| by Michael A.
Domeck
The pure bred dog, no manner the breed,
is truly a beautiful animal to look upon. These are animals
that have been refined, over the centuries, to reach their
pure and unadulterated state as found today. The pure
bred dogs have also been bred for temperament and bloodlines
from the earliest of times. Yet there is another kind
of dog that goes back in history even further than any
pure bred dog! What is this unique breed?
It's the Mixed Breed, or Mutt, as they are
so often called. These dogs are of a very ancient mix
of pedigrees that are not always of the best of mixes
but they are most assuredly very unique animals. The temperament
of these dogs is usually better and they tend not to have
the congenital defects of their pure bred counterparts.
It is possible to even produce similar dogs thru concentrated
breeding efforts but, as a general rule, the mixed breeds
are unique animals that can't be easily replicated.
But what of their training capacity? Is
there any reason to train these animals in any different
manner than their pure bred brethren?
For the most part the simple answer is no.
These animals are fully capable of learning any behavior
that the pure breed is capable of and, because of a generally
better temperament, they will often times learn more -
faster. Due to their better temperaments and overall higher
intelligence the mixed breed dogs will score quite high
in obedience pre-tests and are very trainable. While pure
breed animals have been refined over the centuries it
has occasionally led to an in-breeding of the specific
breed. This in-breeding has led the way to more congenital
defects and maladjusted temperaments than the typical
"mutt". This is primarily due to the simple law of nature
that states "the strong will survive" - hence mixed breed
dogs with congenital defects don't usually survive in
nature.
Thus the mongrel, or mutt, has escaped the
congential problems of many of the typical pure bred dogs.
The mongrel might not always have the same handsome lines
of say a Dobermen Pinscher or the gorgeous coat of the
champion Pomeranian but more likely than not it has certainly
inherited the better characteristics from both of these
lines and sometimes even more. A mixed breed dog can have
the house pet qualities of a Poodle alongside the protective
qualities of a Doberman and the maternal eye of a Collie.
While possessing all of these qualities the mixed breed
normally may leave behind the overly aggressive and high
strung tendencies of its otherwise pure bred ancesteral
cousins. This figured into the equation along with the
price factor of the animals and it is quite easy to see
why so many households happily have a mixed breed pet.
These animals have the ability to display intelligence,
show care, obey commands and circumvent obstacles. They
have been doing so for thousands of years and show no
signs of stopping. Go to any circus and look closely at
the dogs that perform their. In the vast majority of the
time the dogs you see are "mutts"! Why don't you see the
pure breds traiined as performers? It's because of the
problems we have alrady mentioned above! The only real
difference between the training of a mixed breed animal
and a pure breed dog is the ability to cross platforms
with less transition trouble. If your dog is a mix between,
say, an Irish Setter and a Red Bone Coon Hound, then you
have a dog that, quite possibly, could be trained in the
hunting of both birds and game mammals without much confusion.
Perhaps the mix is between a Husky and a German Shepherd?
This would give you a large dog with both good defense
skills and the muscle for real workouts like long days
of hiking and running. Thus by a simple exchange you can
gain a lot with very little loss. The animal may no longer
be pure bred and the aesthetic quality may, or may not,
degenerate a bit but you gain a lot in the way of a responsive
and easily trained canine. When you weigh in these facts
it is hard to understand why the world has such a population
explosion of homeless mixed breed pets. After all, the
mixed breed seems to be the better choice from the trainer's
view point.
That being said there are certain instances
where a mixed breed of dog is just not acceptable at all.
If you are training animals for the purpose of professional
dog showing competitions then by all means choose a pure
bred animal. Train them for the specific purposes for
which that breed was created. Also for certain usages,
such as military animals, pure breeds seem to be the animal
of choice solely for the purpose of a uniform appearance
albeit a number of military animals just do not meet this
qualification. Aside from these, or similar circumstances,
this author sees no reason to limit your search for a
pet to strictly pure breed dogs. Rather, do something
good for yourself and for the homeless pet population
- adopt a mixed breed animal. Personally, I can say that
after having several of both "types" of dogs I am now
much more inclined to own "mutts" from here on out!
About the Author
All about the
poodle breeds and dog care in general. No sales hype
just facts and information you can use to help with dog
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