Disclaimer: I am not a dog breeder, I’ve never owned a dog that got pregnant/had puppies and I probably never will.
So how come there are certain dogs that you just dont see being bred together? I think the idea of crossing a chihuahua with a great dane and creating some sort of super-chihuahua would be pretty cool. Is that even possible? If so, how come you never hear about it? Wouldn’t a husky/bassett hound look kinda neat? Or a bulldog/greyhound?
What I’m really trying to ask is: can any breed of dogs be bred together? I mean, they’re all from the same species. Tall skinny people can make babies with short fat people so I don’t see how it couldn’t be possible with dogs.
Any dog can be bred to any other dog and you will get more dogs. There are size compatability problems. The Great Dane’s penis is as big as a Chihuahua, so artificial insemination would be a likely requirement. It is also likely that the resultant litter will require C-section. Currently I charge $1200 -$1600 US dollars for a C-section. I believe this to be a big part of why you do not see super Chihuahuas walkin around.
No problem. Just make sure mom (and not dad) is the Great Dane!!
Dogs are all the same species. Dogs are the same species as wolves, although they are often treated as if they were different species in nomenclature. Dogs and wolves had a common ancestor sometime between 15k and 100k years ago-- probably closer to 15k. That’s a blink of the eye in terms of timeframes for large mammals to evolve.
Coyotes are also cross fertile with dogs and wolves, but they are generally not considered the same species.
Chihuhahuas and Great Danes are considered the same species because, even though as a practical matter, they may not be able to successfully mate, you can still get genetic information to flow between them. A little dog and a medium dog can mate successfully, and a medium dog and a big dog can mate successfully.
I’d like to see a poodle-dalmatian cross, with the fluffy, non-shedding hair of a poodle…but spotted. I’d like to see a greyhound (dog)/English bulldog (bitch) cross. Or a poodle/whippet. Probably never get to, though.