Budgetsdad, "hybrid vigor" is bunk with mutts. Why? Because mixing two breeds of dogs is NOT HYBRIDIZATION! That's like saying a person who is half asian and half black is a "hybrid"! It's all the same species! Even the term "wolf hybrid" is incorrect. Dogs are wolves. That's why dog/wolf mixes are now called "wolfdogs". Genetically, dogs and wolves are so alike that there's not even a DNA test available to determine whether or not a dog is part wolf.
A mutt is not automatically healthier. All you're doing is diluting the possibility of certain genetic diseases, because only one parent is the carrier of the gene. And even that isn't guaranteed. Say you breed a GSD with a golden retreiver. The puppies are just as likely to have hip dysplasia as their parents, since both parents tend to carry that genetic tendency. And if the parents are not hip certified, the puppies are very likely to have hip problems.
Or, say you have a breed that tends to have eye problems. You breed it with a dog from a breed that tends to have hip problems. The puppies have a lesser chance of getting either hip or eye problems, since only one parent was the carrier of the gene. But, although the probability is lower, the pups are now carrying TWO sets of potential problems. You've added more slots to the roulette wheel, but you're now playing two wheels simultaneously.
Ask your vet how many mutts come in with eye problems, hip problems, cancer, etc. I'm not saying that mutts are less healthy than purebreds. I'm just saying that being a mutt does not automatically make a dog healthier.
A mutt is not automatically healthier. All you're doing is diluting the possibility of certain genetic diseases, because only one parent is the carrier of the gene. And even that isn't guaranteed. Say you breed a GSD with a golden retreiver. The puppies are just as likely to have hip dysplasia as their parents, since both parents tend to carry that genetic tendency. And if the parents are not hip certified, the puppies are very likely to have hip problems.
Or, say you have a breed that tends to have eye problems. You breed it with a dog from a breed that tends to have hip problems. The puppies have a lesser chance of getting either hip or eye problems, since only one parent was the carrier of the gene. But, although the probability is lower, the pups are now carrying TWO sets of potential problems. You've added more slots to the roulette wheel, but you're now playing two wheels simultaneously.
Ask your vet how many mutts come in with eye problems, hip problems, cancer, etc. I'm not saying that mutts are less healthy than purebreds. I'm just saying that being a mutt does not automatically make a dog healthier.
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