Purebreed vs Mixed Dog Breeds

Purebreed vs Mixed Dog Breeds - Mixed Dogs Breed

A mixed breed dog, also called a mutt, mongrel, tyke, cur, bitzer, or random-bred dog, is a dog that has characteristics of two or more types of breeds, or is a descendant of feral or pariah dog populations. The term mixed-breed can be a misnomer. Along with the term purebred dog, the idea that such dogs are a mix of defined breeds stems from an inverted understanding of the origins of dog breeds. Pure breeds have been, for the most part, artificially created by human selective breeding to enhance one or another desired physical or temperamental characteristic. Dogs that are not pure bred are not necessarily a mix of such defined breeds.

Dogs that are descended from many generations of mixes are typically light brown or black and weigh about 18 kg (40 lb). They typically stand between 38 and 57 cm (15 and 23 inches) tall at the withers.



The theory of hybrid vigor suggests that as a group, dogs of varied ancestry will be healthier than their purebred counterparts. In purebred dogs, intentionally breeding dogs of very similar appearance over several generations produces animals that carry many of the same alleles, some of which are detrimental. This is especially true if the dogs are closely related. This inbreeding among purebreds has exposed various genetic health problems not readily apparent in less uniform populations. Mixed-breed dogs are more genetically diverse due to the more haphazard nature of their parents mating. "Haphazard" is not the same as "random" to a geneticist. The offspring of such matings are less likely to express certain genetic disorders because there is a decreased chance that both parents carry the same detrimental recessive alleles. However, some deleterious recessives are common across many seemingly unrelated breeds, and therefore merely mixing breeds is no guarantee of genetic health. The declining overall health of many purebreds is also leading to a decline in the mixed-breed population, especially with the "designer dog" fads. Breeding two poor specimens together does not guarantee the resulting offspring will be healthier than the parents and in fact, due to simple genetics law, the offspring actually stand to inherit the worst of both parents. This is most commonly seen in pet store puppies. Not all damaging genes are recessive, and there are relatively few single-gene traits. Purebred and mixed-breed dogs are equally susceptible to non-genetic ailments, such as rabies, distemper, injury, and infestation by parasites.

Recognized dog breeds are a result of human selection. Most existing dog breeds began as mixed-breeds, either random-bred or by deliberate crosses of existing breeds. Encouraging desirable traits and discouraging others, breeders sought to create their ideal appearance or behavior, or both, for dogs, and, additionally, to ensure that the dogs could consistently produce offspring with the same appearance or behavior.



Types of mixed-breeding
Mixed-breed dogs can be divided roughly into four types:

• Crossbreed dogs, which are mixtures of two recognized breeds. Dogs that result from two different purebred parents are known as crossbreeds. Some crossbreeds have traits that make them popular enough to be frequently bred deliberately, such as the Cockapoo—a cross between a Poodle and a Cocker Spaniel—and the Labradoodle, which crosses a Labrador Retriever with a Poodle.
• Mixes that show characteristics of two or more breeds. A mix might have some purebred ancestors, or might come from a long line of mixed-breeds. These dogs are usually identified by the breed they most resemble, such as a "Lab mix" or "Collie-Shepherd", even if their ancestry is unknown.
  
• The generic pariah dog, or feral Canis lupus familiaris, where non-selective breeding has occurred over many generations. The term originally referred to the wild dogs of India, but now refers to dogs belonging to or descended from a population of wild or feral dogs.
• Functional breeds, which are purpose-bred, pedigreed dogs whose ancestors are not purebred, but rather are selected by their performance at a particular tasks. Examples of this are the Alaskan Husky, the Eurohound, and the Pointer/Greyhound mixes referred to as Greysters, which compete at skijoring and pulka races, particularly in Europe. The distinction between a "mix" and a "breed" is less distinct in these cases, and occasionally a functional breed such as this becomes accepted as a breed over time.

Advantages and drawbacks of breed mix
The mature appearance and behavior of purebred puppies may be more predictable than that of mixed-breeds, including cross-breeds. With purebred dogs, genetic variations are well documented and a reputable breeder has a fair estimation of what type of offspring a given pair will produce. Still, there is variation within breeds; for example, two champion sheep-herding Border Collies might produce offspring with no interest in sheep herding.

Many people enjoy owning mixed-breeds, valuing their unique appearance and characteristics. While purebred dogs exhibit little variability of appearance within their breed, mixed-breed dogs exhibit often unique appearances. Although some dog owners prefer the status of owning a specific breed of dog or have a nostalgic attachment to a breed they wish to acquire, many others enjoy mixed-breed dogs that exhibit characteristics similar to their favorite breeds. Mixed-breeds are also often less expensive than purebreds.

Source(Wikipedia)

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