Mixed breed and crossbred big dogs


Sometimes, a big dog may be inadvertently bred to a neighborhood fence jumper or a female dog of one large purebred may be purposefully mated with a purebred of another large breed to produce crossbred puppies. What can we predict in such pups? Again, only the puppies in question and the people involved can answer these questions.

Something can be said for the hybrid vigor of mixed-breed pups. Sufficient research has not been done to prove that the offspring of such matings are truly stronger or more vigorous than the progeny of purebreds. Commonsense genetics tells us mixed-breed puppies should have fewer hereditary problems, but the wider gene pool behind them does not assure that these pups will be free of all such problems.

Crossbred offspring conformation is relatively unpredictable on the first mating. If a large purebred female is bred to a large purebred male of another breed, anything is possible, and few assumptions can be made about the variety of appearances or sizes of the puppies until the litter is several weeks or months old. Previous matings of the same two dogs may predict the size of these crossbred puppies.

Often, personalities of mixed-breed and crossbred pups are quite attractive, but are probably less predictable than those of purebreds. Even though individual dispositions may vary, purebred puppies' characters are likely to be similar to those of their ancestors.

However, if you are not concerned about the actual size or appearance of your big canine partner, and if you find a mixed or crossbred litter, go for it! If the dam is a big dog and the sire is of equal or greater size, the litter has an excellent chance of containing at least a fair percentage of big puppies.