Many people prefer purebred dogs because of the pedigree, the prestige, and the fact that when you get a purebred dog, you know exactly what you are getting, thanks to all the time and effort put into getting precisely the desired talents, temperament, and physical traits that breeders wanted over the years as each generation of each breed was refined.
Yet hybrid dogs often offer much of the above – the reliability of particular breeds and their dominant traits – while also having the advantage of less mental and physical health problems. You see, as purebreds have been selectively bred over the centuries, a number of problems both in the personality and in the body of purebred dogs have cropped up and only worsened with time.
The Problem With Purity
When you bring a purebred dog into your family, you are accepting all of the problems they will struggle with in the years to come. Hybrid dogs, on the other hand, often lack all of the problems their purebred parents faced, as genetic diversity often erases such issues by favoring stronger genetic traits. Today, there are many reasons to own a hybrid dog, and more and more dog-owners are catching on!
Breeders of purebred puppies argue that with a purebred dog, you can know exactly what you are getting in terms of temperament, and that is true – and very important when making a decision vis-à-vis owning and raising a dog. Each breed has its own kind of particular temperament that you need to be ready to handle, whether that means having the energy to keep up with a Jack Russell or the strength of will to master a Doberman. Choosing a dog that doesn’t match who you are and how you live can end up creating a bad environment for both you and the dog as the dog is ill-raised and thus ill-behaved, leading to anger and frustration on your part.
Getting the Dog you Need and Deserve
Yet we return to the essential conceit of the hybrid-supporter’s cause: purebred dogs suffer form mental and physical problems that can make them unstable and even dangerous, meaning that the point breeders of purebred puppies are making regarding the whole “you know what you’re getting” doesn’t truly apply when it comes to purebred dogs, because there is the possibility of very negative surprises.
Hybrid dogs, on the other hand, often have these congenital defects bred out of them as they at the very least aren’t suffering from the issue of interbreeding. Additionally, hybrid dogs can be selectively bred to have an even smaller chance of those congenital defects from appearing, as you need simply select parents from the two breeds who have a smaller chance of producing those congenital defects in their offspring. The chances of it appearing with the hybrid are thus even smaller.
Ultimately, of course, even as you try to decide on whether or not a hybrid or purebred dog is the right dog for you, the predisposition of a particular dog is nothing next to the care and training you can offer the dog once you own it. Your dog’s personality and behavior, their skills and talents and temperament, will all depend on what you have to offer that dog as an owner. If you show that dog love, care, and understanding, along with using sound training techniques, you will get the dog you need and deserve!
+Neil Kilgore is a dog owner, dog lover and the Jack (Russell) of all trades at Greenfield Puppies in Lancaster Pa. He regularly blogs about puppies, breeders and dog care advice on the Greenfield Puppies website.
