Cross Breeds

are cross breed dogs healthier than pedigrees?

Public Comments

1. No, that is a myth. I've been working with dogs as a trainer and groomer for nearly 30 years. I've seen just as many mixed breeds with health problems as purebreds.
2. Not necessarily. Some breeds are very healthy and some breeds are full of genetic problems. But if you mix some breeds that have many health problems with breeds with many health problems, you could have a very unhealthy cross breed. It depends on many things.
3. This is something that has, thus far, been unproven. As far as I can tell, no, one is no healthier then the other. I've known mutts to die at an early age because of health problems and purebreds that have lived to be over fourteen. The better the dog is bred, the more the breeder tried to avoid health problems, the healthier the dog is.
4. no.
5. Yes and no I have seen both pure breed dogs and mix breed dogs that are sick and healthy, good breeding is good breeding and vice verse.
6. nope. Mixes often come from unknown or untested parents.. so there is no way of knowing what genetic health problems are in their back ground. There are alot of unhealthy purebreds from irresponsible breeding practices such as inbreeding,.. but as the "designer" dogs gain popularity I think we will see more of these issues. The healthiest dog you can get is a purebred dog that comes from a reputable breeder who does genetic testing and studies her dog's pedigrees for known health issues before breeding.
7. No, mixing breeds doesn't make them "healthier". A well-bred purebred, who's parents have been tested from from genetic health issues, will have a significantly lower chance of inherited problems than both a poorly-bred purebred and a mutt (mutts by nature are always poorly-bred). .
8. NO! NO no no no no no no no no ...*&*...... NO!!!! Know who spreads that lie??? Crooks that have a shitpile of mutt/mongrels to get rid of!!!!
9. That is a common myth. In reality mix breed dogs carry all the same genetic issues from both parents and therefore are not healthier. The biggest thing is that with a pure breed dog you know what the dog has a tendency to get and with a mutt it is a big unknown.
10. Some people believe they are, purebreds usually have a lot of health problems due to interbreeding. Mutts are less likely to have parents that are closely related, but all dogs have health problems.
11. They are far less prone to health problems. A lot of people think it's a myth but it isn't, as anyone who understands genetics or simply has had experience with animals will know. Purebred dogs have a longer life expectancy the smaller they are. Chihuahuas can be expected to live into their teens, perhaps even to 20. Great Danes on the other hand do well to live to 8. Crossbreed dogs of any size however can expect to live well into their teens. Chalice
12. There is no scientific evidence to prove this theory. The genuine answer to this is: If a healthy pure bred is crossed with another healthy pure bred of a different breed, you're most likely to get a healthy mutt- but it varies from puppy to puppy. In mutts that were bred randomly, by any two dogs, get the most dominant gene. If a Siberian Husky was bred to a Golden Retriever (both breeds have a 74% chance of hip dysplasia due to poor breeding), the dog has an increased chance of developing the disease later in its life. This is why mixed breed designer dogs have no set standard because they vary so greatly within the two mixings. NO two mutts look alike, nor will they have the same temperaments, diseases, etc, even if they are from the same litter. Pure bred dogs will *always* be healthier than mixed breed dogs- provided proper health tests were put in before allowing the dogs to copulate and reproduce. Mutts genes are 100% unpredictable. Some puppies in litters may have severe issues stemming from breed mixes, others may be without. Mutt breeding's can NOT be proven to be healthier than mixed breeds because you can not create a standard for mutts (due to the aforementioned problem). Life expectancy varies directly on the care and health of the dog. Large breed dogs' internal organs must work seven times harder than a smaller breed- and due to the rate that they grow as puppies, this too shortens their lifespan. It once again all comes back to breeding. Siberian Huskies very rarely live to see a 15'th year- but my fathers Sibe is now in her 23'rd. There is NO scientific proof that mutts are healthier or better than pure bred dogs with proper genetic testing and health records.
13. Don't be duped into thinking that mixing breeds will result in healthier offspring. The truth is that puppies, whether purebred or mixed, inherit genes from each parent. If the parents pass along the genes for a hereditary disease, the pups stand a good chance of having that disease. Hybrid vigor—the idea that unrelated parents produce healthier offspring—works only if natural selection is in operation. In the wild, a dog with clinical symptoms of a debilitating disease such as hip dysplasia or epilepsy would not be able to survive, and so would not pass on its genes. But in the modern world, with reasonable veterinary care and a constant food source, dogs with serious, even deadly, problems do survive long enough to produce lots of pups. It's a common misconception that because a mixed breed puppy has a varied heritage he's healthier than one that's purebred. Both types of dogs are susceptible to genetic disorders. A mixed breed dog has the potential to inherit the genetic disorders from every breed in his background. Certain breeds are known to have genetic ailments. However, responsible breeders screen the dogs they breed and can move away from these disorders when possible. You can make an informed decision when adopting a purebred puppy not to take one from a breed that is susceptible to a particular problem
14. If you're looking at hip dysplasia, mixed breed dogs are less prone to it. But otherwise....not really. Heathly dogs getting good care, good food and good vet treatment are going to be the same across the board. Lifespan---larger dogs don't live as long as smaller dogs, but some purebreds have extremely short lifespans even for large dogs. Five years for Great Danes and Boxers for instance. A mixed breed large dog is expected to live to 10-12 years, not five, so there is that advantage as well.
15. A pedigree is a piece of paper, so I'd say that the paper is healthier (it doesn't die). If you mean purebred dogs (with pedigrees/papers), it has not been proven, and I personally don't believe it. If you cross Dog A (who has 5 diseases), with Dog B (who has 4 diseases), Puppy C could have anywhere from 0-10 diseases. Some people have been lucky and their mutts are healthy. I've seen many other's whose mutts aren't healthy and die before age 2.