Should You Choose a Purebred or Mixed-Breed Puppy?
The first decision you should make when choosing a puppy is whether you'd like a purebred puppy, a mixed-breed variety, or a designer mixed-breed puppy. All dogs have a genetic inscription — a small bundle of codes — that determines each of their traits, from the colors of their coats and the shapes of their tails to the sounds of their barks and their reactions to strangers. Each set of dogs having these same traits is classified into a group called a breed.
Taking comfort in tradition: Purebred dogs
When you purchase a purebred dog, you’re buying into a generational lineage. Currently, more than 420 dog breeds are registered worldwide. Each breed has been fine-tuned to perform a specific function in society. Fanciers devote themselves to breeding and selling puppies that reflect their traditions. Choosing a specific breed enables you to predict the size, weight, and interest of your puppy.
Typically, owners of purebred dogs only permit breeding to other purebred dogs of the same breed. Of course, if a purebred dog owner breaks code and mates a purebred dog with another breed, a resulting puppy is what people in America call a mutt or mixed breed.
What are some other differences between a pure and mixed breed? Purebred dogs cost more — between $300 and $3,000. (The high end of that range is rare, but some purebred dogs with parents who are renowned in the show ring can fetch this price.)
When choosing a purebred, you need to be aware of health-related considerations. Each breed has its own list of hereditary abnormalities that may be present. Research the breeds you are interested in before choosing a purebred puppy.
Choosing hybrid vigor: Mutts
Equally capable of love and devotion as purebreds, mixed-breed puppies are considered mistakes and are often given away or relinquished an animal shelters. A mixed-breed dog is every bit as delightful as a purebred dog and, some argue, is healthier mentally and physically by virtue of hybrid vigor.
Hybrid vigor is a term that refers to a mixed-breed dog’s gene pool: By matching two completely different breeds, you get a larger range of possible traits. Advocates of hybrid vigor attest to healthier dogs because of the greater number of available genetic bundles. When mixed breeds are mated, the healthy traits are assumed to be dominant, and because more options are available, the genetic makeup of the dog is better.
Because purebred dogs have a limited number of genetic bundles available to them, their appearance may not vary much from generation to generation. A soft-coated Wheaten Terrier, for example, is always wheaten in color, with little variation. If this breed mated with a chocolate-colored Labrador Retriever, however, the puppies would have varying coat colors.
Going chic: Designer mixed breeds
Designer mixed breed dogs are the latest craze in the dog world. To create a designer mixed breed, breeders mate two purebred dogs to create a new, unique breed. This idea began with an attempt to create hypoallergenic seeing-eye dogs by mating Standard Poodles with Labrador Retrievers. The resulting dogs were coined Labradoodles, and though they didn’t catch on as seeing-eye dogs, the craze caught on in the public sector.
Now breeders have created designer mixes of every shape and size. Here are just a few of these fun new breeds:
| Designer breed name |
What they’re made of |
| Cavachon |
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel/Bichon Frisé |
| Chiweenie |
Chihuahua/Dachshund |
| Doodleman Pinscher |
Doberman Pinscher/Poodle |
| Jack-A-Bee |
Jack Russell Terrier/Beagle |
| Labernese |
Labrador Retriever/Bernese Mountain Dog |
| Pomimo |
American Eskimo Dog/Pomeranian |
| Puggle |
Pug/Beagle |
| Shorgi |
Corgi/Shih Tzu |
| Torkie |
Toy Fox Terrier/Yorkshire Terrier |
| Zuchon |
Shih Tzu/Bichon Frisé |
These designer dogs often cost much more than purebred or mixed breeds, to the tune of $2,000 to $3,000. Are you wondering how a breeder can get away with selling these mixed breeds at such high prices? The answer is that the people breeding these mixes have bought into the hybrid-vigor argument. If breeders are reputable in their passions, they’re taking two healthy specimens of each breed and trying to design a line of puppies who have the healthy traits of each breed.
If you’re considering a designer breed, remember that you can’t exactly be sure of what you’re going to get. A purebred dog’s size, weight, and interests can be predicted. A mixed-breed dog, designer or not, has a random mix of either traits in no particular order. If you’re thinking of buying one of these fun and fancifully named breeds, make sure you like both mixes — you can end up with the look of one and the personality of the other.
Dogs Glossary
A-B-C assessment
Checking a dog’s airway, breathing, and circulation.
Dogs Glossary
animal shelter
1. An animal control agency run by local government to protect people from animals, take in strays, and manage animal issues and problems within the community. 2. A privately run shelter managed by individuals who want to protect, advocate for, and find homes for animals.
Dogs Glossary
BARF diet
A method of feeding dogs as closely as possible what they would eat in the wild: raw flesh and bones, along with vegetable matter from the stomachs of their prey. The acronym stands for either Bones and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.
Dogs Glossary
blow out
A twice-yearly shedding of a dog’s undercoat.
Dogs Glossary
blue slip
An application to register a purebred puppy.
Dogs Glossary
breeder
A person who raises, sells, and often shows dogs of a specific breed. Reputable breeders screen parent dogs in an effort to produce healthy dogs that conform to breed standards.
Dogs Glossary
castrate
The removal of a male dog’s testicles to render him infertile.
Dogs Glossary
clicker
A small hand-held device that makes a sharp cracking sound when pressed. Paired with a food reward, an effective dog-training tool.
Dogs Glossary
cohesive bandage
A stretchy wrap that clings to itself used to cover and secure gauze bandages without tape.
Dogs Glossary
come into season
The advent of a female dog’s term of fertility.
Dogs Glossary
dead ring
The stationary ring on a training collar that pulls on the collar, not the dog’s neck.
Dogs Glossary
double coat
Two layers of fur — a top coat of stiff guard hairs and an undercoat that serves as insulation.
Dogs Glossary
dropped ears
The term for hanging or drooping dog ears.
Dogs Glossary
Elizabethan collar
A wide, cone-shaped plastic or cardboard collar that prevents a dog from being able to scratch her head. Used to prevent further injury or hasten healing.
Dogs Glossary
euthanize; put to sleep
To kill an animal to relieve suffering.
Dogs Glossary
fall
Hair that extends over a dog’s eyes.
Dogs Glossary
feathering
Long hair that runs from armpit to paw on the backs of a dog’s legs.
Dogs Glossary
free-feeding
Keeping a constant supply of dog food available so that the dog can decide when and how much to eat. It works best in single-dog households where there’s no competition for food.
Dogs Glossary
heartworms
Parasites that live in dogs’ hearts and cause heart failure. They’re transferred through mosquito bites.
Dogs Glossary
heat
The period when a female dog is fertile.
Dogs Glossary
heel
A command and position in which a dog walks at your left side staying with you as you change direction or pace.
Dogs Glossary
hip dysplasia
A painful malformation of a dog’s hip socket. Some breeds are genetically predisposed to the condition.
Dogs Glossary
hot spot
A localized area of skin infection. It’s usually round, red, and warm to the touch.
Dogs Glossary
live ring
The floating ring of a training collar. Attach a leash to this ring for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
neuter
A general term to describe either spaying or castrating a dog to render it infertile. Neutering and castrating are often used interchangeably.
Dogs Glossary
pantaloons
The tufts of hair on the backs of a long-haired dogs legs that make him look like he’s wearing bloomers.
Dogs Glossary
pedigree
A diagram of a dog’s ancestors for three or more generations that lists the registered names of the dogs and the titles they earned.
Dogs Glossary
pinch collar
A training collar with interlocking prongs that pinch a dog’s neck when tugged on. Some veterinarians recommend them above all other collars for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
praise
A verbal reward for a dog , such as an enthusiastic “good dog!”
Dogs Glossary
prong collar
A training collar with interlocking prongs that pinch a dog’s neck when tugged on. Some veterinarians recommend them above all other collars for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
pulse
Normal dog pulse is between 70 and 120 beats per minute. The pulse of a puppy ranges from 120 to 160 beats per minute.
Dogs Glossary
puppy mill
A place that supplies puppies to pet stores, usually without screening for possible genetic defects or properly socializing the puppies.
Dogs Glossary
registration certificate
The paper certifying a dog’s registration with an accredited organization.
Dogs Glossary
registration slip
An application to register a purebred puppy.
Dogs Glossary
release word
A word that lets a dog know that she is free to move.
Dogs Glossary
rescue group
A network of animal lovers who rescue and find new homes for their favorite breeds or animals.
Dogs Glossary
reward
To give a dog a treat for a correct response while he’s still in the desired position.
Dogs Glossary
ruff
The long, thick fur around a dog’s chest, shoulders, and neck.
Dogs Glossary
separation anxiety
A condition in which your dog becomes anxious and stressed when you leave him.
Dogs Glossary
shed
A twice-yearly process of casting off the undercoat in a double-coated dog.
Dogs Glossary
single coat
A single layer of hairs that comprises a dog’s fur.
Dogs Glossary
spay
To remove of both the uterus and the ovaries of a dog to render her infertile.
Dogs Glossary
stripping
Plucking the dead hairs from a dog’s coat.
Dogs Glossary
titer tests
Tests that check a dog’s immunity levels to determine exactly which vaccinations are needed.
Dogs Glossary
top coat
The top layer of a double-coated dog composed of stiff guard hairs that tend to be naturally water-repellant. The top coat protects the dog’s skin and undercoat.
Dogs Glossary
training collar
A collar that enables you to guide your dog and to check her as necessary — a brief, sharp tug tightens the collar around the dog’s neck.
Dogs Glossary
treat cup
A plastic container filled with small treats or dog food. Shake it and give treats from it as a reward as you train a dog.
Dogs Glossary
undercoat
Fleecy or downy fur shorter than the top layer of a double-coated dog. The undercoat serves as insulation.
