Hybrid Dog Breeds
Because of their high social adaptability, intelligence and loyalty, dogs have been used by men for centuries for different activities. From hunting to guarding to companionship, dogs have proven their usefulness over and over.
In order to get special desired characteristics and get rid of unwanted ones, dogs have been bred for centuries, much more than any other animal. The result is the existence of breeds that have very specific characteristics. These pure breed dogs can be very expensive, but they have the advantage that owners can be sure of what the dog will be like when they grow up, both physically and in personality.
While most dog breeders consider mating dogs of different breeds a sin, there are some that don’t think the process of interbreeding is over and continue to breed different pure breeds in order to get new breeds that will have desired traits from both parents. Since today most kennel clubs have established a list of purebreeds with extremely detailed and specific characteristic, these new breeds are considered a cross from these purebreeds and are called hybrid dog breeds.
Hybrid dog breeds aren’t exactly defined and for the most part, they aren’t recognized by dog kennel clubs.
The most common idea of hybrid dog breeds relates to what is known as first generation hybrid dog breeds, which are the result of a cross between two purebred dogs in an effort to get the best characteristics of both. Because some of the genes are recessive and others dominant, the result isn’t always the desired one. In addition, even in the same litter, some dogs might have some characteristics while others have very different ones.
Another type of hybrid dog breeds involves the breeding of first generation hybrid dogs. This is done only if first generation hybrid dogs have the desired characteristics and therefore the descendants are bred in order to try to create a new breed.
Although there are as many hybrid dog breeds as there are pure breeds, the Poodle is one of the most common breeds used to create new hybrid dog breeds, mainly because of the Poodle hypoallergenic qualities, but also because Poodles don’t shed as much hairs as other breeds and because they generate much less dancer, which is an important factor in human allergy symptoms.
A Poodle hybrid dog usually retains these characteristics, as well as adapting at least one desired characteristic from the other parent. For example, when bred with a Cocker Spaniel, the result will be a dog that will also be outgoing and loving, in addition to being healthy, and have little shedding and dander.
Lastly, one of the fun things of creating hybrid dog breeds is that you can give them the name you want, for example Cockapoo (A mix of a Poodle and a Cocker Spaniel).