Dog Mix-Breeds

Tsk! Spreading the old myth about poodles being dumb! :wink: They're supposed to be the second smartest dog, after border collies.

My parents had two-- really cool, clever dogs. Too clever at times! The one they had when I was a kid would learn new commands in a day...Both the poodles they got were from rescue societies, since they were too expensive to buy from a breeder.

That article about puggles is interesting-- that was my second thought after "so cute!"-- that it's probably one of those awful "dog fads." I wouldn't want to get into that kind of thing.

That was a really interesting article. Thanks for posting it, Soz.

So, people specifically have chosen to breed the squished face of a pug for no other reason than they think it is cute?
And the spots on a Dalmation, they are doing that too now, on purpose?

People can be so cruel.

The puggle is cute. Then again, aren't all dogs? Even the ugly ones, if you have a heart for them?

I have noticed this big thing with smaller and smaller dogs. A tiny husky?! That seems so off to me.

Guess the pet has to match their cell phones or something.

The only problem I have with these "designer mutts" such as puggles or Labradoodles is that they aren't crossed with enough breeds. When you get four or five breeds in the mix, you can often come up with a pretty good dog, just because you have less to overcome in the way of selective genetics. I have always found that all breeds have been selected and developed to perform a given task, and getting them to do anything else is difficult. Mutts, on the other hand, don't seem to have anything better to do than to learn what you want them to.

Yay, mutts, even though my heart goes to a certain humane society (a society dog!) corgi.

I've been worried about the legislating going on, or seeming to go on, about no one being able to breed a dog except, er, breeders. Mandatory neutering, and so on.

Thence we'd get designer poo foos and way less mutts. Not that dog proliferation isn't a problem, but that I worry this is no answer.