How bad is the state of Pure breed dogs?

Question

I have known for a few years now that dogs are more companions and pets than actually doing their jobs they were originally bred for! Dont get me wrong there are some breeds that still do the jobs they were bred for , sheepdogs , police dogs , sniffer dogs etc etc. All Im saying is that dogs are inbred , father-daughter , mother-son etc etc for dog shows, to make the dogs more what the standard says by the kennel club, this couldn't be good , could it?? Whats your opinion onsay for examaple Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies being culled because of a lack of a ridge, when in fact the ridge is a genetic defect anyway? Obviously this does not apply to all pure breed dogs but is the cross breed the way to go?

I am a dog lover , I have had all kinds of dogs over the years , Kerry Blues , Irish Terriers , plenty of lab , terrier and collie crosses. This is not a question to get breeders or dog showers annoyed.

Answer 1

every time the "crossbreds are healthier" bit come up I flash to the support list I am on for owners of dogs with a serious cronic disease - the #1 breed (by a lot) the mixed breed........

Also do keep in mind the BBC show went through 100's of breeder to find a FEW "shocking" practices

Answer 2

I have answered someone elses question about the BBC and what the KC are doing or not doing.

Anyway my query regarding a RR is that they are called a ridgeback because of the ridge, so surely they were bred to have one in the fist instance all those years back. So i am confused as to how its a defect that has been allowed to continue since the dog originated.. Maybe a RR owner can assist with this??

Answer 3

This can be a double edged sword.  Yes, many dogs today are no longer able (physically or mentally) to do what the breed was intentionally created for.  However, in some cases, what the dog was intended for is no longer something we want.  Case in point, Bullldogs were originally bred for bull baiting, a crude, inhumane act.  Other breeds have been modified over the years for a better "look", and in doing so, the brains and working ability of the dog was bred right out of them.

Again, this is not a slam on reputable breeders.  Many dogs are still very good at what they are supposed to do.  Herding dogs are still very valuable to ranchers, guard dogs, scent hounds, and many others are still wonderful dogs who have a job to do and do it well.

If you are looking for a loving pet, then a mixed breed is always an option.  Many mixed breed dogs do not have the physical or mental issues that many purebreds do.  However, I would also recommend highly if you are looking for a mixed breed, to check out a shelter as they always have dogs, both mixed and purebreed, looking for a home.

Answer 4

Inbreeding and linebreeding concentrate both good and bad genes that lay in the background. Through advanced health testing, dogs that carry many of the known genetic diseases can be eliminated from the gene pool. A dog without bad genes can't pass them on. Inbreeding doesn't cause the problems in and of itself, what happens is that it increased the odds that problems are being doubled up on but only when those problems are already present. The same thing happens if we breed two unrelated animals who happen to share the same genes for hip dysplasia or progressive retinal atrophy, for example.

The state of purebred dogs can not be compared to that of mixed breeds because there is no statistical data or research being conducted, nor regular health tests performed on mixed breeds to make a viable comparison. It may well be that mixed dogs, who are descended from the same source dogs as purebred dogs, have as many if not more problems. We just don't know.  

Answer 5

Vet's opinion

http://vetinharness.vox.com/library/post...

Statement from the RSPCA

http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellit...

Recent scientifc study

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandevents...

The BBC programme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1LyjlX4M...

Answer 6

That progamme mentioned how many breeds & breeders? A handful of the 200 or so recognised in the UK. All breeds have potential health problems - but so do crossbreeds.

I have purebred dogs because their traits are predictable & I know what I want from a dog - mixed breeds would be fine for most people if they knew what they were getting, but it's not possible to predict which of their ancestors they will take after.

Although many people find it unacceptable, inbreeding has it's place in a responsible breeding programme - it can be used to reduce an inherited disease as much as to produce it. That doesn't mean all show dogs are inbred, although many are line-bred to a particularly good specimen. What never seems to be mentioned in this debate is that it's only a few years since bringing in new blood from other countries was impossible for the vast majority because of the expense of quarantine. Even now, buying in a quality animal from abroad is expensive and time consuming. In my own experience, using dogs from abroad - where you have little knowledge of their blood lines - can bring its own tremendous problems. Testing for most hereditary diseases is also very recent, so breeders have to make the best of the dogs available to solve problems which have been present for decades - ridding a breed of disease doesn't happen overnight especially if it is carried by a recessive gene.

Culling healthy puppies is not now acceptable to the vast majority of breeders (I couldn't do it) but 50yrs ago it was accepted practice.

That programme stated that there were 5.25 million purebred dogs in the UK. Only about 3.25 million are registered with the Kennel Club. If those figures are anywhere near accurate, that means 2 million dogs bred outside the auspices of the KC, never shown and never health tested before being bred from.

If prospective owners would do their research and only buy from knowledgeable, reputable breeders, it would discourage those who have no right to be breeding because of lack of necessary skills from doing so.

Answer 7

It is not good to breed a dog to its realitive, I personally like mutts

Answer 8

Am I right in thinking you've been watching the BBC programme on the Kennel Club and purebred dogs?

If so you should watch the response of the KC here http://www.webchats.tv/chats/Petcare/www...

I'm a breeder of standard poodles. My dogs are extremely trainable and, if trained to do so, will work to the gun, which is the task they were originally bred for (water retriever). I am a KC Accredited Breeder. I health test and I do not cull any of my pups. I do not agee with culling either. And no, the cross bred is certainly not the way to go.

Answer 9

The AKC  purpose is to avoid inbreeding. It is the puppy mills that are the big problem they breed to point that the bad traits are really bad instead of breeding the problems out.And yes dogs are mostly for show and not for their original purpose.The same for horses they don't work much any more you see them laying around the pastures .To many designer breeds now and that goes for cats also.

Answer 10

It's definately happening. My breed of choice, the Australian Shepherd, is being constantly bred (like other breeds) SMALLER so that it "fits in" with suburban lifestyles. And the herding instincts is being bred out because certain people want all the benefits of a herding breed, without the actual herding. Ugh.

But remember, it's backyard breeders doing all of this. Responsible, reputable breeders breed to keep the breed standard, to better the breed, and to respect the breed. The more popular the breed is, the more it is manipulated by the wrong people. It's a sad, sad fact of life.

Answer 11

A lot of breeds could still do there origonal jobs if they are trained to do it but a aggree there are a few that would find it harder, i also think that all breeds should still be capable of doing there origonal jobs.

As for the inbreeding thing not all breders inbreed or even linebreed, i dont aggree with it and think it should be added to the breeding of dogs act.

Also as for the Rhodesian Ridgeback there breed club have now removed it from there code of ethics and some breeders are selling there ridgless pups as pets only.

here is one add for example

http://www.epupz.co.uk/clas/viewdetails....

and in the Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue they have about 2 or 3 ridgless adults.

As for are crosses the way to go, you can get genetic probs in cross breeds as well as purebreeds. so if you compaire a cross to a well bred pedagree then there is probley not much if any diffrence in health.

Answer 12

hi i have had pure bred dogs all my life and im still a teen i have had 3 a staffy,a bulldog, and a border terrier  and all thogh im young i have noticed staffys in particular are inbread especialy by young people not me included as the is so much money in it not all the young people are the same so dont get offended as im just stating a opinion i also noticed some people belive what they hear straight away like the want pedigree go there say yes i will have it if the breeder says or yes 100% staff but no papers that is quite clear that it is not the pure bred dog but yet they buy it and maybe 2 not always from the breeder with intensoins of breeding them and getting £600 a pup obviasley your not gunna pay that for one also bulldogs are very dear so it aint often you find a crosss border terriers are coming to be a popular pet and are pften cross bred although the pure breeds are good if you want to breed or want a specifeic job doing i think people are taling advantage cause the want money not nice healthy pups i am not trying to insult anyone ust wanted to state my opinion  

Answer 13

I agree the inbreeding should stop ,i think the kennel club have a few thing they need to change. The problem they will have is there just a register place and if breeders don't like the changes then they will just go to a different register. What needs to do is to make new legislation's in place to stop interbreeding and that all dog that are used for showing ,breeding will have to be health screened, it will be law then it would have to be done.  It will also help stop puppy farming i cant imaginen them to pay out for screenings.

personally would not get a cross breed though, the pedigree dog has a blue print as to what the dog will look like , temperament , health problems ,so i could pick the best breed of dog that would best suit me. With a cross breed you don't have that and the cross breed perants were both differentt pedigree dogs bred togeather and if they had health problems then the cross breeds will be effected too.

good question.