Everyone knows what a pedigree dog is or should I say a pure bred dog , pure bred simply means that when two dogs of the same breed are mated together the offspring are duplicates of the parents , they breed pure like for like , with a pure bred dog you have a pretty good idea what the pups will look like when they become adults.

Pure breds have predictable physical characterstics and even there temprements are programmed to a certain extent , this can be both a blessing and a curse

If you want a dog of particular size ( tall short medium ) type of coat ( short long Fuffy none shedding etc ) or if you want a dog that is friendly aloof , sporty , has a lot of get up and go a dog that is quite lazy or has good guarding instincts ) if you want a dog to retrieve and fetch to run to herd one that pulls sledges or you want a dog to kill rats or chase rabbits , then you will most certainly be able to find a pure bred to match your needs and requirements as after all this is what purebreds were originally bred for ,  a pacific purpose and specific job to do even some of the tibetian breeds of dog who don’t move much were bred to sit on the laps of monks and keep them warm .

But pure breds come with there own disadvantages also these same characteristic,s and programmed temperaments can often become a problem when the dog is not used in the working enviroment that the dog was bred for in the first place , the dog may not have been bought to catch and kill rats anymore but no one has altered its genes or re programmed its temprement , so why do people act so surprised when there jack russell chases everything in site that moves even you’re your small grandchild , and why do people always think that they can train the dog to behave differently , you cant make a malamute or husky act like a german shepherd if you want a dog that behaves like a german shepherd then buy a shepherd in the first place( this is one of the latest excuses for the steady influx of cross shepherd huskies  to produce a dog with the shepherd temprement and the stunning looks of the sibe , so far the crosses I have seen have none of the beauty of the sibe at all ), working behaviours can become a real nightmare and a real nuisance in the family home as a none working companion, at the end of the day purebred temperaments can be extreme very hyper very demanding very stubborn very domineering and as the temprement is genetically bred into it, it can be almost impossible to change,

Problem temperaments and characteristics in purebreds may include , Chasing things that move ( other animals , running children , bikes , cars and  birds ) , snapping at things that move, Barking at anything that moves , grabbing and even killing smaller animals as though they were prey , digging holes , howling , acting threateningly to other people , making there own decisions and ignoring commands , constantly pulling ,  constantly walking around with there nose to the ground , also large dogs that have been bred for territorial and guarding work can be very dangerous in the wrong hands , breeding socializing trianing and the handling of such powerful breeds like the rottie and Doberman , malamutes, akita’s , mastiffs and bull breeds to mention only a few could cause serious injury and even death to another person or animal and more and more often now a days young lads use these types of dogs as fashion accessories and teach them to be viscous and bad tempered , and im sure most of these dogs were bought by the parents as responsible breeders don’t sell dogs to kids and teenagers , more often than not it is often a child that wants a dog and has a specific dog that it has seen and has a crush on and mom and dad are begged to death and end up buying a bred on the whim of a child , not really knowing what they are letting them selves in for .

Now we have done temperaments what about the 350 genetic illnesses and defects that are currently documented in pure breds as I mentioned in crossbreeds Bone and joint disorders and dysplasia that cause lameness and pain , eye diseases that cause blindness , heart disease and murmurs that can cause sudden death or could mean that the boxer you bought to go on lovely longs walk can only manage a walk around the block as it passes out else wise because it has a heart murmur , epilepsy and nerologic problems as well as skin and immune system problems along with  hemophilla  cancer tumours thyroid and anemia to mention only a few . Some breeds are worse affected than others and not all show quality dogs and lines are better value when purchasing a pup as often show breeders will be looking to breed and produce dogs that match a written breed standard and  most breeds were produced from relatively few foundation dogs ( you can read more on gene diversty in mixed breeds and cross breeds ) so in general they have the same ancestors in common , but some breeders in order to produce show dogs will limit the gene pool even more to correct a fault in what is otherwise a perfect dog in health form and temprement they might reject similar breeding stock and may even risk breeding in another illness to simply perfect an eye shape or colour , and breeding the same champ dog over and over floods a breed not only with good genes but with bad genes also , and all dogs have 4/6 bad recessive genes you cant see them but they’re there you only know about it when two dogs with the same recessive genes mate and produce offspring displaying the fault ( so your dog could carry the fault but not display it ) .

Lets take my dog for an example my Bull mastiff is champion sired the father came third at crufts this year the mother has a JW and the whole pedigree is almost red the line is over fourty years in the making started by the breeders granddad  and they came highly recommended in the world of bull mastiffs , now my bull mastiff is the poorest specimen of a bull mastiff you will ever see , she nearly died at eight months old of pyometry has cost me in the region of Two thousand pounds in vet bills before she even reached one is constantly mistaken for a boxer or a pit bull as she is so small yet her brother was shown at crufts this year ( so what do you make of that then ) ?( its all in the genes those little hidden recessive genes ). And my malamutes both from the same litter yet they are as different as chalk and cheese in looks colour and temprement because of the recessive genes obviously the two wolf gray parents carried recessive genes for woolies and reds as neither parent were red or woolly.

At the end of the day breeders may call it inbreeding when they breed parent to offspring and line breeding when they breed the grandparent to grandchild , aunt to nephew , uncle to niece cousin to cousin but genetically this is just splitting hairs , if you breed the same few dogs repeatedly then the chances are much greater that two dogs with the same defective genes will meet up , if we knew everything about genetics and recessive genes we wouldn’t have dogs with health issues as they would have been corrected and breed out  within a few generations , but any responsible breeder will try to identify the genetic diseases that their specific breed may carry and only breed from  stock that has been tested clear of the defect as in my opinion someone who tests the prospective parents for there specific illnesses can only have the best interest of the breed at heart and until such times as DNA is available ( only DNA can determine with certainty whether a dog has a specific defect lurking in his genes ) you will have to do some research yourself like I have and then determine for yourself how much faith  and accuracy you put into the different medical tests designed to predict how healthy a pup maybe .

Finally pure bred dogs don’t come cheap and in some breeds some health problems are virtually an epidemic and you are taking a much greater risk if you acquire a dog whose parents havent been officially tested and tested free from the breeds specific health defect so you could loose a lot of money on very big vet bills for continued treatment for the rest of your pets entire life time ,( and not all insurances cover continued illness )   as well as a broken heart if your beloved pet has to be put out of it misery pain and suffering .

So you may now be thinking well what are the advantages of owning a pedigree dog well that’s quite simple there predictable , you know roughly what to expect in terms of  size and temprement and so you can choose a breed to suit your life style , you can choose to buy only from parents tested free from that breeds specific health problems , you can join clubs and groups of your choosen breed allowing you to meet and socialize with people who share your interest in that same breed ( and hopefully make some knew friends ) if you want to show at a seriously competetive levels you will need a pedigree dog and an understanding show breeder and possible mentor to take you under there wing .

So is a Pure Bred dog for you ?

* yes if you know what characteristics and temprement you want in the dog
* Yes if your willing to accept whatever other trait’s the dog may have ( after all are you sure the temprement of the specific breed you are buying from is typical of the breed in the first place .
* yes if you can raise and train and house them correctly.
* yes if you don’t think you can fit a square dog in a round hole ( you don’t think you can change its temprement and make it behave how you want it to be ).
* yes if you value a dogs pedigree as a status symbol
*Yes if you are prepared to accept the potential of genetic health defects ( greater in some breed than others )
*yes if you have several hundred pounds to spend as pure breds don’t come cheap from around £400 to as much as £2000 ( you could also cut the cost down considerably by saving an older pup or adult pedigree dog from the breeds rescue centre or sometimes in the local newspapers )
*Yes if you want to show at a seriously competitive levels and join groups and societies with a like minded interest in your chosen breed
* Definatly yes if you think your breed of dog is the best breed of dog ever invented and that it is the best sort of dog there is ( cause I know my dogs are simply the best to me you cant get better than a mal or a sibe and if anyone tries to tell you different then there either jealous or lying J only joking .