Mixed-Breed Dog Cooper

Nowadays, most people who buy dogs pursue purebred dogs, with some even spending large sums to purchase dogs with good pedigrees. In fact, many times owning a dog is just to relax, and as long as the dog looks cute, whether it is purebred isn’t very important. Recently, a mixed-breed dog named Cooper went viral on the internet. This dog is a hybrid of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Teddy dog, but because of its cute appearance, it has still been loved by many netizens.

Actually, if the right breeds are selected for crossbreeding, it is possible to breed dogs that look cute. Compared to purebred dogs, these mixed-breed dogs also have their own advantages. In fact, there are no truly purebred dogs in the real sense; nowadays many so-called purebreds are artificially bred through crossbreeding of two breeds.

Excellent mixed breeding must be orderly and meaningful, not just ordinary crossbreeding. Absolute purebred breeding definitely leads to hereditary problems. For example, hemophilia in humans or CHD in dogs are consequences of such breeding, so purebred dogs must introduce foreign bloodlines to break hereditary congenital diseases. Otherwise, this purebred line will be naturally eliminated, which is the law of natural selection.

Mixed-breed dogs have many advantages. First, mixed dogs do not necessarily look bad; as long as the mating is appropriate, it is possible to breed dogs with good looks—the previously mentioned Cooper is a good example. In addition, we all know that purebred dogs tend to have weaker constitutions, while mixed-breed dogs usually have superior health. Most purebred dogs have some congenital defects. For example, Dalmatian dogs are prone to congenital deafness, Poodles to epilepsy, Boxers to malignant tumors, and Dobermans (detailed introduction) to hemophilia-like bleeding issues. Diseases tormenting purebreds like an epidemic include vision problems such as cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal degeneration causing blindness. According to a survey by the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School on thousands of dogs, purebred dogs are three times more likely to have congenital heart disease than mixed dogs. According to Dr. George Padgett from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, each breed has an average of over a dozen genetic defects.

Mixed-Breed Dogs May Have Better Constitutions

In addition, mixed-breed dogs have similar or even higher intelligence compared to some purebreds. Although mixed-breed dogs have many advantages, breeding good mixed-breed dogs is not that simple. First, the two dogs should not differ too much in size; otherwise, even if mating is successful, it may result in difficult births. Moreover, breeding mixed-breed dogs requires selecting the best qualities and eliminating defects by complementing weaknesses with the strengths of the other dog.

Therefore, unless we have a clear goal to raise a specific breed, raising a good-looking mixed-breed dog is a good choice for beginners. However, owners should still learn certain characteristics of some purebred dogs to avoid being cheated when intending to purchase purebreds in the future due to unfamiliarity with the breed.