The following are important articles about crossbreeding;
health issues and other considerations.
Gone are the days when the comments that crossbred dogs were much healthier than the purebred dog rang true.
This page provides valuable information and articles from qualified sources on the health issues seen by vets and other dog care providers on the health issues facing the crossbred dog. Health issues such as hip dysplasia, bloat and serious ongoing health conditions which end up costing the pet owners thousands of dollars.
With the development of the crossbred term "designer breed", this has brought about a significant compounding of some health problems when a breeder who is not well informed on genetics and the health conditions in each of the breeds being bred together. This is an example of how this works:
If one breed (for example a Labrador Retriever) has a genetic health condition of hip dysplasia (HD) and is bred with another breed (for example a Standard Poodle) which also has a genetic health condition of hip dysplasia, then the crossbreeding of these two breeds (with both dogs carrying the pre-disposition for HD, the offspring will be at a much higher risk of developing HD.
It is important to understand basic genetics when breeding dogs and the additional risks that deliberate cross breeding can cause more severe debilitating health conditions. Consideration of mixing certain breed characteristics, or as explained above, some breeds may have the same genetic health faults in their heritage etc, so crossing them won't improve that, but will compound it.
Links to come:
This page provides valuable information and articles from qualified sources on the health issues seen by vets and other dog care providers on the health issues facing the crossbred dog. Health issues such as hip dysplasia, bloat and serious ongoing health conditions which end up costing the pet owners thousands of dollars.
With the development of the crossbred term "designer breed", this has brought about a significant compounding of some health problems when a breeder who is not well informed on genetics and the health conditions in each of the breeds being bred together. This is an example of how this works:
If one breed (for example a Labrador Retriever) has a genetic health condition of hip dysplasia (HD) and is bred with another breed (for example a Standard Poodle) which also has a genetic health condition of hip dysplasia, then the crossbreeding of these two breeds (with both dogs carrying the pre-disposition for HD, the offspring will be at a much higher risk of developing HD.
It is important to understand basic genetics when breeding dogs and the additional risks that deliberate cross breeding can cause more severe debilitating health conditions. Consideration of mixing certain breed characteristics, or as explained above, some breeds may have the same genetic health faults in their heritage etc, so crossing them won't improve that, but will compound it.
Links to come: