Picking your puppy - pure or mixed breed?

At any time, my house is home to two pedigreed purebred Australian Shepherds, a rescued calico ragdoll mix kitty and various rescued mix-breed puppies. Time and circumstances as well as lifestyle and intent led me to make my choices of having both pure and mixed breed dogs. However, what is crucial for our happiness (and yours) is that we knew exactly what we were looking for before we make each pet selection.

There are characteristics predominant in the Aussies that make them perfect for us and terrible for our neighbors. From an attitude, activity, maintenance, time and resource perspective, the Aussies can be far easier or far more difficult to deal with than some of my short-haired tiny chihuahua mix foster babies. Knowing those differences and picking what is important to me in my life, at that time, results in everyone being happier, and training that is more appropriate and effective. You may be able to "train" an active dog to be less active. But that dog will likely be less happy and it will have taken you more effort than you would want to take.

Just like picking a spouse, you most likely will start with physical actractiveness - there's nothing wrong with starting there. But once you determine that, do your research. Find out if that puppy has the temperament and characteristics that match your lifestyle and attitude (good with kids, good in an apartment, etc.). Also, when dealing with puppies, learn what the puppy will grow up to look like. I have seen many people enamored with the insane cuteness of a baby bulldog, only to be put-off when that scampering puppy grows up to be the stocky lumbering adult. People who felt my Australian Shepherd puppies were "to die for" suddenly balked when I told them about the massive amounts of hair that needed to be brushed, and when they 'blew their coats' how often they would be vacuuming. Personally, I always wanted a Great Dane. But when I found out their life expectancy was so relatively short, I knew I personally couldn't get one.

Of course the internet is a great resource. However, I think it's a good idea to have a resource that you can page through to study breeds side by side. I love 'The Encyclopedia of the Dog' by Bruce Fogle, D.V.M., but there are several other very good resources that are equally good. One of the things I like best about Dr. Fogle's book is that it goes into a discussion about 'randon-bred' dogs, or what I call mixed breeds. There are lots of reasons why mixed breeds are easier to deal with than purebred puppies. For one, mixed breed puppies are hybrids, and hybrid populations will tend to be healthier and less prone to genetic issues because of the cross breeding.

But there are also things to watch out for as well, such as possible increased anxiety caused by living in a shelter. With puppies, there is less time for bad behavior to be built-up, and good foster programs can actually prepare abandoned mixed breed puppies better than purebred dogs whose breeders don't have the time or inclination to socialize and train the individual puppies.

If you decide to get a mixed breed puppy, find out how it was raised and if possible, what breeds went into its make-up. This is important to gauge appropriateness for your lifestyle. For example, mixed breed herding dogs still tend to exhibit herding behavior, just as chow mixes may tend not to be the best for families with small children. The breed heritage investigation doesn't have to be scientific. Asking what the parents looked like, how the puppy behaves and how quickly it has grown will go a long way to determining possible donor breeds. For those who want more definitive information, there are now canine DNA testing services that can more precisely determine a dogs breeding. These generally cost up to $100 to $200, so ask yourself if this is really necessary.