http://www.shilohshepherds.com/puppy...erMatrixv4.htm

this should be a sticky here

OMG..Yes. That shoudl be a sticky..it's a WONDERFUL guide for those looking for a puppy. If after they read it they buy from someone disreputable, they won't have my sympathies if they get duped! This is wonderful..I'm gonna link this to my site too!

Nature has done a lot of work designing animals in certain ways. For instance, a bully is one of the most short-muzzled dogs around. Tell me how often you see them chasing hell-bent for Georgia to catch a ball or a frisbee or such. They are low-level activity dogs and they do not and cannot inhale humongus amts of air because of the design of their faces and resp. tracts and are not expected to be high performance dogs. They are somewhat like pugs in that respect. I LOVE Pugs and know a delightful one named EGG and he will not get out of his own way. I am from a hunting state and know many Beagles that would absolutely collapse is their air intake were restricted.
The point I am making is that when we mix breeds that are, well, possibly the word is opposites, we need to study the special designs of each of the breeds. I worked in research for a number of years and similar issues were considered. My neighbor's Beagle has been a bayer and I agree any help with that would be an improvement, but that is inherent in the breed..

WhispersMom - You made some good points. However, most small dogs can be safely bred without any dire consequences. My friend has two beagles - and they are --- as he calls them "fat couch potatoes" Most mixes adjust to their own new makeup. A Pugle, for example would probably not be as energetic as a young, healthy, active beagle, but would probably be more energetic than a pug. Any animal behaves in whatever way is most comfortable for it. A dog is not going to try and run a 100 yard dash three time a day ---if it's not in his makeup to do so.

I am not concerned about the health of most small breed mixes. Lord knows we are reading posts about sick Yorkies a lot - and other purebreds also have a lot of health problems peculiar to their own breed. It is a true fact that mixed breeds are often healthier than purebreds.

By the way, the term "designer mutt" is a term started by the media ---not the breeders....though they have certainly started using it.

"Mutts are mutts!" ---- I don't like that attitude. Mutts are pets too. Several of the best dogs I have ever had were not purebreds. When I was young - few people ever owned a purebred dog. Seems like back then we always got our pups from a neighbor whose dog had puppies. Sort of a share and share alike philosophy. And, of course, they were free. People were happy to find a good home for their puppies then. And, I don't think puppymills existed back then - if anyone ever had to resort to buying a dog - they usually didn't have to spend more than $5 or $10.

It's the law of supply and demand at work that has brought about the advent of puppymills. Today, people are able and willing to pay high prices for dogs -- so, of course, unscrupulous people have entered into this market - to make a profit for themselves. It is unfortunate that this is done at the expense of the dogs.

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I have to get busy and do some housework - between my new Yorkie, my other dog, my bird, and YorkieTalk - I never get anything done anymore.
And, Lord knows, I am not solving any of the world's problems.
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Oh yes -- it's almost 11:00 here - Happy New Year!

Carol Jean