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With names like mutt, mongrel and "god knows what," mix breed dogs have always been the outcast of the canine community. When visiting the local pet shop, it's rare to go window shopping for nothing less than a pure bred dog. Pure breeds also dominated pop culture and TV, with programs like Lassie and the Westminster dog show-where little fluffy dogs prance around as their trainers keep them on a short leash.

Well, these dog days are over "discriminative capacities. Enter the hybrid. Mix breeds dogs that in the past have been are frowned upon as pups you adopt when your neighbor's dog gets out for a day of fun, now fetch a pretty hefty premium. With breeds like the "Golden Doodle" and the "Puggle", these breeds even have a fancy name to go with the fancy price tags; DesignerDogs.

Designer dogs are created when their breeders cross two pure bred canines with the goal of incorporating desirable traits from each breed. While this sounds a bit diabolical, this isn't the first time man has dabbled with doggy DNA.

Shitzu Dogs

Dogs first started hanging out with man about 15.000 years ago, as Gray wolves. This was the same time inadvertently breeding man started what would become the modern dog. By selecting which wolves they would throw scraps to or allow to stick around the camp fire, they were accidentally selecting out the traits that were beneficial to keep around. These traits could have included keeping other predators away or simply being good company. Now skip ahead some 14.000 years ought to the 19th century when breeding really came into itsstride.

By the 19th century, dogs had been bred by people to help in hunting, herding cattle and even bred to sit perched up high on the laps of royalty (lap dog). People selected traits such as wrinkled skin or long and short hair and even useful body shapes. In fact the father of natural selection, Charles Darwin, used dog breeding as a reference when writing about the selection of useful traits in his ground breaking work, On the Origin of Species. But what if breeders desired certain traits from one breed and other traits from a different breed?

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In the 1980 's breeders started crossbreeding pure bred dogs with the goal of selecting specific traits from each dog to create an uber dog. Some of the first crosses were attempted Poodles with other breeds such as Labradors tocreate a dog with the intelligence of both the Poodle and Labrador and the hypoallergenic fur of the Poodle.

Designer Dogs have only gained in popularity since their conception in the 80 's. The breeders that have caught on to this trend make a fortune supplying pet owners would be with these unique breeds. Some of the more popular mix breed dogs include the "Puggle (Pug mixed with a Beagle), Cockapoo (Cocker spaniel mixed with a Poodle) and the ever popular Bullshit (Bull dog mixed with a Shitzu).

And move over American Kennel Club, us hybrid dog owners don't need you when we have the American Canine Hybrid Club. Yes, there is a club specifically for hybrid dog owners where you can register your designer dog.

Now you are probably going over it in your head, "Man, thewonder what kinds of crazy combinations of dogs there are? " By now you are completely sold on the idea of a Great Dane Chihuahua mix, but you have to keep in mind that while man attempts to play God, he doesn't always get it right.

When deciding on what breed of designer dog to bring into your family, you'll need to consider not only the traits you would like in your new furry companion, but also what traits you might find potentially disagreeable in the two breeds you are looking at. If one breed is high energy and the other a natural digger, well you will most likely have a tunnel in your back yard to China.

If you are truly interested in mix breed dogs, a fantastic venue for adoption is your local animal shelter. You will be able to find a plethora of interesting mixes andat the same time help decrease the number of pups that can't find homes.

Take my word for it, I found my perfect little Chug boy Baxster at the animal shelter and he has been amazing. By the way, that's a Chihuahua Pug mix.

From Puppy to Puppy Prestige Pariah