What are the benefits and downsides of getting a mixed breed dog?

Answer 1

It depends on what you want the animal for. If you just want a loving companion then most mixed breeds but not all are great for that. Try to get a dog that you or the person you're getting it from has at least some idea of it's parentage. You'd not want a dog mixed with an agressive type of breed if you have children or even other small animals in the family. If you have say chickens or birds try to not get a dog mixed with some type of birding dog such as retrievers, labs or even some types of terriers as you have the risk of them going after and possibly killing winged animals. I don't know that mixed breeds are any healthier then other dogs and just like pure breds they could inherit a genetic disorder from their parents. Try going to a shelter if possible for say a day or several hours and observe the dogs. Ask if they can be turned out in a large area together so you can see how they interact with each other. You can tell a lot from just observing how they act with other dogs. Then pick out a dog or two that interests you and do one on one time with them. After that make your decision if one of the dogs would suit you or not and if not tell them what you're ideally looking for and they can keep an eye out at their shelter and possibly others as well. You can also go to your local vets and check to see if they or anybody they know has a dog for adoption. Also consider adopting a grown animal instead of a puppy as the pups are adopted faster while the adult dogs aren't and are put to sleep because everybody wants the cute little puppy instead of the full grown dog. And believe it or not grown dogs are faster to house break if you intend to keep your dog inside from my experience. I'd strongly suggest going to a high kill shelter and rescue a dog instead of going to get one that you see in an ad as you'll be saving a life and for that if nothing else your dog will love you for. I guess pure breds are good dogs too but I've only had one in all the years I've personally had dogs and I love him dearly and wouldn't trade him for anything but my fondest memories in childhood and adulthood are the times spent with my "mutts". Go with your heart but also your head when you pick your dog. Don't be rushed or feel forced into taking an animal you're not sure you really want as that is how dogs end up back at pounds or tossed out on the roads to fend for themselves. Make a list of what qualities you want, size and if possible even what breeds interest you and then go out and look for what you want. Enjoy your time spent with your dog and most of all be happy with your choice. www.petfinder.com is a good site to look at for all kinds of dogs and other animals for adoption or sale in your local area.

Answer 2

The benefits are you will get a loving companion and in doing so will be saving a life. The only down side is if you get a mixed puppy you won't know how big it will actually get and if it is a mix between two breeds you won't know what traits it will inherit..it could be more like one parent or the other or a mixture of both.

Just a note...contrary to popular myth mixes are no more apt to be healthy or even tempered then well bred purebreds. Also just because they may be a "poodle" mix doesn't mean they will be non shedding (actually ALL dogs even Poodles shed to some extent) or hypoallergenic (there aren't really any hypoallergenic dogs either..dander causes allergies not hair and ALL dogs have dander to one extent or another)

Answer 3

Benefits include better health.
They are less suseptable to genetic disorders because they have a wider genetic pool. Genetic disorders are caused by inbreeding family members, sometimes necessary to "improve" the standard of the breed. That is not the case with mix breeds.
They are more steady. Inbreeding also causes nervousness and insanity. Also, dogs like terriers have been bred to kill small animals, so sometimes you get a pet that won't tollerate other pets. Or, collies and shepards that herd. They are bred for high herding drive and you get a pet that herds guests, neighbors, kids, rocks, buckets, anything. Constantly. And you have to overcome that with lots of training. In a mixed breed dog, that can be diluted down so it is not a problem.
It is also fun to guess what breeds he is made up from. Once you decide, you will find others who disagree with you and it can be a real conversation starter.
I'm a big fan of Mutts, can you tell? :)

Answer 4

I have a mixed breed and a pure bred and of the two the mixed has been the best so far. It always depends on what type of breeds it has in it. Lets say it's a golden retriever lab mix those dogs are a good mixed breed because of what they have in common. If there where to be a breed of Rottweiler and a golden you might have a problem due to the differences of the breeds.

Answer 5

Benefits? You're saving a life. You might be saving a few bucks in the initial purchase of the dog. But even "free" dogs cost money to take care of. If the dog isn't properly trained, it can chew up your house and your stuff. If it's not housebroken, it can ruin your floors and your furniture. How "free" is a dog that does $1000 in damage to your house? Many "free" dogs turn out to be sick - how "free" is a dog that costs you $800 at the vet because he has Parvo or distemper or heartworm?

Downside? You're playing genetic roulette. you won't know how big the dog will be, how much grooming it will need and what kind of temperament it will have. This is especially important if you have children or if you live in an apartment and can't have an aggressive dog barking at every sound in the building.

The advantage of a purebred is that you can go to a responsible breeder who has the hips and elbows of the parents and grandparents of the litter x-rayed and certified by the OFA. That way, you've got a better chance that your pup won't develop hip or elbow displaysia. Too many young dogs have to be put down because of bad hips (purebred AND mixed breeds too!) The same goes for the other diseases that crop up in purebred dogs. They also happen in mutts, but the pattern is not so obvious and you won't know what to guard against! Good breeders will really care about their dogs and offer a health guarantee against genetic defects common in the breed.

BEFORE you get any dog you should read some great books on training. (Try not to pick books randomly - there are a lot of bad books out there also!) These are some of my favorites and you can get them on Amazon.com
What All Good Dogs Should Know – Volhard http://www.volhard.com/
Good Owners, Great Dogs - Brian Kilcommins
Dog Tricks : Eighty-Eight Challenging Activities for Your Dog from World-Class Trainers by Haggerty and Benjamin
Don't Shoot the Dog - Pryor
Training Your Dog: The Step by Step Method - Volhard
Dog Problems - Benjamin
Cesar's Way - Cesar Millan
Also, watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. Cesar Millan is the best trainer I've ever seen on TV.
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/

When you're ready, find a good breeder by going to www.akc.org or talking to people at dog shows. You can also find info about the breed clubs on the akc site - they probably have a rescue group where you can save an older dog for less money. The best breeders will be members of their breed club, promoting healthy dogs with great temperaments. They should ask you a bunch of questions to make sure their puppy will be getting a good home. If all a "breeder" seems to care about is whether your check will clear, you can be sure he won't care a week later when the pup is dying from distemper or parvo and you want your money back.

Whatever you do, DON'T go to a pet shop, a flea market or buy one sight-unseen off the Internet!!!! You'll pay top dollar for what is usually a poor quality puppy mill dog. And you'll be supporting one of the cruelest industries in the country. The breeding animals are often kept in deplorable conditions - spending their entire lives in small wire-bottomed cages. They probably haven't been vaccinated against contagious diseases or tested for any health or temperament problems or genetic diseases - that costs money and cuts into their profits. A female is often bred every time she comes into heat. When her poor little body can't take it any more, she is often clubbed in the head and tossed into a dumpster or an open ditch. Most puppy mills ship their pups to pet stores at wholesale prices and many pups die before they even get there.

These so-called "breeders" have now figured out that they can use the internet to ship a dog directly to the customer and thus make more money by cutting out the middleman. If you buy a dog from out of state, good luck getting your money back if there's something wrong with the pup. These people count on you becoming instantly attached to the poor little guy and being willing to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars at the vet to treat whatever is wrong with him.

Answer 6

mixed breeds are great. they're less expensive to purchase, and you don't have all of the underlying health problems that come with some pure bred dogs. also, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you saved a dogs life that otherwise my have been cut short. there are more mutts at the pounds and shelters than there are purebreds and saving a life is always better than allowing one to be euthanized for no reason other than because no one wanted it.

although, if you are wanting a dog for a specific purpose such as hunting (retrieving), herding, or rescue (like in mountains), your purebred dogs are going to be better just because those types of dog come with the instint for those things. mutts can be trained but it takes more time and effort.

Answer 7

The benefits: they are cheeper and healthier. You can do obedience shows with mixed breeds example today I was at a show n go where mb's were competing for titles

The downsides: I can't think of any

Answer 8

the downside of this is they dont have a lot of competitions for mixed breeds. the upside of it is that your dog may look different than evry dog in the state and city(dojntknow bout the world) you never know what they will look like if u get them as a pup or what size they will be.

Answer 9

one of the biggest benefits of getting a mixed breed is that they are less expensive and/or free to purchase or obtain. The biggest downside is if parentage is unknown, you can't really know how big the dog is gonna get.

Answer 10

I can't think of any disadvantages for having a mixed breed dog. They're healthier, less expensive, and aren't as prone to attitude problems common with some pure breeds.