Despite their diversity, all dogs are members of the same species, and any dog can potentially breed with any other. While RightPet doesn't advocate the intentional crossbreeding of purebred dogs, we recognize there are many crossbred and mixed breed dogs available today at shelters and rescues. It's worth sharing our experiences so that future mixed breed owners can get a better idea of what to expect.
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Despite their diversity, all dogs are members of the same species, and any dog can potentially breed with any other. While RightPet doesn't advocate the intentional crossbreeding of purebred dogs, we recognize there are many crossbred and mixed breed dogs available today at shelters and rescues. It's worth sharing our experiences so that future mixed breed owners can get a better idea of what to expect.
One large study found that mixed breed dogs have a lower risk for some common canine genetic disorders than purebreds. Mixed breed dogs also tend to be "average" dogs that are not too little or too big or too driven to perform a particular task. As a result, they often make easy-going family pets.
Some people reserve the term "mixed breed" for dogs that have at least one parent that is not a purebred species. A puppy that results from a pairing between two purebred dogs of two different breeds would be considered a "crossbred dog." We'll use the term "mixed breed" a bit more loosely here, so that we can include all dogs that have two or more breeds in their ancestry.
If you wish to rate a mixed breed of unknown ancestry, simply enter the primary breed that you believe your dog to be. If you have a crossbred dog with a known ancestry, enter the name of both breeds.
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