Cross Breeds - Why is it a bad idea to mate mixed breed dogs?

Why is it a bad idea to mate mixed breed dogs?

I would just like to educate myself better on my dog and would like some information from you. I have a mixed breed Rottweiler/ Labrdaor. He is so wonderful and although he is far far too early to breed, I may want to in the future. But I have been told never to mate mixed breeds. Why is this? Thank you so much to everyone who answered my question. I will definately NOT be breeding my dog. Thinking about it properly made it all very clear. Thanks again!!!!

Public Comments

Because there are plenty of mixed breed dogs in shelters being killed every day. The only people that *should* be breeding their dogs are those who show them and have all the health testing done to assure they're only breeding healthy dogs who meet their breed standard. That said, I'm definitely not against mixed breeds, but there will always be those who let their dogs breed without any regard to where the puppies will go, and no responsibility for the puppies they produce when the homes they go to no longer want them. Only 1 in 10 puppies born ever find a forever home. The other 90% are bounced from home to home, and often end up euthenized in shelters. Please have your dog neutered.
Thank-you for asking. Let me try to explain... When a reputable breeder breeds, he or she is trying to make the best dog in that breed possible, to show and continue to breed. They then take any other puppies in that litter who are genetically healthy, but not 'show quality' and sell them. Reputable breeders only breed after they have had extensive, expensive genetic testing done- to be sure they aren't passing down any heritary problems or 'bad' genes. Sure if you bred your dog the puppies would be cute. Sure if the parents were well-behaved they MIGHT be (what do you know about your dog's parents and grandparents?) and they MIGHT be healthy and not have genetic problems (unless you did the testing- which if you go ahead and breed anyway- I suggest you do). But what makes those puppies any different than the puppies dying in the shelters daily? Will you have homes set up for all your puppies before they are born? Will you be willing to risk the female dog's life to give birth? If you would own the female too- would you be willing to spend thousands on vet bills for sick mom and pups? And bottle feed them all should mom die during the birth? If you're not going to own mom- where will you find someone who will purposefully breed mixed breed dogs? Are you going to be willing to take any of these dogs back should the owners decide they no longer want them- or will you be adding to the dog dying daily in shelters? I got my baby at the shelter. I don't know if I wouldn't have adopted him if he would still be alive today- the shelter was full and they just took in more dogs- some have probably died to make room. Give these dogs a chance- if someone wants a mixed breed dog- let them save a wonderful one from the shelter. Hope this explained things. Thank-you so much for your decision- some shelter dogs may still get a chance at a forever family- you should be very proud :)
MILLIONS of mixed breeds die in shelters everyday. We don't need to breed more. You want a Rott/Lab cross? Go to a shelter, there are MANY of them. Also, breeding is hard on the dogs. The stress and hardship to the female is obvious, but the males don't have it much better. Studs start humping everything, they start peeing everywhere. They howl, dig, roam, destroy stuff and make nuisances of themselves. Neutered dogs are healthy, happy pets. Cheers.
Breeding should only be done to inhance the quality of a breed; NEVER to have some 'cute puppies' or to 'learn' something about life. Your dog is already a mutt... so breeding him would be a big no-no right there. Why? Because over half of your new puppies will end up in the shelter, and about 1/4 of the litter will be euthanized. This is partly because there are not enough good homes for mutts, and people are always looking for purebreds. There are millions of mixed breeds in the shelters today; and, we definantly don't need more. The reason why you shouldn't breed your dog is because its a direct road to murder. At least some of the pups in the litter are guarenteed to be put down, since half willl wind up in a pound. Why would you want to create a miserable life? Sure... you may have some cute dogs for 8 weeks; but, they are a TON of work. What will you do if no one wants the pups (mixed breeds are VERY difficult to sell)? Will you keep them all or send them to a pound? What if a pup has complications? Can you afford to help pay for it? What if all the pups (8-12 on average) have problems? Can you afford the proper care for them all? Not to mention the physical work. Pups are like babies... times 8. They need to always be watched, they will cry day and night, they will pee everywhere, and as they get older will be destructive to your things... especially if ever left alone. Can you handle that for 8 weeks? Your dog will love you if you neuter him. Neutering does not in any way take out the 'male' in a dog, as some people believe. You will save him from sexual frustration, aggression when around another female and males, and a healthier life. I hope I could help, and good luck with your dog! He sounds cute. =]
The answers above explain it perfectly. Crossbreeds are lovely but while there are thousands dying every year because there aren't enough homes to go round the world doesn't need any more :)
Why do you want to breed him, just to have puppies or try to make money. There are enough unwanted dogs around already. You should get him neutered.
There are huge numbers of mongrels who are unwanted and end up in dog rescue homes. If you breed pure bred dogs then there is a reaonable guarantee that what you see is what you will get, in terms of conformation, temperament etc. Cross bred pups will either display the best or the worst of their genes, if you then go on to cross breed further, not only will you have problems finding homes, you are almost certainly going to come across genetic deficiencies. I breed Labs and have never met a bad one, my brother in law breeds Rottweilers and his are very gentle and patient with his 2 young sons who torment them endlessly, however I think you are playing with fire planning a further crossbreed. Enjoy what you have but my advice would be 'Don't go there'
DU!!!!!!!!!!!!! BILLIONS OF THEM DIE EVERY SINGLE DAY AND MANY MORE ARE LOST AND ABUSED. HELP EXISTING DOGS PLEASE DON'T MAKE ANY MORE! You can never create another dog like your own, everyone luvs their dogs and no matter how you do it the babies won't be what u want.
Silverdragon is partly right. You will find mixed breed dogs hard to home. The prejudice against them is just silly. "Mongrel vigour" is a proverb among animal breeders as "hybrid vigour" is with gardeners. Breeding for characteristics which breed true (like Hitler selecting for height, blue eyes and blond hair) involves selecting recessive genes, among which there are bound to be some harmful ones. When you add the inbreeding necessary to fix the heritage, it's no wonder that so many pedigree animals have things like hip dysplasia. Crossbreeding also often results in a more intelligent animal - for instance most eventers ride halfbreeds, not thoroughbreds. In fact almost the only people who should NEVER breed dogs are those who intend them for showing. I agree with allowing your dog to reproduce, but do try to get promised homes for the pups before the bitch is covered. By the way, neutering your dog will not save a single unwanted pup. When a bitch is on heat, if she gets out, she will find a dog. She'll go looking. And how! There's always one around, too. Dogs & cats are like people, not like wild cattle: sterilising males doesn't help. For effective birth control, it's the females who must be spayed or on the pill.
Mixed breed dogs are wonderful, aren't they? I have owned both mixed breed dogs and purebred dogs, and I have had great experiences with both. I have, however, gotten ALL of my dogs from rescue. That is the point here. I would not have been able to get my dogs from rescue if there hadn't been TONS of irresponsible people out there letting their dogs breed for no good reason. With the millions of poor dogs killed every year because of overpopulation, I am sure you don't want to breed and sell puppies at the expense of other great dog's lives. Just remember, for every puppy you sell, another dog will die in a shelter. Can you live with that? Comfort yourself with the fact that you have chosen and raised a great mixed breed dog, and leave the breeding to the professional purebred breeders.
With a mixed breed dog, you have no idea what the background is or what hidden genes the dog might carry. There are those who claim that mixed breed dogs are actually stronger and healthier than purebreds. They use a term called "hybrid vigor." Well that is simply not true. While the first generation of puppies may seem fine, that is because only the dominant genes are showing. Breed a second generation and you will see all kinds of hidden problems emerging. Furthermore, those are the dogs that most often end up in the pound or in rescue because they are not valued as much as purebred dogs. Many people see them as throw aways. The mixed breed dogs who end up suffering the most are the large breeds. Where I live, toy dogs are snatched up very quickly but 90% of the large dogs are killed. Over 5,000 each year are euthanized in the small community where I live. The numbers are much higher in cities. Some shelters put Pit Bull, Rotties and some other breeds down without even giving them a chance. Our local shelter kills all Chow mixes. Ridiculous - all of it! But that's what happens and there is nothing much any of us can do except to take responsibility and not add to the problem. Mixed breed dogs are great and I've had my share over other years but all have been spayed or neutered. The most wonderful dog I have ever owned was a German Shepherd/Chow mix. When she was five years old, she suddenly started having seizures. It turned out to be an inoperable brain tumor and my vet said it was bad genetics. So much for hybrid vigor! There is no point in breeding a dog with an unknown background or adding to the serious problem of pet overpopulation. Far too many are dying as it is. Above All Else, Do No Harm!
Mixed breeds are wonderful pets, but breeding dogs should be left to those who are dedicated to their dog's breed respectively. Goals that most breeders strive to achieve is to make their breed better, to conform to the breed standard, and to be reputable. With mixed breeds, this cannot be done. Many breeders won't breed beautiful purebred dogs due to faulty health testing, improper dentition, bad conformation, poor temperament... Another reason is that there is no way to trace or document your dogs health testing, or that of the sire and dam and so on. Both Rottweilers and Labradors have hip issues, elbow issues and possibly eye issues (not too sure on that one) and should be certified by specialists before being bred: OFA, Penn Hip, Cerf. Only dogs registered with a kennel club can be certified. So registering your mix probably won't happen. There are many other health tests that may pertain to those two breeds, but I am not sure on what they are. A breeder always strives to ensure that their pups will grow to be healthy dogs with no congenital defects. With a mixed dog and an unknown family history, you may never know what defects may be in your dog's bloodline. A second reason for concern in wanting to breed a mixed dog is that there are many, many, many in shelters needing to be rescued. So you may be contributing to the pet over population issue. Third, intact male dogs are about 75% more likely to bite especially if there is a female in heat within about a 5 mile area, and you won't know this. Intact male dogs are more likely to wander away from home, endangering themselves and possibly others. They will also do some absolutely crazy things to get out of their confined area if there is a female in heat. Dogs have gone through walls, climbed two stories high, bred through fences.... Finally, intact male dogs are more likely to get prostate cancer and severe kidney infections when left intact, so in the interest of your pet's health, it probably is best to get him neutered.
The main reason, which won't be said too often here, is simply because all the people who sell purebred dogs will loose money and the kennel clubs who register them will suffer if too many mixed breeds become popular. The people who whine about mixes the loudest are the ones who are looking for a profit from their purebred wares. That said-- I would encourage you to neuter a rottie mix. Large guard dog breeds should not be bred and released into the general public. It is simply too dangerous.
My dog had mixxed puppies we gave most of them away and kept two but there was nothing bad with doing it
i have a mix breed dog and he is lovely i know of a dog rescue who find they are taking in more rot tie and staffs
The only problem i see is that there are more that enough dogs being slaughtered to make way for new pups
As long as all the puppys went to good homes i don't see what the problem would be. I've always heard that mix breed dogs were smarter, but thats just me.