Researching Cross Breeds

Researching crossbreeds involve many of the same steps and considerations as researching purebred dogs. You must still find dogs that display the characteristics you want. Some breeders may simply be uninformed or misinformed about important considerations in genetics and dog breeding. But other breeders may provide inaccurate descriptions, or be less than completely truthful about their dogs, the designer breed, health testing, or many other aspects of the breeding process. Be Alert for Inaccurate Descriptions. When researching crossbreeds, you must be just as vigilant as when researching purebred dogs. Many crossbreed owners may provide inaccurate descriptions of their dogs, either through ignorance or through providing outright misinformation. In many cases, designer dog breeders know as little about genetics as their purebred counterparts. Many designer dog breeders don't know the difference between an F1 cross, an F1B, and a second-generation or third-generation cross. These breeders may not understand how genes combine to create specific characteristics in their dogs. Many of these breeders genuinely believe the misinformation they spread, because they are misinformed or uninformed about genetics. Beware of breeders who claim that their dogs have all of the best characteristics of both breeds. These breeders either don't understand canine genetics or don't care to be accurate. Designer dogs tend to have a blend of the breeds' characteristics; not all of both breeds' "best" characteristics combined into a single dog. Also, be alert for breeders who omit negative characteristics. All dogs have positive and negative characteristics. The key to finding the right dog for your household is to find a dog that has the positive characteristics you want, and negative characteristics you can accept. Breeders who don't tell you about the negative characteristics that their breeds display, or tell you that their dogs have "all of the positives, and none of the negatives" are either uninformed or over-selling their dogs. When researching crossbreeds, you're more likely to get an accurate idea of the breeds' physical characteristics and temperament if you research the parent breeds. Parent breeds that have similar characteristics produce puppies with similar characteristics. Parent breeds with dissimilar characteristics tend to produce a blend of those characteristics. If the breeder confirms your research, you may well have found a knowledgeable, responsible breeder of designer dogs.