elegy wrote:

i haven't met any borderx breeders so really i can't say what they're
doing with their programs. all of the really good breeders wouldn't
allow their dogs to be crossed, but is that because crossing breeds is
"bad" or because we're all so caught in this purebred = good thing?

Maybe a combination. Part is the holdover that purebred = better, which
of course isn't true (though purebred = more predictable certainly is,
and more predictable *can* equal better for the owner/dog match). Most
of the responsible breeders I know though are totally passionate about
their breed. They are very invested in the breed and happen to think
it's the best for many reasons. To think that crossing out to another
breed is more worthy than improving the breed from the inside is anathema.


an evaluations like dogsports take
the place of that? that's what the responsible pit breeders (yes they
really do exist!) use- they evaluate their dogs often through weight
pull and such.

When the original function no longer is available you use what you have.
And it's important to note that even in breeds that have tasks that are
emulated through sport (herding, schutzhund, earthdog, whatever) the
activity the owner is indulging is still a *sport* and as such is only a
stylized replication of the original task of the dog.

Mary Healey wrote:
elegy wrote:
i haven't met any borderx breeders so really i can't say what they're
doing with their programs. all of the really good breeders wouldn't
allow their dogs to be crossed, but is that because crossing breeds is
"bad" or because we're all so caught in this purebred = good thing?

When you have a breed like BCs with a set of highly specific, highly
developed instincts, crossing those dogs with another breed with differing
or contrary instincts can make for very muddled-up puppies. Think Basset x
BC, for instance.

But then Lurchers, using BCs are a very
popular cross in the UK.

And while I only did a quick search and
cursory reading, the McNabe's lineage seems
to have started via a crossing of BCs.

I don't think it has to be any more muddled
than any other cross. But I do think care and
respect for what breeds are going into the
cross, as well as *serious* consideration for
health, mental stability, and an ability to
live in modern homes should all be the focus.
But that's the same for ANY breeding, whether
purebreed or mixed, IMO.

Long ago, I read a paper on the behavior of lovebird crosses. I don't
remember the exact cross, but the nest-building behavior of the parent
species were very distinct. Ah. A short description is he
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientis...or_nature_or_n
u.php

There's a link to a .pdf of the original publication at the bottom of the
page.

Humans have taken full advantage of the variability and adaptability of
dogs, breeding for extremes of size, temperament, and behavior. Breeding
herding dogs to retrievers can result in a dog that doesn't know whether to
herd ducks or retrieve them.

Of course, if you're using dogs with little or no tendency to do what the
breed is meant to do, conflicts should be fewer and less damaging to the
dog's overall well-being.

On Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:26:35 -0400, Tara Green
wrote:

When you have a breed like BCs with a set of highly specific, highly
developed instincts, crossing those dogs with another breed with differing
or contrary instincts can make for very muddled-up puppies. Think Basset x
BC, for instance.

But then Lurchers, using BCs are a very
popular cross in the UK.

I would actually like to have a UK lurcher (BC x greyhound). The
greyhound tones down the BC and the BC adds biddability (and recall!).
But tons of lurchers are bred in the US, too, including many hundreds
of greyhound x coonhound crosses. Unfortunately, the demand for them
isn't all that high.

I don't think it has to be any more muddled
than any other cross. But I do think care and
respect for what breeds are going into the
cross, as well as *serious* consideration for
health, mental stability, and an ability to
live in modern homes should all be the focus.

Yes. Years ago, when the overwhelming majority of ex-racing
greyhounds were killed; the fact that they make excellent pets was
largely unknown because only a few breeders/owners/trainers took dogs
home as pets when their 'careers' were over. Most people assumed that
they were too high strung (ha) or had too high a prey drive to be
pets. (It's actually kind of amazing that they do make good pets,
considering that they have very little socialization and are bred for
speed and speed alone.) But not too many people are clamoring for
greyhound x coonhound crosses, and although some are OK as pets, much
depends on which breed traits predominate in any given indivicual.
Some of the crosses being bred for sleddog racing are pretty
ridiculous, too, IMO. Unless you're going to keep the byproducts,
don't do the breeding.