What are ur topughts on on cross breeds?

[Boar]

Just curious on ur  guyzes thought on cross breeds, seen a lot of popularity in the GSP/Choc. Lab department. Seen them go for as high as 300 bucks. What do u think of them?

[glenn57]

personally not a fan of mixed breeds...............but that one could be good. both each in its own got great hunting characeristics!!!!!!!

[beeker]

learned my lesson going with the backyard dog breeder.. never again. find a reputable breeder and check them out over and over again.. couldn't ask for a better lab then the one i have now.. took my time the second time around and it paid off

[Molson]

Hello all, I'm new here but when I saw the mixed breed post I wanted to weigh in, so I signed up 
 I've had many good dogs in my life, some pure and some not so pure. I own at this time a 100% 4 month old Brittany, and as you probably all know, this puppy is wired pretty tight. Long story short, my son purchased a dog 2 years ago which got me thinking another one in the upland game hunt would be fun. His dog is a strange mix but an unbelievably great hunter and companion, it's a Germain Short Hair / Border Collie mix, looks like a GSP but has a Border hair doo on it's back, wavy but short. I'd say it's a crap shoot when mixing breeds, you never know what it'll turn out like until you try it. I wouldn't shy away too far from the mixes, just research the mix a little before jumping in.

[corny13]

Best pointer I have ever had was Lucky that was a "Dropper" as they call them in England a cross between a english pointer and english setter.   She came out of a litter of 9, there were two stellar dogs that were more birdy than either parent ( who were both great bird dogs).  Both thought to be  the best dogs of their owner's lives....now two other dogs of the liter were absolutely worthless for hunting.   The Plus of cross breeding is hybrid vigor if you get lucky they could be better than parents, about the same chance though of getting a complete dud though. 

[glenn57]

Just curious on ur  guyzes thought on cross breeds, seen a lot of popularity in the GSP/Choc. Lab department. Seen them go for as high as 300 bucks. What do u think of them?

now i know whats going on in boars clam that he needs to take a pressure washer to it!!!!!!!!!

[Bobby Bass]

My two old dogs Bud and Barney are half black lab and half English Springer, I owned both their parents. Bud has been a very good gun dog where as Barney could care less. But both have been excellent family dogs and that is what counts the most in my family where I have a lot of young grand kids always around. Now Duncan my pure bred chocolate is two and is a good mix of being a hunter and family dog. You can really see the hunter in his breeding. I think you really have to know what kind of dog or pet you want. I have a few buddies that have hunters that have no interaction with the family and live in a kennel 24/7 that works out for them but I am more in line with a working family pet so if they miss a bird or two I don't have a problem with that.

[glenn57]

hit the nail on the head there mr bobby bass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Boar]

Ha forgot all about this thread, im a mixed breed y know, half nowegian an have german. Must have got the shallow end of the gene pool,Lol. But thanks for ur replies guys preciate it. I have a choc/GSP an shes so smart she teaches my math. I just wanted an idea from people cause my daughter wants to get her bred, but Im concerned with getting rid of the pups. im not a breeder an really don't like the idea of breeding a dog for the novelty of cute puppies. Thanks for the input. Glenn, that was a secret, I told you not to bring the camera either.

[The General]

Ha forgot all about this thread, im a mixed breed y know, half nowegian an have german. Must have got the shallow end of the gene pool,Lol. But thanks for ur replies guys preciate it. I have a choc/GSP an shes so smart she teaches my math. I just wanted an idea from people cause my daughter wants to get her bred, but Im concerned with getting rid of the pups. im not a breeder an really don't like the idea of breeding a dog for the novelty of cute puppies. Thanks for the input. Glenn, that was a secret, I told you not to bring the camera either.

Unless you have homes lined up I would stay away from this type of breeding and get this dog spayed.

[Boar]

And that reasoning is?????

[The General]

 Because back yard breeders are the reason the human society has animals packed to the ceiling.  Have you had your dog tested for hips eyes etc.  I'm guessing not so you may be passing on crappy dogs.  All for the reason of hey we have a cool mutt......well when breeding mutts one never knows what characteristics are going to pass on.

[Boar]

So breeding a  mixeddog an having shots an physicals done for the sake of home pets  is a bad thing? or do u think Im gona pawn off the un wanted to pet stores. Not I haven't had her tested but whos to say I wouldn't. My keshaw is probably a lot smater than most of the pure bread boxed headed labs out there an breeders. just because it maybe akc an pure bloodline dosent mean ya cant get a retard in that mix either. seen it.  A crapy dog comes from a crappy owner, an dogs are just not for hunting, working dogs an yes working dogs a preferd to being pure, companion dogs, family dogs just for the sake of a pet an so on. never hear of a crappy dog, dumb dog maybe, but was still loved an cared for. If I get flack cause I wanna breed my dog an be responsible with the litter, my choice but if I have to be a lisenced breeder to get the nod, thats shallow. I totally understand the overflowing human society issue, I have good friends I donate food to their pet rescue service in RLF MN. MY daughter pet sits for them. I care for my animals, love the 2 dogs 1 cat, cockatoo, an fish we have here in our home. I guesse I would throw stones at the irresponsible douchebages that arnt responsible with their animals that let them run an opps pixie nocked up, crap what happened, not the dogs fault but idiot owner. sorry that's not me. So because of them I shouldn't breed my loved pet an be responsible for the litter. sorry I aint letting It swing that way.

[The General]

 You asked my thoughts i told them to you.  I could care less what you  do. mutts can be good dogs  I'd never want one.  All i was saying was i hope you are responsible and get hips and eyes and any other bad genes checked prior.  When i say a crappy dog i mean bad hips, eyes, etc.  not i bought a hunting dog and the only thing it can do is eat and lick it's butt.

[Boar]

ok.sounds good.

[The General]

Here is a quote from someone who explains it better then me.

"Why do people go to breeders?
Because they are looking for something specific. Some people are looking for a dog to show or compete in dogsports with. Others actually use the dog for a working purpose, from Search and Rescue to Police work to hunting. All of these dogs require specific characteristics.
Other just want to know what they can expect from the puppy they are getting, that is size, temperment, drives, grooming, activity level, etc.

When you go to a reputable purebred breeder, you get this. Temperment is hereditary. Genetics plays a large role in health. Health testing can lower your chances of ending up with a dog with health issues such as hip dysplasia, which is hereditary.

So good breeders are breeding for a purpose.

Now, when you mix two breeds, you get no consistancy even among the same litter. You can get any mix of the characteristics of the two breeds. That means no set temperment, size, energy level, coats, colors, drives, etc. You have no idea what you will get.

So what is the point of breeding mixes?
Plus I have yet to see a mixed breeder do proper testing.

If you are not looking for something specific, the same dogs are available in shelters.

"Vet approved" means nothing. Many vets do not even try to discourage people from breeding, even when they should. You need genetic testing, certifications like OFA on hips and elbows, CERF on eyes. This is not done by a vet (the xrays are taken by a vet, the certification is done by the OFA)."

[Boar]

ok.

[Bobby Bass]

Hey Boar if you want to have a litter of puppies go right ahead. Most of the stuff the General quoted is directed at puppy farms where control is not an issue. Plenty of them guys out there that are breeding dogs just to sell just because they can say they hunting dogs or pits. Not every dog has to be a pure bred. Also plenty of mix bred dogs that are bred by family members and are quickly snatched up by family and friends because they have seen the parents and interacted with them. There is no such breed as a family pet that I have ever heard of. I had a littler of seven from my lab /English springer I kept two and the other five were spoken for before they were even born, sight unseen. Six of the seven are still alive today and are coming up on their 13th birthdays. All have been just what the owners expected. All have been excellent family pets who do spend some time chasing grouse and a lot of time being loved up by kids and adults.

[The General]

 It's a free country and boar is welcome to do as he chooses.  I would say Bobby experience is not the norm and when breeding mix breed dogs you never know what you're going to get is all i was saying.  If you can find homes is the main thing.

[Boar]

I hear ya boys,G makes graet points tho an it is to be hightly considerd if you want just a god pet, Shelters should be looked at first. My keshaw is Choc/GSP an the smartest dog on planet Boar, but rosie is a pure bread yellow, I trained her at 8 monthe successfully to retrieve ducks, had a great season an relished in my acheivment. Then I gave her a ball......as smart as she was I shouldn't have given her the ball, she becae obsessed an I could not turn her away from the ball tried for two years to turnher, nothing to do with duck training, dummies, actual dead ducks to retrieve ect talke to people called people ect.. if it wasn't round an about the size of a tennis ball she had nothing to do with it, except a frissebe. She would rol the ball to my feet an shake unctrollably an droll till I took it away or threw it for her. So as pure as she is an as smart as she is, she became a crak bal addict. The great ting is both these dogs were free an awesome family dogs. Ill neve buy anotger dog.

[Molson]

 I've purchased a few dogs, mostly Brits and one GSP. The breeder in December 2012 said something that keeps going through my head during my training with my now four month old Brit, he said other then health issues, every dog is born perfect. Think about that for a second.... if a dog fails or is lacking in performance, there's only one person to except the responsibility, the owner!
Behavior is taught to the dog, be it good or bad. Its lack of skill on the other hand is because it hasn’t been taught what is expected of him. A dog lives to make its owner happy, its existence revolves around the praise it gets for doing the right thing, teach the dog.

[Boar]

Shes very obedient an knows whats expected of her, but if it wasn't a ball......she brought the ball back to please, so we went to the tennis courts an had fun shooting tennis balls, not to many people like the fact that I was camo'd out itn the bushes blowing away their vollie's.  Poink kapoink kapoink kap...BOOM! love 15..

[thunderpout]

In a nutshell, my thoughts on cross breeding is pretty much this..... all breeds have gotten to where they are today from some early on cross breeding.  period.  all breeds have been crossed and re-crossed from time to time to get certain wanted traits.... nearly all bird dogs come from way back in history from basically a "spaniel" ancestor.... pointers, setters, springers, labs etc. they have just been refined, if you will, over many years to the point where they are now specific breeds.... within those breeds are very specific lines that have different traits.  Not to say that within these lines/breeds there arent mistakes made in breeding which there are... and often made by well intended people with grand plans to get that ultimate example of what they think that should be.... but people all want something different and thats where the problem lies.... consistancy is huge when trying to get a line of dogs that will be what MOST folks want... (bird dog terms) an intelligent dog that can be trained/learn, that will hunt AND be a good pet..... the odds of not having all those traits becomes a crapshoot the more you gamble with not just mixing breeds of dogs, but even within breeds, crossing different lines can be disasterous.... even breeding the right/wrong animals within a line can be the difference between having a great dog or a bad one..... yeah the owner is the one that can turn a dog into a well trained/well behaved one but the framework before that happens is the difference between having a great bird dog and just a pet you take hunting...... to me cross breeding is  for mad scientists with experiment that has a very big unknown  ending......

[thunderpout]

I do want to add that I know having "good lines" etc. has nothing to do with having a good pet, I have had mutts, dogs with questionable orgins & know people that had them that were very good pets.... but just from experience, (all my bird dogs have been english setters) the more I have researched lines and the breeders of those lines in the breed, the better results I have had.... One thing I wont do again when buying a bird dog is I wont be blinded by ribbons & trophies won in feild trials and all.... that stuff looks great on paper and sounds impressive if you want something to brag about i guess, but I had a setter with tons of champ bloodlines, that was ok as a pet and marginal at best in the field and was a very expensive dog   once I found out what I was actually looking for (a close hunting, intelligent dog that was trainable that hunts for you and not itself...) the dogs I got from that line, from two different breeders, had an amazing amount of natural ability, instinct, were(and are) the best pets/family dogs.... and I didnt have to train them so much as just not screwing them up and not teaching them bad habits!

[beeker]

grandpa always said.. "if you want a dog you should get one your smarter than"...