Cross Breeding - Mating Dogs of Different Breeds

I am sure you are aware of all the crossbreeds that are available today including probably the most famous being the labradoodle and the Goldendoodle. At first glance the question is why? In most cases, it is to create a breed with some favorable characteristic with others who know why. Let's talk about a few of these mixed breed dogs and why they came about.

I want to start with what is probably the best known highbred the Labradoodle. I am sure that you already know it is a mix of a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle. Because of the poodle influence they can be large or small depending on what size poodle was used for the breeding. They are also in several different colors from yellow, black, brown and even party colored.

The breed was actually first developed by Australian dog breeder Wally Conron in an effort to help a client that had dog allergies. Allergies and people who are allergic to dogs is one of the top reasons people select a labradoodle. From what I understand to be hypoallergenic the dog must be a 3rd generation labradoodle.

The introduction of the Goldendoodle was inspired by the successes of the labradoodle. Breeders started breeding mini size golden doodles by using the smaller poodle and this appealed to many people that wanted a smaller dog. Breeders are determined to produce a non-shedding hypoallergenic dog that can be enjoyed by more people either as a small or larger dog.

The list of the cross bred designer dogs can go on and on but here are a few:

Puggle - Pugg and Beagle

Chiweenie - Chihuahua and Daschund

Maltipoo - Maltese and Poodle

Chorkie - Chihuahua and Yorkshire terrier

Bugg - Pug and Boston Terrier

Wally Conron the Australian breeder who started the designer dog craze back in the late 1980's regrets the fact that he created what he calls a monster. Because of his efforts in breeding the first labradoodles he feels like breeders have gone crazy in their efforts to create more and more cross bred dogs.

Some designer dog breeders feel that they are doing a good job by breeding out bad characteristics from the breeds however other breeders feel that this type of breeding has actually caused more problems.

If you need a particular cross bred dog for a certain characteristic then go ahead and give one of these designer dogs a chance it may just be the perfect dog for you.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Cross-Breeding---Mating-Dogs-of-Different-Breeds&id=8419427

Children Friendly Dogs

I get calls quite often from people wanting to know what would be a great dog to get for the family since they have children. They're looking for a dog that is kid friendly and will make a good addition to the family. Of course, there isn't one particular breed that's the best for everybody but I do have four of them that I usually recommend. Let me tell you about them now.

Let's start off with the Labrador Retriever. To put it simply I love labs. Labs are great dogs and they usually love everybody. The fact that they have a short coat means they are easy for grooming purposes, however keep in mind that they do shed quite a bit.

If you have an active family a lab is a great dog. Labs love going for hikes, long walks and even enjoy all types of water sports. To put it simply when it comes to water labs love to swim.

If you're going to get a Labrador however keep in mind that they are very much puppy like until they reach maturity at approximately 2 ½ to 3 years of age.

Second on my list of favorite dogs is the Golden Retriever. Goldens are a little bit calmer I believe than the average Labrador. However both the Labrador and the Golden make excellent obedience dogs and are easy to train. Because of their longer coat Goldens do require more grooming but it's definitely not that difficult.

If you have somebody in the family who's allergic to dogs then the best choice for you may be a Goldendoodle or a Labradoodle.  

Just like their  name implies they are a combination of either a Golden and a Poodle or Labrador and a Poodle. They come in various sizes and colors depending on the size and color of the Poodle.

If you're getting a Doodle because of the hypoallergenic benefits make sure you get a dog that is at least a third generation in order to reap those benefits.

So far everything we've talked about has been a large dog so I want to give you one dog that is smaller if that's what you and your family are looking for. I think the dog that's perfect for kids and will really make them laugh is the Pug. 

Yes Pugs come in two colors black and fawn, their small and are meant to be lapdogs. They're very loving and are easily trained. So if a small dog for the kids is what you're looking for I think the pug would be an excellent choice.

The four breeds that I've mentioned here are certainly not the only breeds that are good for kids however they are dogs that I've had experience with. When it's time to get that new dog for the kids do some research on Google and find the one that you think would fit with your family the best.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Children-Friendly-Dogs&id=8368191