Miriam Fields-Babineau - Mixed Breeds For Dummies

Proper care goes hand in hand with overall health and well-being. In Part 2, I let you know how to give your mixed-breed dog a good home, feed him correctly, groom him, and exercise him. A healthy dog is less likely to develop health and behavioral issues. Bottom line: If you take good care of your dog physically, he’s less likely to develop the kinds of behavioral problems that result in many dogs ending up in shelters, without homes.

Training is essential for every dog — big or small. A trained dog is happier, easier to live with, and more accepting of new situations. If all dogs were trained as puppies, the animal shelters wouldn’t be nearly as full. In Part 3, I guide you through the training process, as well as help you understand the special problems that can occur in mixed-breed dogs. As your dog ages, he’ll have special needs. In Part 4, I also discuss how to recognize signs of age-related behavioral changes, possible physical changes, and when the right time may be to let him go.

Any kind of dog can be a valued family member. What you get from your dog is entirely dependent on what you put into the relationship.

Wondering what you can do with a mixed-breed dog? Anything! You may not be able to compete in purebred dog club shows, but similar certificate-awarding shows are available for mixed-breed dogs. You and your dog are teammates in all performance activities. Your mixed breed can

Participate in obedience trials. These are tests of your dog’s response to obedience commands. See Chapter 16for more information.

Participate in agility. Not only does this challenge your dog physically, but also tests how well you communicate with him while in action. See Chapter 16for more information.

Compete in flyball. This is a relay team event with four dogs/handlers per team. The dogs run down a lane to fetch a ball and return. The fastest team wins.

Take the Canine Good Citizen test. This test is a way of testing your dog’s obedience and temperament in public. (It’s not a competition.)

Work as a therapy dog. Your mixed breed can bring joy to others by going to nursing homes, hospitals, and care centers.

Work as a service dog. Service dogs perform important tasks for those who are unable to. They are guiding eyes for the blind, ears for the deaf, and hands for those without.

Assist with search-and-rescue operations. Search-and-rescue dogs find lost people and save their lives.

In Chapter 17, I explain how to travel with your dog. I fill you in on preparing for your trip and help you make sure your dog is safe, secure, and relaxed during the trip, whether you’re traveling by plane, train, or automobile. Because many dogs get stressed — or homesick — while traveling, I let you know what to do to help your dog become a traveling gent.

Mixed breeds can perform jobs to help people, save people, and inspire people. They’re stars on the screen, stage, and television. They’re heroes in the line of duty or while sifting through debris. They keep our borders safe, sniffing out dangerous chemicals and drugs.

Many mixed breeds have a bad start, but you can change that by adopting one that steals your heart. Just one stroll through an animal shelter or humane society, and you’re bound to find one, or two, who’ll give you the love and devotion you’re looking for.

They don’t call dogs man’s best friend for nothing. Nobody can love you like a dog.

Chapter 2

IN THIS CHAPTER

Hearing the hype about hybrids

Identifying the pros and cons of hybrid dogs

Looking at the most popular designer dogs

What do Julianne Moore, Uma Thurman, and Jake Gyllenhaal have in common? No, they haven’t all won Oscars. They all have Puggles — the designer-dog hybrid of a Pug and a Beagle. Designer dogs are growing in popularity, and they’re often more expensive than purebred pups. Why? Because they’re unique.

So, why would someone pay upwards of $1,500 for a mixed-breed dog when he can go to the local animal shelter and adopt one for $30? Aren’t all mixed-breed dogs unique in their own ways? Yes — but not all mixed-breed dogs purposely designed. Not all mixed-breed dogs have pedigreed parents. Not all mixed-breed dogs have a well-documented lineage. Designer dogs are intentionally chosen to create a specific appearance and temperament in the offspring. The puppies are calculated, created, and planned. Most mixed-breed dogs are accidents — but there’s nothing accidental about a designer dog, and many people are willing to pay more to get one.

Designer dogs are not without controversy, though. Purebred dog fanciers (a fancy name for people who are enthusiastic about dogs) are vehemently opposed to mixing their purebred dogs with any other breed. In this chapter, I fill you in on the pros and cons of designer dogs, so you can decide for yourself whether they’re right for you. I also let you know which designer dogs are the most popular, and tell you a bit about those hybrids and what you can expect if you get one.

Although breeders of designer dogs feel they’re meeting the needs of a particular niche of people, purebred breeders and purebred dog clubs, such as the American Kennel Club (AKC), think the entire trend is dangerous to all dogs. In the following sections, I offer up both sides of the debate and let you make up your own mind.

One of the advantages of designer dogs is the sheer number of varieties available. Over 200 different hybrid combinations exist, which means there is a designer dog for every taste. Most of these hybrids are small and designed to have good personality combined with adorability.

Designer dogs are created to fit every need — from pocket-size dogs for easy travel to low-shed dogs for those with allergies. Many of these designer-dog creations are free of some of the traits that can make life difficult for the purebred dog. For example, some purebreds, like the Pug, have a very short snout, making breathing difficult. But the popular Puggle — the hybrid of a Pug and a Beagle — has a longer nose while still maintaining the Pug’s wrinkled forehead and loopy gait.

Many hybrid breeders claim their dogs have hybrid vigor, a strength that comes from having parents of two different breeds. The offspring of two different breeds rarely inherit genetic defects, because the bloodlines aren’t as close as those of purebreds. Purebred dogs often have inherited traits that can cause genetic defects. For example, many retriever breeds tend to have cataracts or epilepsy, many large-breed dogs have hip dysplasia, and many small-breed dogs are prone to dental problems. Mixed-breed dogs rarely inherit these genetic defects, because their genetics are more varied. (Incidentally, this is true of all mixed-breed dogs, not just designer dogs or hybrids.)

The major con of designer dogs is the price. Most designer dogs cost upwards of $1,500, whereas many purebred dogs begin at $800.

Although each designer dog was bred for specific appearance and traits, there’s a good chance that some or all of them will not develop in the offspring. Mixing breeds is chancy, because the outcome is not absolute. Although purebred dog offspring will always mature to appear like the parent dogs, the hybrid offspring may appear more like one parent than the other, or have a personality more like one parent than the other. So, although you might be searching for a small Yorkipoo, the pup might grow up to be the size of a large Yorkshire Terrier instead of a Teacup Poodle.