Mixed Breeds?

[CrystalGSD]

Okay, I know you guys are probably getting annoyed by all the breed suggestions posts I'm making. I'm not being annoying on purpose, I'm just unnaturally curious. I promise you all that I will stop with the posts soon enough.

So, I narrowed down my breed to the German Shepherd. Which was pretty obvious, honestly, but then I saw people getting dogs from the shelter. And getting mixed breeds. And getting dogs that were saved from terrible conditions that made me feel pity for the poor puppies.

What do you guys think of getting a mix breed? It would be a puppy, definitely, but I am now having trouble choosing between getting a purebred or a mutt. Especially considering the fact I may do flyball (or agility, really can't choose...). By mix breed, I mean the generic pick up from the pound dog, or the typical craigslist dog. A dog which has unknown lineage and you have no idea who the parents are. All of my previous dogs have been mixes, and I loved them all, dearly. But, I also want a purebred dog. I wish this choice was 10x easier...

Help. I'm indecisive. Purebred GSD or mix breed?

[CaliTerp07]

I do agility with my mystery mutt. We will not be trying out for the national team (not that I would have the skills with a purebred either though!), but we are having a blast and I wouldn't change it for the world. It makes it all the more rewarding to me that she wasn't bred specifically to do this--she just loves it, so we continue.

[Laurelin]

One day I would like to get a mutt to sport with. I have my mind set on a certain type of mix. If I were doing that, personally I'd go with an adult. That way you can see the drives/structure you are dealing with.

[Fran101]

Originally Posted by Laurelin

One day I would like to get a mutt to sport with. I have my mind set on a certain type of mix. If I were doing that, personally I'd go with an adult. That way you can see the drives/structure you are dealing with.

^ this.
Purebred or mutt is a personal choice. One doesn't do better at sports over another just based on purity of breed.

It's about structure, temperament, drive and health of the INDIVIDUAL.

I would suggest getting an adult so you know all these above things personally..then go from there Maybe contact a rescue about a sports prospect.

[Laurelin]

I should add that tons of the dogs at our agility club are mutts. All different shapes and sizes and breed types.

[SevenSins]

Why does it have to be either purebred from a breeder OR mutt from rescue/shelter? What about a purebred (or as close as anyone can guess to being purebred) dog from a shelter or rescue? I think that the decision depends entirely on what you want to do with your dog, how much you care about being able to research your dog's lineage (and the health, structure and temperaments in it), or how important it is to have a breeder-mentor and the additional support system that comes from getting a dog from a good breeder.

[CrystalGSD]

I'd like to mention that the sport would be purely for fun. We most likely would not be going into any national competitions or anything, it would probably be more of a past time. Or maybe just some extra mental and physical stimulation for the dog, but it wouldn't be mandatory for the dog. If the dog turned out not to like flyball/agility, then I would be pretty ok with it.

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

I do agility with my mystery mutt. We will not be trying out for the national team (not that I would have the skills with a purebred either though!), but we are having a blast and I wouldn't change it for the world. It makes it all the more rewarding to me that she wasn't bred specifically to do this--she just loves it, so we continue.

That does sound rewarding and fun Especially knowing that the dog wasn't meant to do it, and that the dog just likes it do it herself.

Originally Posted by Laurelin

One day I would like to get a mutt to sport with. I have my mind set on a certain type of mix. If I were doing that, personally I'd go with an adult. That way you can see the drives/structure you are dealing with.

Originally Posted by Fran101

^ this.
Purebred or mutt is a personal choice. One doesn't do better at sports over another just based on purity of breed.

It's about structure, temperament, drive and health of the INDIVIDUAL.

I would suggest getting an adult so you know all these above things personally..then go from there Maybe contact a rescue about a sports prospect.

The problem with getting an adult is that my current dog is fearful/fear aggressive towards many other adult dogs. She is extremely selective towards which adult dogs she shows her fear aggression towards, so that could be an issue... is there a possibility of evaluating drive etc in a puppy (although I do realize that some puppies change..)

Originally Posted by SevenSins

Why does it have to be either purebred from a breeder OR mutt from rescue/shelter? What about a purebred (or as close as anyone can guess to being purebred) dog from a shelter or rescue? I think that the decision depends entirely on what you want to do with your dog, how much you care about being able to research your dog's lineage (and the health, structure and temperaments in it), or how important it is to have a breeder-mentor and the additional support system that comes from getting a dog from a good breeder.

That does make sense. I've seen multiple purebred dog rescues as well as mixed rescues near Houston, so getting a purebred rescue is a good possibility (that I honestly did not think of.)

[*blackrose]

I also think there is a difference between a mutt of unknown parentage and a first (or second) generation cross with known parents.

For example, Chloe is a farm Collie/Aussie cross. I knew when I adopted her that she was going to be around 40-50lbs, long haired, athletic, barky, and intelligent, due to her breed heritage.

Now, my sisters Lab/Pit/Rott/Boxer/God knows what else puppy...we have no idea. He's going to be short haired. And big. Lol We don't know what traits he's going to inherit, or even really how big he's going to be. He has a good temperament and that's all my sister wanted.

So, I think if you wanted to adopt a puppy and was really wanting a specific "type", adopting a pup that has a known heritage, not just a breed name a shelter slapped on as a guess, would be the better way to go.

Also wanted to clarify that knowing the parentage is more important than the breed cross. Cynder was supposed to be a GSD/Lab mix. She's full grown at just under 30lbs and has a ton of Spaniel characteristics. Had Mike adopted her as a puppy with the intent of her being a big ol' dog that had GSD traits...he'd have been very disappointed.

ETA: I think the most important thing is, what do you really want the dog for? If you adopt a puppy from unknown lineage, will you be dissapointed that it doesn't fit your agility aspirations, or will you be happy with a pet dog? Even a purebred rescue pup may have structure/drive/health issues that prevent it from competing. If you are dead set on obtaining a sport dog and would be extremely disappointed/let down if the new pup wouldn't work...then go with a breeder pup. If you'd be happy either way, or just dabbling in a sport you can both enjoy, go for a shelter pup.

[milos_mommy]

I don't think mixed breed is going to be a big deciding factor or not. Purebreds are great, but so are most mixed breed dogs and especially if you're not looking for a VERY specific dog to a VERY specific job, and have time to search around a bit, a mixed breed is going to fill any need a purebred can.

The issue here could be getting a puppy. Whether it's a purebred or a mixed breed, getting a puppy from an unknown lineage, or at least parentage, is quite risky.

You say you want a puppy because your adult dog might have an issue with welcoming another adult into the house. Well, what if you rescue a puppy and find out at 8 months old or 18 months old that she's developing severe DA? There are certainly ways to stack the odds in your favor on that...but if you don't know the parents, you don't know what the genetic predisposition to DA is going to be. Generally, I'd say it's not a huge concern with a mixed breed of type that's less prone to DA (say, a sporting breed or companion breed VS a terrier or some working breeds), but especially if your current dog is less tolerant of other adult dogs, it's something to watch for.

Has Crystal ever grown up with another puppy? How does she react if those puppies, upon reaching maturity, become pushy? Like if they try to hump her, take her food, or growl at her if she approaches when they have a toy or something?

ETA: you can certainly evaluate a puppy for tendencies towards DA or other behaviors....but it's not always easy, especially if you only get a bit of time to evaluate the puppy at a rescue or shelter - the shelter might "evaluate" them, but that's done usually by completely untrained, unprofessional people who do little more than observe how energetic or engaged a puppy is. You could call some local behaviorists and see if any who are experienced would be able to evaluate a puppy for you.

[BostonBanker]

Well shoot, I did everything people here always say is the wrong thing (got a very young puppy from unknown lineage for a sport dog, because my adult dog would easily accept a puppy into the house but not an adult), and nearly two years later, everything's coming up roses over here

The real answer is - neither is the wrong answer. If you really want this to be your purebred puppy from a breeder, go for it. Don't let the natural empathy you have towards rescues mean that you don't get what you want. If you truly think a rescue might suit your needs just as well or better, look around. Great sport prospects are certainly out there, especially if you focus on dogs who appear to be from particular breeds.