Dog Talk: Designer Dogs [4-3-16]

Dog Talk: Designer Dogs

Matthew "'Uncle Matty" Margolis

It is just amazing to me that so many people are creating their own brand-name mutts. But it is even more astounding that so many people are paying so much money for the same dogs they could rescue from shelters for very nominal fees.

They call them "designer dogs" -- a blending of two breeds that a short time ago would have been the result of your female Pug in heat escaping under the fence and having a short relationship with the neighbor's cad of a Beagle. Now this is called a "hybrid." Give the offspring a new breed name, and you've got a "Puggle," the current hybrid fad. Instead of giving away the pups, you can now charge almost $900 to as much as $1,500, maybe more. No doubt some of the hype is the result of celebrities catching the Puggle fad -- names like Sylvester Stallone and Julianne Moore.

It all started in Australia in the '80s with the "Labradoodle," touted by someone who wanted a hypoallergenic house pet -- as if this blend would be more hypoallergenic than the Basenji, Bedlington Terrier, Bichon Frise, Chinese Crested, Irish Water Spaniel, Kerry Blue Terrier, Maltese, Poodles (toy, miniature and standard), Portuguese Water Dog, Schnauzers (miniature, standard and giant), and the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier.

So, just how many of these designer breeds are there? Hundreds, I fear, as evidenced by online hybrid registrations. It seems that there will be hundreds more as long as people keep breeding designer dogs. See if you can guess the breeds involved in these hybrids -- the Affenpoo, Baskimo, Jack-a-Bee, Muggin, Schnocker, Shocker and Corkie. I still call them mutts. (See the bottom of this column for the answers.)

Don't let the hybrid registrations fool you into thinking you have a new breed. It has taken decades and sometimes centuries to establish a pure breed. Qualifications are not taken lightly in the purebred world. Generations of photographed, documented dogs are required along with generations of health records and a seemingly endless list of qualifications. Parent clubs are required, and verification of everything is imperative.

Now, I happen to like mutts, and I've trained my fair share of them and enjoyed them all. Well, most of them. And like their purebred counterparts, they represent just about every temperament -- from high-energy handfuls to slow and deliberate and stubborn. I haven't got a problem with mutts. I do have a problem with those promoting designer dogs by promising that the offspring of two breeds will offer the best of both parents. Face it: It's a genetic pot shot. There are no guarantees.

Before you get caught up in the hype, do some homework. Visit some shelters. See the dogs face-to-face. Temperament-test the one you consider adopting. This is very important, whether it's a pure breed, a hybrid or a mixed breed. You'll find some guidelines and information in The Training Center at www.unclematty.com.

Probably one of the most disturbing facts is that hybrid-owner wannabees are buying designer dogs on the Internet -- buying dogs sight unseen from breeders who may in many cases be running puppy mills. You shouldn't shop for a dog like you shop for designer shoes.

I ran into an interesting Web site at www.grumpybumpers.com/dogs, where you can test your ability to tell a designer dog from a shelter dog. I failed, and I've been working with dogs all my life. Go ahead. Try it. Among the hybrids shown are the Puggle, the Peekapoo and the Pomshi. Then, before you spend an arm and a leg for four paws, visit some shelters and rescue organizations. Quit barking up the wrong genealogy tree, and give these needy shelter mutts a chance to warm your heart. Believe me, they will.

Here are the answers to the hybrid names above: Affenpinscher-Poodle, American Eskimo-Basset Hound, Jack Russell Terrier-Beagle, Miniature Pinscher-Pug, Cocker Spaniel-Miniature Schnauzer, Cocker Spaniel-Shiba Inu and Cocker Spaniel-Yorkie.

Woof!