a cross between a
Pekingese
and a Poodle is
called a Peekapoo, possibly a play on peek-a-boo. As another example, one
of the UK's
Queen Elizabeth's famous
Corgis
mated with her sister's
Dachshund,
and the resulting offspring are referred to as Dorgis. Many dogs in New
York City which might previously have been described as Shepherd mixes
are now referred to colloquially as Brooklyn Shepherds.
Appearance
This "yellow" mix between a
German Shepherd and a
Golden Retriever does not closely resemble either parent but has traits of
both.
Typical example of a mongrel dog with unknown ancestry from a sicilian
population.
All possible body shapes, ear types, and tail styles can appear in mixed
breeds. Extremes in appearance, however, such as the flattened face of the
English Bulldog or the extremely curled tail of the
Pug, seldom survive
even the first crossbreeding. Mixed breeds also tend to have a size between that
of their parents, thus tending eventually toward the norm.
Mixed-breed dogs can be any size, weight, or color, but some colors are more
common than others. No matter their parents' colors, mixed breeds are often a
light-to-medium brown or black, frequently with a white chest and other white
markings. The light-brown coat is sometimes called yellow, as personified
by the fictional dog
Old Yeller.
A brown coat with black across the top and sides is also quite common.
Predicting the adult appearance of a mixed-breed puppy is difficult. Even
purebred puppies do not look much like the adult dogs they will become, and with
mixed-breed puppies it is nearly impossible. If one knows the breeds of the
parents, some characteristics can be ruled out; for example, a cross between two
small purebreds will not result in a dog the size of a
Great Dane.
Some breeds tend to pass on their physical traits to mixes more than others.
Border Collies and some
Spaniels, for
example, often produce offspring with similar coats and ears. The crossbred
offspring of
German Shepherds usually have Shepherd faces and other characteristics.
This mixed-breed might have a
terrier
ancestor or a long-haired breed such as a
Bearded Collie—but it is impossible to know without having seen the parents.
With each generation of indiscriminate mixing, the offspring move closer to
the genetic norm. Dogs that are descended from many generations of mixes are
typically light brown or black and weigh about 18 kg (40 lb). They typically
stand between 38 and 57 cm (15 and 23 inches) tall at the
withers.
Guessing a mixed-breed's unknown ancestry is difficult for even knowledgeable
dog observers, because mixed breeds have much more
genetic
variation than among purebreds. For example, two white mixed-breed dogs might
have
recessive genes that produce a black coat and, therefore, produce offspring
looking unlike their parents.
Health
A healthy 13-year-old mixed-breed dog shows
hybrid
vigor.
The theory of
hybrid vigor
suggests that dogs of mixed ancestry will be healthier than their purebred
counterparts. In some cases this might be true, because
inbreeding
among purebreds has made some breeds prone to various genetic health problems.
Mixed-breed dogs are less likely to have certain genetic disorders, as their
parents come from a more diverse genetic pool so that detrimental recessive
genes are less likely to occur in both parents. For example, large dogs such as
German Shepherd Dogs often suffer from
hip
dysplasia. Mating a German Shepherd carrier of the faulty gene with a dog
from a breed not known to suffer genetic hip problems reduces the likelihood of
producing offspring with the problem. On the other hand, breeding the Shepherd
with another Shepherd whose ancestors do not have the genetic problem also has
this effect.
Some purebred dog breeds have difficulties associated simply with the
exaggerated physical traits of the breed. For example, the
French Bulldog has such small hips and such a large head that
artificial insemination and
Cesarian section are usually required to produce puppies. Crossing such a
dog with another breed will likely produce dogs without these reproductive
difficulties, although most authorities on dog populations discourage
reproduction among crossbreeds and mixed breeds because there are already so
many purebreds available for adoption in addition to mixed breeds.
There is no guarantee of good genetic health of any dog, purebred or
otherwise, as not all damaging genes are recessive. Also, of course, purebred
and mixed-breed dogs are equally susceptible to nongenetic ailments, such as
rabies,
distemper, injury, and infestation by
parasites.
Types of mixed breeding
It's important to note that all dog breeds are man-made creations: dogs were
traditionally bred for specific functions. All existing dog breeds began as
mixed breeds, either by random occurrence or by deliberate crosses of existing
breeds. Encouraging desirable traits and discouraging others, breeders sought to
create their ideal appearance or behavior, or both, for dogs, and, additionally,
to ensure that the dogs could consistently produce offspring with the same
appearance or behavior. Some consider mixed breeds undesirable, but mixing
breeds can lead to desirable results, especially in the hands of an expert
breeder. On the other hand, inexperienced crossbreeders can produce disastrous
results. For example, the offspring of an obsessive Border Collie and an
energetic, destructive Terrier could be dogs whose behavior is so erratic as to
make the dogs a liability.
The Cockapoo results from deliberate crossbreeding.
Mixed-breed dogs can be divided roughly into three types:
-
Crossbred dogs, which are mixtures of two known breeds. Some crossbreeds
have traits that make them popular enough to be frequently bred
deliberately, such as the
Cockapoo—a
cross between a
Poodle and a
Cocker Spaniel—and the
Labradoodle, which mixes a
Labrador Retriever with a Poodle. Other crossbreeds occur when breeders
are hoping to create new breeds or to add or reinforce characteristics from
one breed into another breed. Most crossbreedings, however, occur
accidentally.
- Mixes among more than two breeds, such as when a crossbred dog mates
with a purebred dog or with another crossbreed. The term mongrel is
sometimes used to distinguish these dogs from crossbreeds.
- The generic
canis familiaris, seen in
feral or
pariah
dog populations, where mixed breeding has occurred over many generations.
These dogs tend to be light brown and of medium height and weight. This
"genetic average" might also represent the appearance of the modern dog's
ancestor.
There is no scientific justification for the belief that a purebred
bitch is in any way
tainted after mating with a dog of another breed. Future matings with dogs of
the same breed will produce purebred puppies.
Mixed breeds in dog sports
A mixed-breed dog demonstrates
dog
agility.
Both purebred and mixed-breed dogs can excel at dog sports, such as
obedience,
dog
agility,
flyball, and
frisbee.
Often, highly energetic mixed-breeds are left with
shelters or
rescue
groups, where they are sought by owners with the caring, patience, and drive
to train them for dog sports, turning unwanted dogs into healthy, mentally and
physically stimulated award winners.
Historically,
dog shows
and dog
sports excluded mixed-breed dogs from competition. While this tradition is
changing, some sports still remain open only to one breed of dog, such as
greyhound racing, or to one
type of dog, such as
sheepdog trials open only to dogs of known
herding
ancestry. In the latter case, herding organizations now sometimes accept
mixed-breed dogs who have evident herding-dog ancestry, such as Corgi mixes or
Border Collie crosses.
Until the early 1980s, mixed-breed dogs were also generally excluded from
obedience competitions. However, starting with the
American Mixed Breed Obedience Registry (AMBOR) and the
Mixed Breed Dog Club of America (MBDCA), which created obedience venues in
which mixed-breed dogs could compete, more opportunities have opened up for all
dogs in all dog sports. Most dog agility and flyball organizations have always
allowed mixed-breed dogs to compete. Today, mixed breeds have proved their worth
in many performance sports.
Some
kennel clubs, whose purpose is to promote purebred dogs, still exclude mixed
breeds from their performance events. The
AKC and the
FCI are two prominent hold-outs. However, the AKC does allow mixed breeds to
earn their
Canine Good Citizen award.
In dog shows,
where dogs'
conformation is evaluated, mixed-breed dogs normally cannot compete. For
purebred dogs, their physical characteristics are judged against a single breed
standard. Mixed-breed dogs, however, are difficult to
classify
except according to height; there is tremendous variation in physical traits
such as coat, skeletal structure, gait, ear set, eye shape and color, and so on.
When conformation standards are applied to mixed-breed dogs, such as in events
run by the MBDCA, the standards are usually general traits of health, soundness,
symmetry, and personality.
Advantages and drawbacks
The mature appearance and behavior of purebred puppies is more predictable
than that of mixed breeds, including cross-breeds. With purebred dogs, the
genetic variations are well documented and a breeder has a fair estimation of
what type of offspring a given pair will produce. Even still, there is variation
within breeds; for example, two champion sheep-herding
Border Collies might produce offspring with no interest in sheep herding.
Mixed breed dogs are, on average, no more intelligent than purebred dogs, and
both sets feature both slow learners and dogs with high learning capacity. For
example, Benji,
the hero in a series of
films named for him, was a mixed-breed
terrier.
However, it is more difficult to predict the trainability of mixed-breed dogs
when they are very young. Most
Golden Retrievers are eager to please, but a mix of a Golden with the
independent
Siberian Husky could inherit either dog's trainability—or you could get a
dog with the endurance and athleticism of the Siberian and the trainability of
the Golden.
This small black mixed breed's parents could have been a
Labrador Retriever and a
Pomeranian—or almost anything else.
Many people enjoy owning mixed breeds, valuing their unique appearance and
characteristics; while dogs of some breeds, such as the
Tervueren, exhibit little variability of appearance, mixed-breed dogs
exhibit often unique appearances. Although some dog owners have a specific breed
of dog they wish to acquire, and will never accept a mixed breed, many others
enjoy mixed-breed dogs that exhibit characteristics similar to their favorite
breeds; in fact, with a mixed breed, they can enjoy some aspects of appearance
and personality of two favorite breeds with a single dog.
There is usually an abundant supply of mixed-breed dogs wanting owners,
available at negligible prices, while pedigreed dogs can cost hundreds or
thousands of dollars and reputable breeders can be hard to find.
Some owners value a dog's pedigree as a
status symbol and, therefore, have no use for mixed-breed dogs, whose market
value is effectively zero; others particularly appreciate the physical or
behavioral traits of certain breeds; still others ignore pedigree and, instead,
value a dog's personality and health. In short, most dog owners believe that
their dog's breed—and specifically his or her own dog—is the best sort of dog
there is.
Finally, one of the best sources for both purebred and mixed breed dogs are
your local animal shelters. The cost is low and many of the animals are
housebroken.
See also
- Various sites using Heinz 57 as a description:
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