There are three particular types of dog the Mixed Breed, the Cross Breed, and the Pure bred. In this section I hope to help the perspective dog owner to make the right choice of dog for them, whether you buy a cross a mixed or a pure bred, they all come with advantages and disadvantages so I hope this section will help you to determine which type of dog would suit you best.

A mixed breed dog is what is commonly known as the mongrel, mutt, or the Heinz 57. It is a mixture of several dogs with more than 2 different breeds in it. Some breeders would have you believe that mixed breeds are directly derived from accidental matings by purebred dogs, when in fact the pure bred dog actually exists because of breeding several mixed breeds together.

Breeders tend to give the impression that fancy purebreds existed first and that anything degenerate came from crossing purebreds. On the contrary the first dogs that existed were known as village dogs and they lived in around villages they reproduced randomly ( pure breds came along much later about the 1800s ) and were developed from these village dogs. While man may have shaped and formed different breeds for different purposes, the village dog also carried on reproducing itself willy nilly and so we still see the results of these randon breedings today.

You cannot predict what a mixed breed will look or act like, the term mixed breed is a bit misleading as it leads people to believe that the dog is a direct product of two purebreds which is absolutely untrue, the chances are that the dog is a direct desendant of two mixed breeds, with not a sniff of a pure bred dog in its heritage and the dog may well be a product of generations of mixed breedings.

Even if you see or think you see some tell tail sign of a pure bred dog you could be completely wrong , for instance: just because a dog is black and tan doesn’t mean it necessarily has rottie in him, it could be Doberman or shepherd. Just cause it has a curled tail doesn’t mean it is a husky cross, mixed breeds are just as likely to carry these traits, for example the flat face of the bulldog or piglet tail of the pug would almost surely be lost and irradicated in the first crossing.

Genes play a big part in a dogs make up, it is possible for two white mixed dogs to have recessive genes that produce pups with black coats, therefore, the offspring bare absolutely no resemblance to the parents. So the short of it all, is despite what people tell you, what they think they know, what they or you think you may see in the dog with a mixed breed, you will be always just be speculating. Even the experienced dog fancier or observer would be hard pushed to recognize what goes into the mixed breed dog. In a mixed breed dog what you see on the outside is not what you get on the inside.

The above is part of the downside of owning a mixed breed dog, but on a positive note the mixed breed is normally quite a healthy vigorous dog this is also due to his genetic make up. The mixed bred dogs ancestry will be healthier than the purebred dog, as genetics play a major roll in genetic illness. The closer and purer a breed the more chance the dog has of having a genetically reproduced illness.

Let me explain genetics a bit simpler, most dogs will have 4t o 6 defective genes in their DNA make up, these genes are usually recessive ... which means a dog needs two of the same genes to produce a fault or genetic illness, this means if two dogs have the same defective gene, the defect will be expressed in the pups. Now mixed breed dogs are less likely to carry parental genetic disorders as the gene pool is much more diverse. Inbreeding and line breeding has made various genetic health problems ( this is what happens when man plays god ).

Now mother nature made dogs of medium size, weight and structur,e and this was so they were happy and healthy, but mans intervention in producing dogs structured for their needs and purpose also bought about genetic health problems along with the breeds. Nearly 350 genetic health defects have been documented in purebred dogs, breeding dogs with long bodies like the ( Dachshunds ) extra large like the ( Great Dane ) very heavy like the ( mastiffs ) very small like the ( Maltese ) flat faced like the Bulldog, Pug And Boxer, wrinkly like the Sharpei ... all bring genetic health disorders like back problems, hip and elbow dysplasia, eye diseases which causes blindness heart disease,epilepsy, skin diseases week immune systems to name only a few illnesses.

Now the pure bred dog has more chance of reproducing these genetic illnesses as the genes of the dog are closely related, most breeds were built on relatively few foundation dogs and often certain names will pop up repetertively in you dogs pedigree.

Breeders strive to produce spacific standards and appearance and tend stay limited to their gene pool
( Breeding to standards is how breeds were developed in the first place, but eventually it results in loss of genetic diversty ) which is what leads to health and vigor problems.

Now I am not saying that your mixed breed can never get a genetic illness. but I am saying that the chance is a lot slimmer than when buying a pure bred dog, simply because the genes of the mix breed are worlds apart.

Without the introduction of new unrelated genes, it is readily obvious that genetic diversty will be lost and wherever gene diversty is suppressed or lost it is inevitable that weaker pets with health problems will arise, so the fact that the mixed breed has a little bit of this, that, and the other, in them is what makes them that bit more resliant to certain illnesses, because their genes are usally unrelated. The chances of the parents of the mixed breed carrying the same defective gene is that much slimmer .the chances of a mixed breed dogs parents being screened for genetic illnesses is un heard of so you will have to put your faith in mother nature and genetic diversity.

I think it is true to say that with all the illnesses in pure bred dogs breeders would be hard pushed to have a compelling argument that health wise your getting a better dog for your money.

So is the mixed breed the dog for you ?

* Yes if your willing to go with the flow and accept whatever characteristics its grows up to have.

* Yes if you can raise him and train him properly.

* Yes if you don’t want or cant afford to pay expensive purchase prices.

* Yes If you trust Genetic Diversity to keep your dog happy and healthy.

* Yes and most importantly , If you want to save a life that no one else may have Wanted.

* Yes if you like the idea of adopting a ready grown dog from a rescue centre, so you
Can see how he already looks and how his temprement is, most rescue dogs, especially mixed breeds, often make the sweetest and loyal companions

* Yes if you definatly dont want to breed or ever have pups.