written by Donna Sapp, Border Terriers, Maryland, USA
Other (to coin a phrase) designer Dogs, to name a few are:
Labradoodles (Labrador Poodle mix), Yorkiepoo (Yorkshire Terrier Terrier Poodle mix), Pyradachs (Pyranese Dachsund mix), Peekapoo (Pekingese Poodle mix), Bichon-Poo aka Bicha-Poo (Bichon Frise Poodle mix), Cavadoodle (also called Cavoodle – Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Poodle mix), Cockapoo (Cocker Spaniel Poodle mix), Goldendoodle (Golden Retriever Poodle mix) , Lhasa-Poo (Lhasa Apso Poodle mix), Malti-Poo (Maltese Poodle mix), Pomapoo (Pomeranian Poodle mix), Schnoodle (Miniature or Standard Schnauzer Poodle mix; also La Schnoodle, Labrador with a similar mix), Scottiepoo (Scottish Terrier Poodle mix), Shih-poo (Shih Tzu Poodle mix), Westiepoo (West Highland White Terrier Poodle mix) anmd the list can and does go on and on…
The cross breed referred to below is simply an example:
Puggles are a cross between pugs and beagles. What that means is that they are not a consistent type of dog. They can have any of the characteristics
of either breed. Purebred breeds are consistent dogs. They breed true. If you get a pug you will get a dog with a given set of characteristics. They will be within a set range of weight and height. They will have a generally consistent temperament. For example, a pug will generally love to eat. Most pugs that I know love to be lap dogs or pillow dogs and love to be showered with attention. One pug will look like another pug. Ditto for a beagle. He will probably like to use his nose. He will generally be friendly. He will probably love to roam. A Puggle could have all of the good characteristics of both breeds…or all of the worst. You could easily get a extremely stubborn dog that refuses to listen to a word you say and always wishes to be elsewhere or you could get a friendly dog that likes to stay with you. Who knows? You could get a dog that looks like just about anything and acts likes just about anything, since breed characteristics aren’t really important.
If you just want a good dog to spend time with, then, why spend lots of money to get one when there are so many wonderful dogs and puppies at shelters
throughout the country that will suit your needs. In fact, most breeders of purebred dogs actually ask for less money for their dogs than the Designer dog breeders (a loose term)
Good breeders dog care about their dogs and the puppies they produce. They have done at least the basic health checks on both parents and hopefully the grandparents. You should be able to see the OFA records of the parents (and other relatives) online. Just go to www.offa.org and check that the parents of your potential puppy have registered there. For small dogs like pugs and beagles the parents should have at least hips and patellas done.
A good breeder should guarantee that the puppy/dog will have a home for life, if not with you then they will take the dog back and either keep him or find him a home that wants him. They take pride that none of their dogs will be found in a shelter or worse, put down, due to the lack of a home, if they can help it.