DESIGNER DOGS

Introduction to Designer Dogs

Designer dogs have some important advantages. Designer dogs tend to be healthier, can have better temperaments, and may be able to provide a better combination of characteristics for the average home than any other type of dog. Designer dogs aren't purebreds but they aren't mixed breed "village dogs" either. Designer dogs may just be the best of both worlds, or perhaps it would be better to say, the best blend of both worlds. Let's find out more about this latest concept in dogs that sometimes traces its roots to Cockapoos which were first bred about 1950. Since then, interest in and development of designer breeds has grown far faster than any other group of dogs with most of that growth taking place since 1980. Let's start with some general information unique to designed dogs you need to be aware of, then move on to their advantages and disadvantages. How Designer Dogs are Created. Designer dogs are purebred dogs that have been deliberately crossbred, that is, two purebred dogs of different breeds have been mated together. Designer dogs may be crossbred for numerous reasons. Among the reasons to crossbreed purebred dogs is to create a new look, to get a particular temperament or behavior that is desirable, to mix the physical traits of one breed with the physical traits of another breed in hopes of obtaining the most desirable traits of both breeds, or to mate one breed that has a specific genetic health problem with another breed that does not have that problem in an effort to strengthen the genetics of the resulting puppies. Many deliberate crossbreeds exist, and each has its own benefits and disadvantages. AKC Breeders and Designer Dogs. While designer dogs are intentional crossbreeds, most AKC breeders feel that designer dogs are just like any other mixed breed dog, or mutts. AKC breeders build a business out of breeding purebred dogs, and even deliberate crossbreeds aren't purebred dogs in the typical AKC breeder's mind. As a result, you may find a campaign of misinformation, or deliberately misleading information, promoted about designer dogs by AKC breeders. In reality, designer dogs are usually healthier than purebred dogs, and may be a better fit for your lifestyle than many purebreds. Don't let the AKC stigma against designer dogs prevent you from getting a designer dog if you believe it is the best choice for your household. Oodles and Oodles of Poodles. Many of the popular designer dog breeds are part Poodle. Labradoodles, Goldendoodles, Schnoodles, Cockapoos, and Shih-poos are all Poodle cross-breeds. Almost all crossbreeds with an "oo" in their name are. Many breeders include Poodle in the crossbreed in an attempt to create a dog that has a "non-shedding" coat. Genetically speaking, when you cross a Poodle with a dog that sheds, you'll get a shedding coat. Crosses with Poodles may shed less, but they still shed. Don't believe designer dog breeders when they tell you that Poodle crossbreeds don't shed, because they do. Poodles shed. But because a Poodle’s coat is so curly, the fur that is shed tends not to fall to the floor. It stays ‘tangled up’ in their coat.