# opinions on cross breed breeding



## Desert_Shepherd (Dec 21, 2007)

I have not had time to do any reading on this yet, but I wanted to get a post up and running. We were approached by the owner of a female rottweiler dog, who wants to breed her with a GSD. Both dogs have papers and good temperament, but I'm unsure on how I feel about mixing breeds. I mean potentially you could end up with the best of both breeds, but the flip side is you could end up with the worst of both. opinions? 

*No need for anyone to get worked up or flame* I'm just looking for honest opinions on wether this is an ok thing for the breed and the would be puppies


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

Bad idea. What you will end up with is a litter of mixed breed puppies that no one is interested in. Temperament and papers are irrelevant here - hundreds of mixed breed puppies with steller temperaments get euthanized every day. The occasional mixing of a high working lines Malinois and a GSD for a specific niche and purpose is not necessarily desirable but people in the business do it and can produce some good working dogs, but this would not be the case here. And I hate for it to come down to this, but Shepherd/Rottie mixes are incredibly goofy looking. People who want a Rottie are going to get a Rottie. People who want a GSD are going to get a GSD. There is zero market for mixes between the two.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I'm a firm believer that you should only breed an animal if you are trying to improve, or maintain, the breed. There are alot of mix breeds out there, and purebreds, dying in the shelters everyday.

If it's a mix...it doesn't matter if it has papers...they are NOT purebred. 

So what is her plan for the puppies? Why does she want to breed her dog? What is the point?


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## AnnaRiley (Feb 14, 2008)

Please do not let her do this!!! Not good!! As Jaxo8 said, you should breed to better the breed!!


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

Good god NO. There are more than enough mixes out there without someone makeing them intentionally.

Someone that is stupid enough to want to breed their bitch like that is also likely NOT smart or caring enough to have the necessary health checks done in her.


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## rjvamp (Aug 23, 2008)

The purpose of purebred lines is to keep them pure and to protect the breed standard and quality. I have nothing against mixed breeds (I have rescued plenty) but intentionally doing it, IMHO, is very irresponsible not only to the dogs* but to the responsible breeder where you got your dog. One of the reason most breeders require their dogs to be fixed before full registration is provided. Of course, once the mixing occurs, papers mean nothing anyway. When anyone approaches me about breeding with Angeles, I always tell them I'm not interested.

*some very good mixes/mutts have come out of mix breeding, however, like someone stated earlier - too many mixes and too many unneeded deaths in kennels/shelters.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Exactly what everyone else said. I have a mix, that I believe is a Rottie/Shep mix, most likely with other breeds in her. 

Yup! Pretty goofy looking!! Someone bred the parents either purposely or accidently. Where did the pups end up? I don't know. I adopted mine from the shelter. She was wandering the streets as a stray in winter, in -40 degree Celsius weather. Seems from her behaviours that prior to her being a stray, she must have been tied outside all her life with little or no interaction. Lots of other wonderful, smart, stable, friendly dogs out there that are just begging for homes like mine - why breed them on purpose? Like I have told others - if I wanted anything less than a pedigreed pure-bred dog, from tested, trialed, titled known parents, I would go to the shelter and adopt another dog in a heartbeat. 

I know it must be flattering that these people want to use your dog as a stud, but the right and responsible thing to do is to politely decline. The puppies would be the property of the owners of the female rottie, and you would not have any control as to how the pups would be placed. Not saying that they wouldn't place them responsibly, but you don't know. 

Just earlier today there was a post from a member who rescued a 4 month old pedigreed pure-bred puppy from a family that paid good money for the baby. The family were not prepared to deal with the exhuberance of a working-line pup, and were keeping it out doors in a run, pretty much ignored and neglected.

Bringing pups into the world is a big responsibility, and unless I had complete control in what happened to those pups, or dealt with people that I know and trust 100% to place the pups properly, I would never agree to breeding a dog of mine, even less to breeding mixed breeds on purpose. There are enough pure breed dogs in shelters and rescues, why make more mutts and add to the problem?


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## mysablegsd (Aug 7, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Desert_ShepherdI have not had time to do any reading on this yet, but I wanted to get a post up and running. We were approached by the owner of a female rottweiler dog, who wants to breed her with a GSD. Both dogs have papers and good temperament, but I'm unsure on how I feel about mixing breeds. I mean potentially you could end up with the best of both breeds, but the flip side is you could end up with the worst of both. opinions?
> 
> *No need for anyone to get worked up or flame* I'm just looking for honest opinions on wether this is an ok thing for the breed and the would be puppies


No, this is NOT a good idea. Aren't there enough mixes that need homes? A quick check of Petfinder found several of this cross available in my fairly rural Nebraska area, I am sure there are more in areas more heavily populated.


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## scannergirl (Feb 17, 2008)

I agree with everyone so far.








I cannot imagine what this woman would be attempting to accomplish with this mix. If she wants a mix like that I'm sure a shelter or two in her area could help her out.
Truly though, I think breeding decisions made like this are done mostly out of lack of understanding, not recklessness. It wasn't that long ago I didn't have the slightest idea what was involved in a sound breeding program, or what rescue was all about. I learned what little I know here. At least the people in that case (and I include myself in this group) can be educated, and she sounds like she's in that category.


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## Desert_Shepherd (Dec 21, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Jax08
> 
> So what is her plan for the puppies? Why does she want to breed her dog? What is the point?


I'm told she grew up with a rot/GSD mix and wants another




> Originally Posted By: gsdsr#1
> 
> A quick check of Petfinder found several of this cross available in my fairly rural Nebraska area, I am sure there are more in areas more heavily populated.


That's a good point. I think I will point her in this direction.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

So she wants *<u>one</u>*. Ask her what her plan is, in this bad economy, to find homes for the others too. She may not have thought that thru.


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

Exactly! And both those breeds are potentially quite prolific. You could end up with 9 or 10 puppies. She wants one but do either of you want the rest of them? I can tell you, my rescue group wouldn't even be able to take a litter of Rottie/Shepherd mixed puppies because they'd be so difficult to place and absolutely forget it if any of the dogs came back as older puppies/adults. Anything with the Rottie stigma attached (even a tiny adorable puppy) is subject to all kinds of rules and regulations that most people don't want to deal with. For the small number of people out there who really love the breed and want one, they want a Rottie, not a mix (and there are PLENTY of PB Rotties to go around). 

I definitely think steering her towards the many already existing Rottie/Shepherd mixes is a better and more responsible way to go.


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## FredD (Jul 5, 2009)

Like everybody else said, "Bad News' to mix breeds. Have her go to a shelter just to see the dogs there, that nobody wants! Most of them are mixes... Have her see what happens when they can't get adopted...


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

If she likes both breeds, it seems like the most responsible and cheapest alternative would be for her to get a German Shepherd and a Rottweiler, rather than have nearly a dozen dogs that are a mix of both.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I would just say no thank you. 

You cannot make money on Rotty/shepherd crosses. Lab/poodle crosses, maybe. But the chances are pups will be sold for $100 or less. Not enough to cover an emergency c-section, food for dam and pups, treatment for possible infections, etc. 

Both shepherds and Rottweilers need extensive socializing BEFORE the pups leave the breeder. It is time consuming and just keeping the litter clean and nails clipped can be overwhelming. Yes, four puppies is no big deal, fourteen puppies can be serious trouble for someone not set up for breeding/whelping/ and raising litters.

If yours is the dog, then you may still face injury during breeding, and possible illness/infection due to breeding. Some infections/illnesses will make your dog sterile. When reputable breeders get together, they have their animals checked by a vet and screened for infections and diseases prior to mating. The cost of this is incorporated in the stud fee for the male, and in the cost of puppies for the female. This you will not get from a cross breeding. 

Lastly, if you raise the litter, you will want the puppies to go to the best homes, because you will grow attached to each one. The problem is that the best homes, are few and far between and a lot of them are going to purebred dogs. Other good homes, are going to rescue dogs from very awful situations. People are not so keen to "rescue" dogs that are deliberately put together to make a neat mix. 

These are two very interesting breeds. Neither are for handlers that do not have experience with dogs. Both are breeds that are rather popular, but big dogs in general are a tougher sell these days. And this particular mixture may attract people who want a dog that is formidable, protective, guarding, etc. This is not bad in itself, but it also can attract people who want a dog that looks 'bad.'

Not flaming here, but shelters tend to have a terrible time placing BBDs (big black dogs). In some shelters, if it is between a Rotty/Shepherd mix and a westie looking thing, who gets extra days to find a home, the rotty shep will be euth'd. 

So I would just say "no thankyou."


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

I have had soem wonderful mixed breed dogs, would I try to recreate them by doing a breeding mix, NO NO NO NO. No matter how hard people try you can not get a dog exacly like you remember growing up. No two dogs are ever a like, and even if you have the same parents, I would guess that few pups out of two litters would be the exact same.

I was looking at a Shelter website the other day and any thing that looked like a mix as listed as a "Cur". Maybe if that title was used, less people would be doing cross breed or mutt breedings.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

cur can mean a mixed breed dog. but there are also hunting dogs that Black Mouth Curs. The Black Mouth Cur is a southern bred dog bred for hunting boar and other large game

Mountain Cur is a guard dog/hunting dog/baying dog. 

both are pure-bred


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## tuco (Sep 14, 2009)

Cur?..............shouldn't that be one of those "Censored Words"?


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

mixing breeds, does that seem like a good idea to you???


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## HeidiW (Apr 9, 2009)

Horrible idea! I see GSD rottie crosses in shelters all the time. Not a cute mix, like puggles or maltipoos etc.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Lets look at this from a practical point of view.

First off, since this would be an F1 breeding (meaning the first time you cross these two breeds) you could get a litter of pups that ALL look like Shepherds, a litter of pups that ALL look like Rotties or a mix of pups that look like all SORTS of combinations of the two.

Their structures are VERY different - head types and ears just to name two.

Very UNlikely that you will get a pup that looked just like the one that lady grew up with.

I have no problem with creating new breeds IF there is a purpose to it ... and it doesn't have 'POO' or 'DOODLE' in it's name.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: Lauri & The GangLets look at this from a practical point of view.
> 
> First off, since this would be an F1 breeding (meaning the first time you cross these two breeds) you could get a litter of pups that ALL look like Shepherds, a litter of pups that ALL look like Rotties or a mix of pups that look like all SORTS of combinations of the two.
> 
> ...


That is EXACTLY how it may end up. I know someone who told me that she had taken in a pregnant GSD, and the previous owner knew for a fact that the father was a Rottweiler (accidental breeding). The family was moving and couldn't take their GSD with them (another whole topic to be saved for another time).

The female had 12, <span style='font-size: 11pt'> * twelve!  * </span> pups. The foster home personally placed all twelve pups, and kept in touch with all the new owners, keeping track of how the puppies were doing, seeing them grow up. All twelve looked different. None looked alike. As an aside, one of them looked EXACTLY like my shelter rescue. 

But as Laurie was saying, the point of my story is to illustrate HER point and the point of many others who have posted - the people who want to breed their Rottie could end up with 9 or 10 or 12 pups!! And none may end up looking like the dog they had. Plus, they would have to wait until the dogs were older to see how they turned out. 

I think one good way to find that perfect dog that they are dreaming of is to go to the shelter or contact a rescue, and go in with an open heart and an open mind, and find a match that touches their heart.


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## jake (Sep 11, 2004)

I know of a person in my area who sells labradoodles.she has only 2 dogs one a poodle-one a lab and has pups twice a year and sells them all.Have met a couple of pups seem (happy owner-happy dog)
To me seems kinda a designer/popular cross.Would a Rottie-GSD cross be as popular with the upscale buyers market where I live-NOT likely.It is soo sad that dogs purebred and crossbred have become somekind of status symbol like a GUCCI handbag.Couple years back everyone wanted a JRT till found out it took work to own one.Why cross GSD/ROTTIE


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i'm somewhat of a purest when it
comes to mixing breeds but i do like some of the Doodle mix
and those Shih, Poo, Schon mix.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

I'm even more of purist than doggie dad. I'm not a fan of Doodles. I"ve only met one that I thought reflected any of the intellegence of the poodle side of the breeding, and most shed like every other dog. The other "designer" breedings are just mutts with clever names.

Back to the question at hand, 

Does your contract with your breeder specify when and how your dog may be bred?


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i don't have a contract with my breeder. i'm not interested in 
breeding my dog. if i decide to breed my dog i would speak
to my breeder about it first.


> Originally Posted By: 3K9Mom
> 
> Does your contract with your breeder specify when and how your dog may be bred?


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