Cross Breeds

Do dogs take on another breeds characteristics if it grows up with them?

I want another dog, it is far off in the horizon yet but I have been looking into different dog breeds and (if my boyfriend would ever let me) I'd love a Chihuahua. Anyway, it got me thinking - we already have a SBT and he has a very big personality so say we did get a Chihuahua from a puppy would it grow up having (some of) the same characteristics and full personality of my Staffy?

Public Comments

1. The dog may learn things from them, but the dog will always have it's own personality. It's like humans. I grew up with two younger brothers and we learned things from each other. However, they are who they are and I am still my own person, as I will always be. One thing all dogs have in common is this: Give them all your heart, and they'll give you theirs. Hope this helped! ~Holly
2. No. A dog's drives, instincts and to a large extent his temperament, are dictated by his genes. My oldest Belgian shepherd was raised with my son's beagle and he (thank God) has none of the beagle's traits. He doesn't run around with his nose to the ground, he always hears me, nor will the beagle ever have the desire or instinct to herd sheep.
3. Not always, breed genetics, hereditary instincts and characteristics are very powerful in ruling a dogs personality and drive. However it can happen, we had a husky/shepherd cross a while back and a female lab who howled just like the husky shep and they curled up together like it was below temps - she really looked up to him ... but this can be rare.
4. yes it would. obviusly not all the same charecteristics but like if you get a breed that doesnt bark very much but the dog you already have does the new one will start barking alot more. i wouldnt recomend a chihuahua with a staff. id go for something that would be less likely to get hurt with ruff play which im sure you know staffys do play ruff.
5. LOL....Chihuahuas are often convinced they're 150 lb giant dogs anyway. :) But yes, to a point, young dogs raised in a home with an existing adult dog will sometimes pick up behavior patterns, habits and quirks of the adult dog. I have two Basenjis- the "barkless" breed. They can yodel and make noise but are born physically unable to bark repeatedly like a normal dog due to differences in the larynx. They may occasionally let out a single "boof" but most B's will yodel if they are inclined to say something. However, I have met a lot of Basenjis raised in households with "normal" barking dogs, and the Basenji sometimes picks up the habit and will "boof...boof....boof" every time the other dogs start barking. Mine grew up with & currently live with a barking breed; fortunately MY B's did not pick up the habit LOL :) Sometimes the adult dog will even take it upon himself to sort of "teach" the puppy how to behave. This is very common in Basenjis as well- adult dogs will go as far as to "correct" puppies with a snark and a shove if they step out of line. Many people who have adult Basenjis and add a puppy find that the puppy even picks up on training commands from watching the adult dogs practice with the owner. I have heard of it happening with many other breeds as well. It all depends on the nature of the adult dog. And the level to which the puppy picks up behaviors entirely depends on the puppy himself. Some dogs are *genetically* prone to be fearful or anxious (usually a result of crappy breeding practices).....if you were to end up with a fearful-by-nature puppy, he probably wouldn't pick up as many of the Staffy's big, bold traits. But if you were to end up with a typical Chihuahua pup with a correct temperament, chances are he'd be bold & confident anyway, and would be more likely to pick up the Staffy's habits. :)
6. We have a five month old kitten that is convinced it's a staffordshire bull terrier!! But then again my youngest stafford seems to think she's a cat. I do know of someone who's cairn terrier bltch lost its milk during the firestorm here a few years ago. The pups were raised by a SBT and they had a very different personality to any other pups she had had. That said breed instincts such as herding are a genetic trait
7. No, not really. It is true that temperament is determined by genetics AND environment, but the personality of a dog will not really rub off on another dog. Like, a greyhound won't induce a Boston terrier to develop the instincts of a greyhound; that's genetics.
8. I know someone who has a Labrador Retriever and a Siberian Husky. Labs often bark but don't often howl; however, this Lab does-the Husky taught it to. They both howl when they're excited-it's quite funny. <3
9. I never thought about that... Sounds interesting though. I remember watching this old 1960ish (?) Walt Disney movie which sadly I can't remember the name. It wasn't a cartoon... It was with real people and real dogs, which made it so much funnier. I think it was probably the most hilarious and cute movie I *EVER* saw and probably one of the best Dog Movies. The story was about this couple. The woman owned and showed Mini Short-Haired Dachshunds but her fustrated husband always wanted to own big dogs. When the woman's b*tche gave birth to a litter of three Doxie puppies, the husband secretly adopted a Great Dane whose mother was dead (I don't remember very well what hapenned to the mother, but I think she died). Enventually a few weeks later the wife finds out but they keep the dog. The funniest about the whole thing - and what may proove you right! - is that the Dane, growing up around these little yappy dogs, appears to think he's small as well. He jumps at the owner's lap and once they were in this Dog Show, with all the Danes walking very nobel and beautiful, and he was dragging his belly on the floor, his *ss to the air like a tiny dog. LOL. :D