What are designer dogs? Are they purebred or just basically mutts by another name? Are they worth the extra money? Does the American Kennel Club (AKC) recognize designer dog “breeds”, or will they recognize them in the future? After all, what makes an AKC breed dog so unique? Like so many things in this world, it is all about marketing and perception.
Pure Bred Dogs Were Once the Foundation of Designer Breeds
Firstly, let’s define a “pure breed” dog. All purebred dogs have a registered pedigree. A major kennel club will maintain a record showing a defined lineage. To be a purebred dog, both parents need to be registered and from the same breed. The “grandparents”, therefore, were all registered and from the same breed, and so on back in time.
Being a purebred dog does not guarantee the quality or health of the dog. Nor does it mean the dog will meet the standard description for the breed. Over years of breeding, without careful attention to breeding only animals that match the breed standard description, offspring may drift farther and farther from the ideal for the breed. Breeders, who show their dogs for conformation, work to breed only dogs that match the breed standard. Most, non-show purebred dogs look similar, but come in a variety of color shades, sizes, and shapes.
All pure breeds once began by selective breeding of various “unregistered” dogs in order to select for specific traits and appearances. Many of these lines go so far back as to be lost to history. Once people began keeping track of their breeding records, “pure breeds” came of age.
Designer Dogs By Any Other Name
What is a mixed breed or “mutt”? A mixed breed is any dog of parentage from differing breeds or perhaps multiple breeds. Some mixed breeds may look exactly like a purebred dog, but just do not have the supporting registration documents. These mixed breeds may inherit the best or the worst traits of their mixed parentage.
“Designer dogs” were originally considered the product of breeding dogs from two different pure breeds. Even though the parents were registered, their offspring are, by definition, “mutts” and cannot be registered or shown in AKC conformation or obedience shows. These days, many so called designer dogs are not even the direct products of purebred parents. There may be several generations of cross breeding of non-registered dogs.
Through savvy marketing, designer dogs, once considered a “mistake breeding”, became a goldmine. Labradoodles, goldendoodles, puggles, cavachons, chuggles, pomskys and any other two breed names you can slam together started commanding premium prices in pet stores. Shelters started naming mutts as specific designer combinations to make them more adoptable. So called “registries” popped up in order to add some legitimacy to the mixed heritages.
Overtime, if and only if careful breeding records are kept, some of these designer breeds may achieve AKC or other Kennel Club recognition. For now, with little to no regulation on breeding and marketing, designer dogs are expensive mixed breeds or “mutts”.
Want to figure out using DNA who your mystery mutt may be? This article links you to a few Doggie DNA test sites.
How to Choose a Pet Dog
Money, labels, and cuteness aside, the best way to chose your new companion is the temperament of the dog. It is best if you can meet with and spend some time with the parent dogs. By experiencing their personalities, you can get a better sense of how the puppy will behave. Read up on the breed(s) traits. Understand the best and the worst traits. You will likely be receiving a combination of both.
Owning a dog is a big responsibility. Have your new friend checked out by a veterinarian as soon as you bring it home. Know your state’s puppy lemon laws in case there is a major health issue. Regardless of whether you purchase or adopt a purebred dog, designer dog or just a cute mystery mutt, we want you to enjoy a healthy and happy companion.