Cross Breeds

Is it true that mix breed dogs are healthier during a lifespan than pure breeds?

I am looking to get a dog, but have heard that pure breeds can be more prone to diseases and certain conditions. Does it make a difference if it is pure breed or mixed?

Public Comments

1. Generally speaking yes. This is because the gene pool is greater. The gene pool in pure bred dogs is normally very limited, any genetic problems they may be pre-diposed to , they have a greater chance of them being manifested than a mix breed dog. Hope this helps Good luck
2. No, not necessarily. It has a great deal to do with the blood lines of the particular dog. Some pure breds have more problems than mutts, some mutts have more problems than purebreds. With purebreds, a lot of the problems can be eliminated or controlled through GOOD breeding and genetic tests, with mutts you just never really know where they came from. If you go with a mutt, don't get one from a "breeder", because its incredibly risky... just save one from the shelter and make sure you train it and socialize it well!
3. No, they aren't more healthy. Some breeds do have genetic problems, but so do mixed breeds. At least with a purebred you have some idea of what you might expect. The AKC Parent Clubs usually have a link on their websites that will give you the problems in the breed and what they are doing about it.
4. No, it's a fallacy. No one has ever come up with statistics to prove this. Buy a purebred from a reputable breeder who does all the necessary health checks and you'll have a far better chance of a healthy dog than buying a crossbreed whose anscestry is unknown. There's no guarantee that any puppy will be 100% healthy but by doing your research and buying wisely you are more likely to find a healthy pup who will gr ow into a healthy dog.
5. Yes, it does. Mixed breeds happen either by accidents, or backyard breeders breed them. Therefore, 99.9% of the time, no health testing is done to prevent those diseases and conditions. Reputable breeders do everything they can to prevent these conditions and diseases in their litters. Your safest bet is going through a reputable breeder who does health clearances for all breed-appropriate conditions and diseases. Hybrid vigor, a common marketing scam by puppy mills and BYB's (that mixing dogs makes them healthier because they will only get the "good genes") is completely false. Hybrid vigor referrs to the crossing of SPECIES not BREEDS.
6. Many purebreds have genetic diseases, like small dogs like Doxie's have back problems and some are prone to mange/skin diseases, like St Bernards. Mixed breeds usually a blend the stronger genetic strains so the dog is considered healthier.
7. Badly bred pure breds can be more prone to illness, yes. And inbreeding is a big factor. However, this does not mean that well bred purebreds are not 100% healthy, they often can be, it's just difficult to find good breeders. All mix breeds also are not necessarily healthy, and if you don't know the parents pedigrees you're taking a big risk buying a mix breed, you just don't know what might be wrong.
8. Nope, nobody has come up with scientific evidence to prove it. Also, people usually don't intentionally breed mixed breed dogs. And if they do, they must be a knuckle head, in which case they probably haven't health tested their dogs, which means they could be breeding two unhealthy purebred dogs together, thus producing puppies with hip dysplasia, heart problems and cancer! You will find the healthiest dogs from breeders whose dogs have lived past 12 years old, or you could even pick up a mutt from a shelter that lives to be 19! Just remember, very rarely do healthy dogs just 'happen'. Breeders spend years of evaluating their breeding stock, pinpointing problems and eliminating those dogs that carry health problems from their lines, and overall raising healthy dogs. You WON'T find a 'breeder quality' dog in a pet store. Really, it doesn't make a difference. You can rest assured if you buy from a breeder who health tests all of their dogs, including your new puppy's parents, that they have a greatly decreased chance of hereditary problems if their parents pass their tests (good hips, normal heart, no elbow/knee problems) Go to a dog show, find a breeder, or swing by your local rescue. Just remember that the purebred dog could outlive the average mutt by 7 years if it comes from excellent breeding lines, or a mixed breed you pick up from a shelter may be with you for 19 years!
9. Not necessarily, some breds have been so well develop for centuries that a lot of genetic problems have been almost weed out. Save from a shelter or get a well-bred dog with a good breeder garanty.
10. purebreds if not bred properly by knowledgable breeders are more prone to genetic faults. with mixes most are bred out.
11. Pure breds are more prone to diseases. The thing with pure bred dogs is that we have been controlling their breeding so nature cannot naturally weed out unwanted qualities. A lot of pure breds would not survive in the wild... Long haired dogs without grooming would suffer from matts, Very large breeds would suffer from hip dysplasia, etc. So, because we have been breeding dogs prone to certain diseases with dogs of the same breed who are also prone to the disease, these conditions almost always appear in the dogs. However, when breeds mix the most favorable DNA is naturally selected and they are less likely to develop a condition from either side. ** I am speaking generally. My answer is assuming that responsible breeding has taken place. I am not talking about mixed breeds from puppy mills or backyard breeders. These dog are usually unheathly and can be very ill throughout their life.
12. It truly depends on the dog and its parentage. A mixed breed from a puppy mill can be just as unhealthy as a purebred, but one can find a great breeder with great, healthy lines and have minimal health problems. Generally, yes, mixed breeds have fewer genetic problems and conditions
13. This is such a load of CRAP! If a mixed breed has one parent with hip dysplaysia and one with a low thyroid, you will have mutts with bad hips and thyroid problems. Mixed breeds are not tested for anything, they could be genetic carriers for any of the problems dogs have. If it is not in the bloodline in the first place, it is not going to pop up just because the dog is pure bred! If you get a pure bred dog from a REPUTABLE breeder, that tests their breeding animals and only breeds the healthy ones you will have a healthy pet!
14. Many have a total misconception of how genetics work. Most never consider that every dog of every breed has exactly the same gene loci. Each gene is then turned on or turned off (dominant or recessive) to create the individual. Each gene loci has two genes one of which came from each parent, and there can be several million gene loci on each of 39 pair of chromosomes. So you can see why it has taken so long to map the Canis lupus familiaris. The illusion that somehow mixed breed dogs are healthier than pure bred dogs is created by the fact that pure bred breeders have been tracking and finding solutions to genetic problems as they arise for a long time. No such programs exist for the mixed breed dog. So we always hear about a problem with a pure bred dog, but the mixed breed dog just gets euthanized and forgotten about.
15. There is no proof that all mixed breeds (mutts) are healthier than all purebreds. I have no doubt that many mutts are healthier than a lot of the BYB and puppymill purebreds, simply because BYBs and puppymillers don't do the necessary health and genetic testing before breeding. However, a purebred from a reputable breeder can be just as healthy, often healthier, than mutts, because reputable breeders know what they're doing. They do the proper health tests, they study the genetics of the breed and the lines of the dogs they breed. If you don't want to risk a lot of health problems, your best bet is to find a great reputable breeder. If you're willing to take a chance, adopt a mutt. Either way, you'll have a friend for life.