Please stop referring to them as "Designer" puppies

[YOLO]

Take a look at the Dog Refuge pages some time, they have taken to art of "Turd Polishing" to a whole new level.  Every misbegotten mongrel is given some posh-sounding "cross" name, when in reality they are simply the product of the worst of the backyard breeders.

And we need to realise that these so-called "designer" puppies are the same.

 

There have been some legitimatise attempts to create a new type of dog, or cross-in a "desirable" trait.  But the irony hear is BYBs proudly proclaiming that their produce are "third generation".  Translation = "we got hold of two mongrels and bred them."
Same too with the vast majority of people selling "Shit-Poos" or similar.  They're NOT actually crossing a Shitzu with a Poodle.  They are breeding a couple of fluffy little mongrels and sticking a label on the pups to flog them.

I'm not such a snob as to suggest that only Pedigreeds make good pets.  But at least you have a good idea what you're getting and know what to look out for.

 

The other problem is that people think it is appropriate to pay substantially less for their "designer" mongrel.  When in reality all the lower price usual means is that the BYB has skimped on vet bills, nutrition, hygiene, etc, and is probably over-breeding their bitches and selling their puppies too young.

[RuralPug]

It is ignorance on the part of the seller - and is false advertising to the buyer.
Unless each parent was a purebred of the named breeds, the puppies ARE not whatever made-up name is created from the two breeds. the best that can be said is that they are a "madeup name cross". 
I have no problem with people seeking a certain type of mixed breed, or crossbreed but the sellers should at least know the correct name for what they are selling - the same goes for breeders of purebreds as well - shephards, English staffies, chiwahwahs and the like.

[_PL_]

What do you mean polished turds on dog refuge pages? 

[sandgrubber]

1 hour ago, RuralPug said:

It is ignorance on the part of the seller - and is false advertising to the buyer.
Unless each parent was a purebred of the named breeds, the puppies ARE not whatever made-up name is created from the two breeds. the best that can be said is that they are a "madeup name cross". 
I have no problem with people seeking a certain type of mixed breed, or crossbreed but the sellers should at least know the correct name for what they are selling - the same goes for breeders of purebreds as well - shephards, English staffies, chiwahwahs and the like.

It's also better if they don't advertise them as purebread . 

My pet peeve is selling puppies, full stop. You shouldn't sell unless the buyer wants a dog.  They grow up pretty fast 

[tdierikx]

Designer mngrels tend to have higher prices than actual purebreds nowadays... *sigh*

 

T.

[PossumCorner]

I don't have a problem with the planned crossbreds asking and getting higher prices than registered purebreds do. 

 

If they were cheaper the demand would be higher and there would be more of them. 

 

If the public can buy a purebred for a lower price, surely that's to the advantage of everyone of us wishing to promote breeding and ownership of purebreds.

 

But I do not like to read or hear the term "mongrel" - it is used to insult or degrade a dog which is not responsible - at least save the cheap insults for where the blame lies.

[BDJ]

I agree - they are crossbreds.

 

I have a SWF, he is a gorgeous dog and everything I could possibly want - but he is a crossbred, pure and simple.

 

People often ask what he is? - what were his parents? - was his father a maltese? - he looks just like my moodle, aren't they perfect! - is he a moodle or a (insert other type of oodle here)?

 

My standard answer is - "I have no idea, I think his parents were whoever went past at the time - he is a crossbred of some sort".

 

But, ...... people like labels - who wants to buy something called a crossbred or a mongrel?  In the last 15 or so years has seen a shift away from 'ordinary'.  Everyone is an expert and the increase in TV and the introduction of the internet and social media means to get attention you need to have catchy names or be an individual.

 

There is also the 'hybrid vigour' tag which is hard to combat - especially (flame suit on) when *some* pure breeds have become more extreme - be it in coat length, or shortness of muzzle, or size of shoulders, or angle of hindquarter etc.   These are not going to be fixed by crossing a (insert breed here) with another random dog - but Joe Public does not necessarily understand that - and if the first 10 articles on a google search give him the same message, that is hard to combat

[BDJ]

RuralPug - was the sad icon because you didn't agree with what I wrote? or because you agree that (sadly) it is true?

 

Edit - so sorry, typed your 'name' wrong

Edited September 12, 2018 by BDJ

[Little Gifts]

I am sad that the general public thinks quality purebred dogs are a rip off so don't even look and even worse, if they do they aren't prepared to wait for the right match. Given dogs can live for over 10 years surely you want to make a good 'investment' on a healthy, social and behaviourally sound addition to your family and household? Seems that would be a no. They are happy to spend thousands on an inappropriate, poorly bred puppy that they've just seen in a shop window and deal with the fallout later. It's always the animal that suffers the poor decision making.

[Rascalmyshadow]

Not all of these xbreeds/mongrels do have lots of health issues and a lot of them have great temperaments so unfortunately that isn’t a great argument to the general public.

 

I love both purebreeds and xbreeds (some more than others) and I think there’s a place for both, providing they are health tested and bred from dogs with sound temperaments, the issue is mass production and breeding for $$$$ and that happens in both.

[sandgrubber]

1 hour ago, Rascalmyshadow said:

Not all of these xbreeds/mongrels do have lots of health issues and a lot of them have great temperaments so unfortunately that isn’t a great argument to the general public.

 

I love both purebreeds and xbreeds (some more than others) and I think there’s a place for both, providing they are health tested and bred from dogs with sound temperaments, the issue is mass production and breeding for $$$$ and that happens in both.

Should add, unfortunately, some purebred pedigree dogs have hereditary health and/or temperament problems that could and should have been prevented by more careful breeding.  In some cases (trendy high price breeds are especially vulnerable) the mongrel is the breeder, not the dog. Worse, still, in some cases judges reward unhealthy extreme type.  

There's plenty of blame to go around and, IMO, not enough of institutions taking responsibility. 

 

[RuralPug]

On 9/12/2018 at 12:20 PM, BDJ said:

RuralPug - was the sad icon because you didn't agree with what I wrote? or because you agree that (sadly) it is true?

 

Edit - so sorry, typed your 'name' wrong

Sorry for the ambiguity @BDJ I agree with what you said and think that it it is sad.

 

[asal]

On 12/09/2018 at 3:09 PM, sandgrubber said:

Should add, unfortunately, some purebred pedigree dogs have hereditary health and/or temperament problems that could and should have been prevented by more careful breeding.  In some cases (trendy high price breeds are especially vulnerable) the mongrel is the breeder, not the dog. Worse, still, in some cases judges reward unhealthy extreme type.  

There's plenty of blame to go around and, IMO, not enough of institutions taking responsibility. 

 

with the result when they are crossed no guarantee the puppies will not have all the faults of both breeds. friend bought two samoyed x german shepherd puppies and her sister bought one too from the same litter. beautiful looking puppies .. by 14 months all three had severe hip displacia...didnt look like hybrid vigour was much help there.

 

Looks like its also fine to "design" the name to the pup. saw a puppy on its way to someone via Jet Pets, one of mine was on her way to victoria. in the carrier beside her was the cutest blue and tan long coat, flop eared, chihuahua... considering Ive bred them since 1979 as well as helped Nancy Gate and Betty Stepkovitch with theirs fostering litters at times. think I ought to know what im looking at by now...  let you into a little secret, chihuahua's can be darned big, not just all littlies.  this chub was most certainly going to be a big chi, guesstamate about 8 kg. yes they can grow that big, knew a chap who paid mega for a "teacup" pup who grew that big. and he was still growing the last time I saw him..no was not from a registered breeder and I suspected when he showed me his pup, it would have been lucky to have been 5 weeks old when they let him take him home.

 

so was admiring it, was a very pretty pup.  to be told its a Cavalier x Pom???????????????????

 

This photo is from the internet not the actual puppy, but conformation of the head, eyes, ears and markings the same as  this pup  but fluffier coat n ears . coats vary considerably in chihuahuas, had pups that had to be registered as smooth coat with very heavy coat but no feathers on legs and tail. others so short you could see their skin through the coat.  long coats with the feathers and feathered tail but body coat shorter than some of my "smooth coats" Had puppies with the same coat and ears as the papillion (not surprising since the original chihuahua was smooth coat, they were crossed with Papillion and Pomeranian so coats can be either and everything in between when you get the occasional throwback. bought my first in 1978 and 30 years later got the most amazing gold and white parti pom pup in a litter?  his sister, lovely chi head, ten to two ears, glorious body and legs, great coat and leg and tail feather, became an Australian champion chihuahua. but not even my vet could believe he was her full brother from same litter. perfect pom head, ears, coat and conformation? Interesting breed the chihuahua.

how many have ever seen a blue and tan cavalier?  ditto for a blue Pom in australia?

 

Edited September 16, 2018 by asal

[BDJ]

must say it is funny (in a sad, sarcastic way) how pet shops (and internet and public) get it so wrong - and that is not a new thing.

 

Many years ago ('80s or '90s) I was at a major shopping centre and the pet shop had a pup - cant remember exactly the cross but it was small to small (maltese x chi or chi x silky terrier etc) and the pup had HUGE feet and front knuckles and it had a relatively "boofy" head - the rest of the pup was smallish/cutish and sometimes a pup needs to grow in to their head, but if I saw those feet and knuckles on a staffy pup I would not have been surprised. 

 

An hour or so later I saw a family proudly carrying their new purchase through the mall.  I can only wonder what ended up happening when their little bundle of fluff grew and grew and grew.  Hopefully by then they were in love and accepted it for what it was, not what they were expecting

 

 

[Rascalmyshadow]

This happened to my old next door neighbor, they were told they were buying a little Jack Russell x, dog kept growing and turned out to resemble a GSD kelpie mix, they ended up rehoming it because they weren’t in a position to accommodate a large dog (dog was closer to GSD size than kelpie size).

[sandgrubber]

2 hours ago, Rascalmyshadow said:

This happened to my old next door neighbor, they were told they were buying a little Jack Russell x, dog kept growing and turned out to resemble a GSD kelpie mix, they ended up rehoming it because they weren’t in a position to accommodate a large dog (dog was closer to GSD size than kelpie size).

Sounds more like an unplanned litter than a design. 

Similar outcomes are pretty common, though, with "oodles" when the pet shop failed to note that the poodle half was a standard poodle.