Designer Dogs

[enchantingdragon]

I have a question which I hope someone knows the answer to. In Ellie's class there is a Shih/Bichon mix doggie. He is adorable no doubt and Ellie seems to most fond of him. Driving home I said to my husband how I hate that people breed designer dogs, which are basically mutts, and then sell them for outrageous prices when you could basically get the same dog at a shelter for so much less and youd be saving a poor dogs life. My husband goes and tells me that designer dogs have purebreed parents. LIke say a puggle being a cross between a Pug and Beagle would have AKC papers for both parents. Im pretty sure thats not true as I told him no true breeder would ever interbreed (unless it happened by accident somehow) and I was pretty sure that would violate AKC breeding ethics. Can anyone let me know if this is true or not as he doesnt believe me and I want to show him some actual written confirmation of this Thanks!

[Crittercall]

Jasmine, to the best of my (limited) knowledge these designer dogs are the product of purebred parents which may or may not have AKC papers, but the fact that they are breeding a full poodle to a full golden and making a golden-doodle which they will sell for $800 doesn't mean that the puppy has papers. He's a mutt. A mix breed. Cute and wonderful if he gets the best traits of both his parents but a mutt nonetheless.

We've discussed this a couple of times since I've been on board here (first part of January) - you might want to go back a few pages and see if you can learn some more. I wasn't even aware of the Designer Dogs until my daughter told me about them, then I found websites devoted to them.

[freesia]

I've been looking at loads of puppies and you see loads of crosses including cavalier crosses going for more than the pure breeds.

[Barbara Nixon]

The British Kennel Club will not register cross breeds, unless for working purposes. The exception was Princess Margaret's 'Dorgi'.

I notice that, recently, after all the publicity, peple near me are jumping on the 'designer' banwagon. They are asking hundreds of pounds for puppies, who some years ago would have been given away or sold very cheaply as 'accidents'.

People , who buy these dogs, with no understanding of genetics, will try to breed them and will then find that they do not breed true.

[Cathy T]

You all are right on. Yes, the parents are "usually" pure breds but maybe not registered, doesn't matter, the parents are purebred. What is produced is not a pure bred, duh, it's a cross. AKC does not recognize puggle, labradoodle, etc as a breed because it's not a breed...it's a mix. And no reputable breeder who has the best intentions for their labrador or poodle will cross them.

So, Jasmine, you're both right! The parents are pure bred but no respectable breeder would breed the two different pure breeds to produce a so-called "designer" dog.

[molly]

This designer dog quiz has been around for quite awhile but if you haven't seen it before, it is interesting.

http://www.grumpybumpers.com/dogs/

Can you tell the real "designed" one?

[enchantingdragon]

Believe it or not Molly I found that last night while I was looking up stuff to prove my husband wrong and I took the quiz and I got 5 out of 6 right! That goldendoodle fooled me but I was stunned I got that many right My hubby got a 2 out of 6 heehee

[Crittercall]

I only missed one, and have sent it on to lots of friends. Interesting.

[molly]

Jasmine, here's another website you might be interested in. This article does comment on the AKC position on cross breeding.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/NoPupp...ner_mutts.html

[Bronte]

My sister has a Puggle she paid a ton of money for and I thought she was crazy, the was one expensive mutt!

I am paying quite a bit for my new Cav but she is from a reputible breeder and I have all the pedigrees from both parents. That is what I think is worth paying for, a good pedigree and assurence I haven't supported a puppy mill.

I have heard lots of stories of people selling their puppies on sites like Puppyfind.com as purebred Cavs. They are actually diluted Cavs bred with Cockers to produce larger litters.

It is a big scary world for those of us who love the breed and want to do the right thing by them.