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Have you ever noticed the olfactory height with which purebred dog owners assess mixed breed dogs? You can almost see them flinch as their condescending eyes roam the objectionable pooch’s form as they grudgingly admit that perhaps their refined canine specimen and that polluting pooch belong to the same species! In fact, you only need to scour various dog forums online to experience firsthand just how contentious the stray vs. purebred issue really is. However, as much as purebred dog owners may look down on the humble mutt or mixed breed dog, the weird thing is:

Purebred dogs are just refined street dogs!

doberman pinscher: The Doberman Pinscher dog breed was the brainchild of door-to-door tax collector Herr Louis Doberman. Whether Herr Doberman developed this breed of dog as an enforcer or a protector has never really been established, but one aspect that is not in dispute is the fact that his was an unenviable profession. It is well documented that since biblical times the tax collector has been much reviled; even today the tax collector is an object of contempt and disgust. If he really wants to drive home the point, the next time he’s at a social gathering, he casually mentions that he works for the IRS and observe the little-witnessed phenomenon of how many can disappear so fast!

However, back to Herr Doberman and his dangerous profession; Tired of being pushed around and quite possibly attacked by irate taxpayers, poor Herr Doberman came up with the novel but inexpensive solution of developing a breed of dog that would be both enforcer and protector. The “ingredients” for his new breed of dog included the following: Rottweiler; german pinscher; Greyhound and the Manchester Terrier. Although some fanciers maintain that the German Shepherd was also involved in the genetic make-up of the Doberman Pinscher, this is highly unlikely as the German Shepherd’s development occurred somewhat later than that of the Doberman Pinscher.

The early form of the Doberman Pinscher dog was not the sleek, lean machine that epitomizes the breed today, but was a heavier-boned dog, somewhat more similar in appearance to the Rottweiler breed of dog. Further tweaking by later breeders ultimately resulted in the sleek contemporary dog ​​that defines the modern Doberman Pinscher. The point to note here is that the Doberman Pinscher, a well-known breed of dog that is officially recognized by countless international kennels like the AKC, was a crossbreed developed from several other dog breeds before attaining saint status. purebred grail. !

Verdict: The Doberman Pinscher, like all other so-called purebred dogs, is nothing more than a refined street dog. Smell! What can I say…these pesky mongrels are everywhere, most of them in disguise as well established thoroughbreds!

Designer/Hybrid Dogs

Although the Labradoodle is widely credited as the crossbreed dog that launched the entire designer dog movement, the truth is that other well-established crossbreeds already existed. One of those mongrels or so-called designer dogs is the Cockerpoo (Cockapoo), a cross between the American Cocker Spaniel and a Miniature Poodle. The Cockerpoo has been around since the 1960s (in contrast to the Labradoodle which was developed in the 1980s). The Cockerpoo is now so well established in North America that there is a strong movement to consolidate a breeding standard.

These days, “Oodles” or “Poos” (Poodle hybrids) are pretty much everywhere in North America for the simple reason that they translate to mega dollars. Although the Labradoodle (perhaps the best known Poodle derivative) was developed with a utilitarian purpose in mind, most designer dogs have no function other than to fuel a flourishing and lucrative market for these hybrid dogs; As it happens, backyard breeders quickly recognized the huge profits to be made from designer dogs.

To date, the designer dog market is flourishing, strong evidence that people are quite willing to shell out big bucks to stand out from the rest of the crowd. And maybe you’ve noticed, nobody refers to these stray dogs too…stray dogsfor the simple reason that crossings do not meet people’s needs. smell factor! (SniffFactor defines the human tendency to snobbery; in earlier times, the upper classes were predisposed to walk around with their noses pointed skyward as an expression of their obvious class superiority (as if reaching for the unpolluted air of the masses!). Calling a designer dog mongrel will surely guarantee a much better price. than if the animal were treated as a mongrel.

The unfortunate consequence of this whole designer dog problem is that there are now many more dogs in shelters and rescue centers, as well as euthanized dogs, due to unethical breeders who, without regard to genetics, breed thousands of these dogs every year in an attempt to capitalize on the public’s ignorance and insatiable appetite for “exclusive” or “limited” dogs.

So how did this designer dog riot really start?

Good Intentions Open Pandora’s Box

Sometime during the 1980s, Wally Conron, the breeding manager for the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia, embarked on a quest to develop a non-allergenic guide dog for a visually impaired client whose husband was allergic to lead. common dog fur Conron settled on the Standard Poodle as the ideal cross with the Labradors already established in use at his facility, for the simple fact that the Poodle, as a highly trainable working dog with a very curly coat, was the perfect match.

After two years of testing that included 33 successive disappointing races, Wally Conron hit the mark! A cross between one of his prized Labrador retrievers and a specimen poodle resulted in a litter of 3 non-allergenic puppies. Sultan, the first labradoodle destined for guide dog greatness, was introduced to his new owner amid much fanfare. The union was a great success and Conron was confident that the two remaining cubs would soon be captured; after all, the center he worked at had a 6-month backlog of applications from people hoping to adopt a dog. But he miscalculated; no one seemed to want a dog that was associated with the dirty word miscegenation.

As the eight weeks passed, the remaining two puppies had yet to find a home and the window of the critical period in which they needed to bond with a new owner and thus become successful guide dogs was rapidly closing. Out of sheer frustration, Wally Conron decided to name his new breed of dog the Labradoodle and from then on stopped referring to them as crossbreeds. That was the eureka moment had been waiting (evidence of the smell factor in game again)!

Within weeks, requests for this new “miracle dog” flooded the center… the rest, as the saying goes, was history! Aside from the Labradoodle, few designer dogs have been developed for utilitarian purposes and, in fact, for the most part new breeds are introduced for purely cosmetic purposes. Having said that, however, it would be out of the question not to acknowledge the fact that some new dog breeds are currently being developed to address the widespread problem of genetic diseases in canines; especially in the more popular breeds.

Some other well established crosses are the Bull Boxer which is a cross between the Boxer and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The Bull Boxer is said to be a more affable dog, especially with other pets, than the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and is also said to be less prone to exhibiting the characteristic immature behaviors of the Boxer. In general, however, the substantial prevalence of the designer-dog set is firmly within the realm of Poodle mixes. These poodle mixes often have names that, if not exactly flattering, are, to say the least, colorful:

1. Doxiepoo (Dachshund Poodle Mix)

2. Papipoo (butterfly poodle mix)

3. Goldendoodle (golden retriever poodle mix)

4. Jack-A-Poo (Jack Russell Terrier Poodle Mix)

5. Irish Doodle (Irish Setter Poodle Mix), to name just a few.

Verdict: Smell! These dogs may dress up as designer dogs… but let’s be honest, they’re just glorified strays!

The humble but ubiquitous pooch

So where does the humble pooch fit into this picture of the brave new world of dogs? that is, aside from bearing the brunt of the purebred fancier’s scorn! Well, as I have amply illustrated in the preceding paragraphs, all dog breeds are essentially mixed breeds, even purebreds. Purebred dogs have that right because for several generations they have been specifically bred for selective traits. But therein lies his Achilles heel or weakness. Due to this selective breeding for traits, purebred dogs have an inherently high prevalence of genetic diseases.

A classic example illustrating some of the problems encountered in selective breeding for traits can be found in the story of the Dalmatian. Breeding for the clearly defined spot trait also unintentionally led to selective breeding for an abnormal uric acid gene (gene linkage case). The result was that the Dalmatian dog breed was dogged (no pun intended) with the hereditary disease of urinary stones. In an attempt to rectify the problem and retain the desired spot pattern, the Dalmatian was interbred with several Pointer breeds (Sniff! Sniff! What did I tell you?… They’re all strays!).

In contrast, the lack of selective breeding for traits and a diverse gene pool in the mutt makes these dogs much healthier and more robust than their purebred counterparts. So, unless you’re going to develop your own breed of dog, if all you’re looking for in a dog is a pet, do yourself, your wallet, and the millions of dogs on death row a favor. and adopt a dog from a shelter! Trust me, they make great pets. (Shelters can’t house dogs forever and over 7,000,000 cats and dogs are euthanized each year!)

Verdict: Hmm…the humble mongrel. In the end! An unassuming dog!