The Beauty of Mixed Breeds
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Pom-a-poos, Cock-a-poos etc.
The Beauty of Mixed Breeds
What makes a breed?

All breeds are made up of three separate but equally important parts: ancestry, purpose, and standard. Ancestry simply means that a particular breed has descended from only one particular foundation group and no other. Next is the purpose, or reason, a breed was developed, such as hunting, herding, guarding, companionship, etc. Finally, each
breed is characterized by a particular standard such as size, color, build, and appearance. Again, all three of these conditions must be considered when distinguishing one breed from another. .

The hundreds of breeds recognized today are not the only breeds to ever exist. Many popular breeds of the past are now extinct and many new and unique breeds will be developed in the future. The standard for developing new breeds plays a key role in the breeds survival. The first role in developing a new breed is the foundation selection,
or the selection of individual purebred canines that will be used to create this new breed. Secondly, the breeding process must be isolated from any dogs other than those chosen in the foundation selection. Without this isolation a new breed will never be developed. Finally the breeders must use a selection process when breeding to achieve the
characteristics desired of the new offspring. These standards are used to create a new breed that will be able to reproduce itself consistently with the desired traits.

The future of purebred dogs is in serious trouble when most breeds exhibit unacceptable levels of genetic diseases and defects. According to some sources, there are over 500 genetic defects that have been catalogued in the various breeds of purebred dogs with more and more coming to light as research progresses. Some of the same factors used
to create new breeds are also the very factors that have contributed to the destruction of the genetic soundness of these breeds. One of these factors is isolation, which is used to isolate the original new breed colony for the purpose of perfecting and locking in desired genetic traits. Without isolation, a new breed can never be developed. However,
if continued over a long term, isolation leads to degeneration due to genetic drift toward the "desired traits" and away from the overall genetic makeup of the breed. Closed registries by their nature promote continued isolation by requiring that all future offspring come from the mating of dogs ONLY registered in their club. Without a doubt, it is essential for the genetic soundness and vigor of purebred animals to introduce new and unrelated "blood" at various times into the bloodlines of these animals.


New Breed Development for the 21st Century

Most authorities agree that modern dogs derived their ancestry through the wolf, the jackal, the fox, and the coyote. Today's dog is entirely a product of man's making through the crossing of these various lines and selective breeding. In fact most of our modern breeds have been developed within the last 150 years through crossbreeding.


Continental Kennel Club has a miscellaneous section for developing new breeds. CKC will recognize a cross between any two purebred dogs, and will issue a registration certificate on their offspring. These crosses are not registered as purebred dogs but are registered as the offspring of purebred dogs. The registration certificate for these crosses will show MISC followed by the two parent breeds. When we register a sufficient number of a particular cross, it will be assigned a name; for example, MISC: PEKINGESE / POODLE is MISC/PEK-A-POO. After a name has been assigned, we encourage those breeders who are breeding this cross to form their own breed club in order to set a standard for the dogs to breed true. The dogs from these crosses will not be registered as purebred until the dogs are breeding true to standard for several generations.






The Pek-a-Poo, a cross that has been around for the last 25 years, is well recognized. There are also many others that are being developed around the world. CKC will also register any wolf and dog cross as a wolf hybrid (Read more about wolf hybrids to the left). By allowing the breeders the option of developing new breeds, we are promoting the breeding of better dogs. For more information on crosses being bred worldwide such as the Bichon/Yorkie, the Labradoodle, the Cockerpoo, and the Bull Boxer, refer to The Encyclopedia of the Dog by Bruce Fogle D.V.M.



With Continental Kennel Club, new breeds must be developed in at least 3 different closed colonies. Having a minimum of 3 separate colonies guarantees a much larger gene pool when developing a new breed. These colonies will breed towards the same standard that will be set forth by CKC. Once the dogs begin breeding true to type, the
colonies can then be crossed among themselves in order to maintain an even larger genetic pool. The misc. hybrid lines will continue to be bred should a second gene pool be needed for the protection and health of the new breed being developed.

Classifications on Misc. dogs will be changed once CKC has determined that these dogs have been breeding true for several generations, and has been approved for movement from the Misc. class to the purebred status. Future Purebred Reclassification (F.P.R.) will appear at the end of the group classification indicating the future changes.

After opening the miscellaneous section of our club, allowing for the crossing of any two purebred dogs, such as the Pekinese to the Poodle, we started receiving very interesting information from the breeders. We started getting reports that when a Pekinese was crossed with a Poodle, the offspring of these breeding were stronger, healthier, and less susceptible to diseases, and that more puppies were being raised per litter. When they bred the same Poodles to Poodles and the same Pekingese to Pekingese, their puppies were not as healthy, weaker, and more susceptible to disease, and that they raised less puppies per litter. We were receiving information of this type from almost all of the crosses, such as Yorkshire Terrier to Pomeranian, Cocker Spaniel to Poodle, and many others.

With this type of data being compiled, we began doing crosscheck questionnaires and gathering other information about these unusual reports. This information that is being collected in our database will be of tremendous value in the study of genetics in the future. Our information, so far, seems to indicate that when two different breeds are
crossed, such as Pekingese to Poodle, the puppies seem to be far heartier, easier to raise, and less susceptible to diseases, which is now being confirmed by top geneticist worldwide.



POODLE MIXES

Poodle mixes are usually bouncy, perky, affectionate dogs with lots of energy indoors and out. These dogs are so outgoing, playful, and smart that they are easy to train.

Poodle mixes are usually rather small. Because they are sensitive to pain, they are not suitable for households with children under seven years of age.

Appearance
Poodle mixes have wavy to curly coats that often need to be professionally groomed or trimmed.

Most mixes are small, but those originating from standard poodles can be medium to large.

Purebred poodles are always solid colors, but poodle mixes inherit coat patterns from different breeds and can have various markings and ears of a contrasting color.

Grooming & Exercise Needs
The coat needs several brushings a week and professional trimming or grooming about four to six times a year. Poodle mixes usually need several long, brisk walks a day.