What is mongrel?
A mongrel or mixed-breed dog is a dog that does not belong to an officially recognized breed, including dogs that are intentionally bred. Although the term mixed breed is sometimes preferred, many crossbreed dogs have no known purebred ancestors. Crossbreeds and “designer dogs”, though also a mix of breeds, differ from mongrels by intentional breeding. At other times, the term mongrel is used for dogs bred for informal purposes, such as curs, which were created at least in part from mongrels, especially if the breed is not officially recognized.
What does mongrel look like?
Since mongrel dogs are mixed with different breeds, they can vary greatly in size and weight. A hybrid made from two dogs of a larger breed may be larger, while a mix of dogs of a smaller breed may be smaller. However, many mongrel dogs include a large number of dog breeds that can vary widely in size.
mongrel living habits
The hybrid vigour theory suggests that as a group, dogs of different pedigrees will generally be healthier than purebred dogs. In purebred dogs, deliberately breeding generations of dogs that look very similar produces animals that carry many of the same alleles, some of which are harmful. If the founding population of the breed is small, the genetic diversity of that particular breed may be small for a considerable period of time.
When humans select certain dogs for new breeds, they artificially segregate that set of genes and cause the gene to be duplicated in more amounts than can occur in nature. The population is initially more vulnerable due to the lack of genetic diversity. If the breed is popular and the series continues to exist, the diversity will increase over the centuries due to mutation and occasional crossbreeding. This is why some very old varieties are more stable. One problem is when certain traits found in breed standards are associated with genetic diseases. Artificial selection favors the replication of a genetic disease because it has a desired physical trait. The genetic health of hybrids tends to be higher. Many purebred breeds have lost health characteristics because many breeders of show dogs are more interested in body size — the physical attributes of a dog in relation to breed standards — than the health and working temperament of the dogs originally bred.
mongrel rearing
Since the genetic makeup of mongrel dogs is unknown, breed-specific health problems they may suffer from are also a mystery. Before you adopt a mongrel, however, you should be aware of some health issues common to all breeds.
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