#meanwhile at least my breed has a history or re opening studbooks

[darkwood-sleddog]

okay I'm not involved in the ~dog community~ (my own dog is a poorly trained shelter mutt), but I'm really interested in the topic of crossbreeding. Do you have any resources you would recommend for learning more about the topic? Or any crossbreeding projects you think are especially interesting? Thanks!

Crossbreeding is the act of breeding two different types of dogs together (note I say types here because this practice outdates the modern idea of breeds).

I can’t provide you with a neat list of links to follow because crossbreeding is incredibly varied, much like the breeding of any animal. And I am really tired after battling Covid this week.

But above all I support responsible dog breeding and this can be achieved by both purebred breeders and cross breeders equally. The definition of what is a “responsible breeder” also makes things difficult because the definition of such will vary person to person. For me a responsible breeder utilizes all scientific and behavioral avenues available to them to best breed dogs that are: healthy both physically and genetically and temperamentally and physically sound for what they are bred to do. A responsible breeder (for me) is also supportive of the dogs they produce for the lifetime of those dogs which may include: taking the dog back if needed, mentoring puppy buyers, being knowledgeable about their community. Both purebred breeders and cross breeders can hit those responsibility goals (and they also can fail to hit them too just as equally).

Being in the mushing world I am exposed to many, many incredible cross bred and purpose bred non purebred dogs every day. Non purebred dogs win iditarod each year. Non purebred dogs dominate this sport and people have been mushing with and breeding and keeping pedigrees of these non purebred dogs as long if not longer than my own breed, the Alaskan Malamute.

In the UK Luchers, a sighthounds cross breed, is super popular and functional. In the southern United States bully dogs are often crossed with herding dogs and other bulky breeds to create good hog dogs (hogs are invasive in the US). Neither of these are trying to be breeds and the people that love these crosses would not want it that way.

Crossbreeding can also help create new breeds and is much how new breeds have been created in the past. Golden Retrievers, Doberman, Dogo Argentino are just a few that took distinct dog types and molded them into a breed before closing their studbooks to new blood. German Shepherds, Border Collies, Siberian Huskies are breeds that stem from non purebred landrace dogs that just existed as a type of dog and were later molded into modern breeds.

Crossbreeding can also help mitigate health issues that occur in purebred dogs. A huge majority of purebred dogs have closed studbooks. This means that no new blood that is unregistered with the breed club can enter. Breeds do sometimes open this closed book (my own breed the Alaskan Malamute did this in the 1950s to increase genetic diversity). Crossbreeding to fix health issues is usually called ‘outcrossing’ because the crossing is not done widely, but in a more targeted manner. A great example of this is LUA Dalmatians (a single non Dalmatian dog used) and the Bobtailed Boxer Program (really interesting look at how quickly type can be brought back).

In reality I love both purebred dogs and crossbred dogs. I think both serve the needs of the human population as what we need dogs for can be so varied from person to person. I also believe it is bad for populations to keep closed studbooks and I think every breed club should have outcross programs in development, especially those that are circling the drain with incredible health issues such as the Doberman.

I think it’s in poor taste for purebred folk to viscously hate cross bred dogs and their breeders just because some are not breeding responsibly. Irresponsible breeding happens plenty in purebred dogs and people need to stop acting like cross breeders are holding purebred folk at gunpoint and forcing them to buy a doodle.