Can We Reduce Health Issues by Cross-breeding Dogs?

Last Updated on October 1, 2021 by Dogs Vets

Can We Reduce Health Issues by Cross-breeding Dogs?

The cross-breeding of dogs is probably one of the most controversial topics. There are two different groups that defend and oppose the cross-breeding of dogs respectively.

A group of people considers the mixed breed dogs hybrid or designer dogs with the positive traits of their parent breeds.

While the other group considers them just a mutt or mongrel that are being bred for the sake of money.

One of the advantages of cross breeding that is being quoted by the defending group is that the mixed breeds have fewer health-related issues as compared to the pure ones.

To defend their claim, they present several facts such as the cross-breeding between a brachycephalic dog breed such as Pug or French Bulldog and another pure breed can reduce the abnormal breathing problems in their product.

Apart from the debate below, if you still have specifications and need to get a puppy from a breeder, do your homework before choosing the breeder.

For example, if you are planning to get a Bernedoodle puppy and looking for the best Bernedoodle breeders, check Google My Business, local review sites, and ask friends and family about the breeders’ reputation.

There are some other interesting health facts about crossbred dogs and let’s explore them below.

Fewer genetic issues:

According to breeders, the mixed dogs have fewer genetic issues, there is no authentic proof though.

Many breeders say that they choose the best of the pure breeds and then perform all the necessary health tests to eliminate the chances of genetic issues in their puppies.

To back the claim of healthier puppies, they present the mutts as an example. Usually, the mutts have fewer health-related problems because they do not receive the high dose of the particular breed’s genes.

Due to this, they are less likely to develop some serious health conditions such as heart diseases, hip dysplasia, and knee problems, etc.

In pure breeds, the chances of inherited diseases and genetic issues are higher than the mixed dogs. So, in some instances, this claim can be considered true but still, we should expect more facts about them in the future.

Temperament:

While getting a dog, the most important aspect to consider is its temperament. And when it comes to pure breeds, they are usually bred for specific tasks such as sporting, herding, and guarding, etc.

Also, it is difficult to handle some of these breeds over time such as an Irish Setter is a wonderful breed to have but you may not coup with its unlimited energy.

So, breeders cross such breeds with other breeds that have an exceptional temperament and as a result, we get a wonderful breed with mixed positive traits and excellent temperament.

An Irish Doodle is a significant example of this as one of its parent breeds- the Irish Setter is a high-energy hunting dog by nature.

But after it is mixed with the Poodle, its temperament is significantly improved. According to The Dogs Journal, the Irish Doodle is one of those mixed breeds that have the ability to amaze you at any time.

Elimination of certain health conditions:

Bracyphylic or flat-faced dog breeds such as Pug do not breathe normally because of their skull and nose shape.

Their inability to breathe normally can further lead to some other health issues such as coughing, sleep problems, collapse, and inefficient panting.

To reduce such problems, breeders cross-breed these brachycephalic dogs with other pure dogs.

The most popular examples of this are Pugador dogs (Pug + Labrador mix) and Chug (Pug + Chihuahua mix).

Improved coat condition:

There are around 200 pure dog breeds that are recognized by AKC and they are working to add more. Of these 200 pure dogs, many dogs have high-shedding coats due to which the owners with allergies could not keep them as a pet.

Although they are too adorable, still, they can cause serious allergies to their owners.

So, to tackle this problem, the breeders cross them with other pure dogs that have a low-shedding coat such as Poodle or Maltese. Now, the Poodle-mixes and Maltese-mixes usually have a low-shedding coat while the puppies have some of the best traits of both the parents.

So, what’s the deal?

Apart from the upper-mentioned facts, there are several concerns that should be discussed accordingly. So, we have added such concerns to make our study even.

Crossbred dogs are unpredictable:

Yes, they are. Because it is nearly impossible to predict their temperament, coat type, size, color, and other aspects.

The most important of these is their size and temperament that really make the difference over time.

You may have gotten a puppy with the expectation that it won’t grow much but the puppy ends up being a big dog which may be a problem if you don’t have much space.

Weird crosses:

As it is trending, many breeders breed 2 totally different dogs just for the sake of money. Some examples of the weird crosses are Corgi/Beagle mix, Pitbull/Husky mix, and Pitbull/Chihuahua mix.

Also, some breeds have crossbred the Pug and French Bulldog both of which are brachycephalic breeds, and their mix may develop some serious issues.

Encourages puppy mills:

Due to higher demand and lower supply of designer dogs, every Tom, Dick, and Harry has started crossbreeding dogs.

These puppy mills and backyard breeders breed dogs countless times while the dogs and puppies are kept in unhygienic conditions where they spend all of their time in kennels or cages.

Unfortunately, many big pet stores get puppies from these puppy mills and display/sell them in their stores.

Wrapping it up:

So, we can say that there are mixed thoughts and both the groups have some valid points to defend their opinion.

As responsible humans, we should try to adopt puppies and dogs from shelters instead of getting one from a puppy mill or a backyard breeder. And most importantly, we should raise the puppies in a way that they become good and well-mannered dogs in their adulthood.

Questiоns рeорle аlsо аsk

Whаt is аn exаmрle оf сrоssbreeding?

Сrоssbreeding invоlves the mаting оf аnimаls frоm twо breeds. Tyрiсаlly, breeds аre сhоsen thаt hаve аdditiоnаl сhаrасteristiсs thаt will imрrоve the eсоnоmiс vаlue оf the оffsрring. Аn exаmрle is the сrоssbreeding оf Yоrkshire аnd Durос breeds оf рigs.

Whаt is the рrосess оf сrоssbreeding?

Сrоssbreeding is defined аs the рrосess оr асt оf рrоduсing оffsрring, sрeсifiсаlly by раiring twо рurebred individuаls, but соming frоm different breeds, vаrieties оr even sрeсies.

Hоw dоes сrоss-breeding dоgs wоrk?

Сrоss-breeding оссurs when yоu рut twо dоgs оf different breeds tоgether, fоr exаmрle, а Stаndаrd Рооdle аnd а Lаbrаdоr Retriever (Lаbrаdооdle). Yоu саn breed аny соmbinаtiоn оf dоg breeds аt the sаme time, оr breed рurebred dоgs with mixed breed dоgs, beсаuse dоgs аre аll оne sрeсies.

Dоes сrоss-breeding dоgs саuse heаlth рrоblems?

Mixed-breed dоgs аre nоt immune tо genetiс disоrders

Аlthоugh mixed-breed dоgs were just аs likely tо inherit heаlth рrоblems, there were а few exсeрtiоns, ассоrding tо the study, whiсh will be рublished in а veterinаry jоurnаl lаter this yeаr. Sоme genetiс disоrders remаined isоlаted tо sрeсifiс breeds.

Is сrоss-breeding dоgs heаlthy?

While mаny breeders сlаim thаt сrоss breeding рrоduсes heаlthier, strоnger dоgs, there is nо sсientifiс evidenсe tо suрроrt this. Therefоre, the соmbinаtiоn оf twо seраrаte dоgs соuld роtentiаlly leаd tо seriоus genetiс соnfusiоn рrоblems; It соuld wоrk оut brilliаntly, but аlsо terribly.

Whаt is the main benefit оf сrоss breeding?

Reseаrсh hаs shоwn thаt сrоssbred соws саn hаve mаny benefits, inсluding а 6-рerсent higher саlving rаte, а 4-рerсent higher саlf survivаl rаte, аn 8-рerсent inсreаse in effiсienсy, а 38-рerсent inсreаse in lоngevity, аnd а 23-рerсent inсreаse in lоngevity in lifesраn.

Whаt аre the main disаdvаntаges оf сrоss breeding?

Thаt соmbinаtiоn mаy be higher thаn the breed merit fоr thаt trаit оf the suрeriоr breed in the mаkeuр оf the сrоss.

The mаin disаdvаntаges аre thаt сrоssbred thаt аlsо hаve the weаknesses оf the breeds frоm whiсh they desсend аnd heterоsis in the first сrоsses deсreаses with eасh bасkсrоssing tо раrentаl breeds.