# Really inappropriate dog breed crossings **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 30, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023 "2008-11-30T04:55:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/1 "2008-11-30T04:55:04Z")
Many of us have seen the Gilbert Shelton Fat Freddy’s Cat comic wherein FFC encounters a funny-looking little dog with a great big head. Since it’s a humor comic, the two beasts have a conversation, during which the FLLDWAGBH reveals that he’s a Great Wawa – that is, a cross between a Chihuahua and a Great Dane. Of course, the smaller member of this curious canine coupling was the papa. “I know what you’re wondering – he stood on a chair!” Which got me wondering how often something similar has actually been known to happen. All our working/companion/show dogs are the same species, of course; therefore, any intact female dog could be theoretically impregnated by any intact male one. Are there cases on record of two wildly size-variant breeds being bred, either accidentally or by some irresponsible kennelman with an artificial inseinator, a cruel sense of humor and a surplus of morbid curiousity? Again, the sire would have to be the smaller dog, because the other way around would certainly be fatal to the unfortunate dam. And if there have been litters of such “wrongrels” whelped, where are the puppy photographs? ---
**Author:** ![SeanArenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeanArenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeanArenas)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/2 "2008-11-30T05:07:28Z")
> [@DLuxN8R-13](#): > > Again, the sire would have to be the smaller dog, because the other way around would certainly be fatal to the unfortunate dam. As Cecil once put it, “You can’t park a Cadillac in a closet.” ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/3 "2008-11-30T05:18:42Z")
> [@SeanArenas](#): > > As Cecil once put it, “You can’t park a Cadillac in a closet.” Ah, but can you take the people out of the Cadillac and cram them into the closet? ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/4 "2008-11-30T05:47:12Z")
Anecdote: there can be physical difficulties. I’ve watched a Black Lab attempting to mount a small mutt (about 18 inches long). He just pushed her around the living room, trying to connect. It was bizarre, hilarious, and somewhat wince-inducing. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/5 "2008-11-30T11:33:09Z")
Breeders do in fact sometimes help the poor fuckers by picking them up when they can’t reach. ---
**Author:** ![simply\_cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@simply\_cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simply_cats)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/6 "2008-11-30T14:22:38Z")
For your viewing pleasure, you may wish to visit [this site](http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/americancaninehybridclub.htm) to see various pictures of recognized hybrid breeds. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/7 "2008-11-30T15:09:50Z")
From that site, the [shug](http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/s/shug.htm) (German Shepherd x Pug) fits. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/8 "2008-11-30T15:13:42Z")
**simply\_cats** , the dogs in question are not recognized breeds. They’re crosses. Mutts, really. Nothing wrong with that, and I’ve met a couple of lovely labradoodles, but they’re not breeds. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/9 "2008-11-30T15:57:04Z")
We are the proud owners of a Macweenie (Scottie/Dachshund mix\*)–our daughter has his sister. They are the victims of a horrible breeding mishap. 🙂 We refer to him as “the bobblehead dog” as well as less-flattering names. - The Scottie was the mom. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/10 "2008-11-30T17:14:19Z")
My former housemates had an hilarious cross- he was a German Shepard x Bassett Hound. God but he was funny- he was basically a shepard on 4 inch legs. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/11 "2008-11-30T18:46:09Z")
When I was a kid, we had a beagle/dachshund mix who mated with a collie. Delivering her puppies nearly killed her. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/12 "2008-11-30T18:47:30Z")
He was a pound puppy, so there’s no knowing for sure what he is, but we think my mom’s dog is a cross between a German shepherd and a beagle. It turned out well in his case: He’s a beautiful animal, and remarkably well-behaved. > [@](#): > > simply\_cats, the dogs in question are not recognized breeds. They’re crosses. Mutts, really. Nothing wrong with that, and I’ve met a couple of lovely labradoodles, but they’re not breeds. To elaborate on that: Genuine breeds breed true. If I take two Labrador retrievers and cross them, the puppies will all be Labrador retrievers, too. But if I take two labradoodles (cross between a lab and a poodle) and cross them, the offspring can be anything from just like a lab to just like a poodle, in each of their many traits. So I could get some dogs which look just like labs, and some which look just like poodles, and some which look just like their parents, and some that look just like a lab except they’re the size of a poodle, or vice-versa, and so on. If I really liked labradoodles, and were really patient, then I could conduct many such crossings, and continue breeding the ones that most closely matched the labradoodle ideal and culling the ones that didn’t, and after many, many generations, I might eventually be able to produce a true-breeding new breed, but it would take a very long time (probably hundreds of generations, depending on how many dogs I started with and how close was “close enough”). ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/13 "2008-11-30T18:51:43Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > My former housemates had an hilarious cross- he was a German Shepard x Bassett Hound. God but he was funny- he was basically a shepard on 4 inch legs. I saw a German Shepherd x Bassett at an adoption event – in the Oakland hills IIRC. Truly a ridiculous looking animal. ---
**Author:** ![SeanArenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeanArenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeanArenas)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/14 "2008-11-30T20:20:49Z")
Some of the crosses on that site were downright cool looking! Check out all the rottweiler mixes, those were some of the best. OTOH, some of the mixes were like … “Poor dog!” ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/15 "2008-12-01T00:58:25Z")
I think someone should breed a French Bulldog to a Shih Tzu and make a French BullShi! ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/16 "2008-12-01T02:36:55Z")
> [@DLuxN8R-13](#): > > either accidentally or by some irresponsible kennelman with an artificial inseinator Well, the AKC has some fairly rigid restrictions on registering pups bred by artificial insemination. Not that this would matter much, since these cross-breed pups would be mutts, not-registrable anyway. In fact, there doesn’t seem to be much incentive for owners of either the sire or the dam to participate in this experiment. Why would they cross their valuable, purebred animal to produce pups that are unregisterable mongrels? Most owners of breeding-quality purebred dogs have waiting lists for their pups – the ones produced by crossing within the breed. Why waste time & energy producing mutts? There are dog pounds full of them already. ---
**Author:** ![SeanArenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeanArenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeanArenas)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/17 "2008-12-01T03:16:41Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Well, the AKC has some fairly rigid restrictions on registering pups bred by artificial insemination. Not that this would matter much, since these cross-breed pups would be mutts, not-registrable anyway. > > In fact, there doesn’t seem to be much incentive for owners of either the sire or the dam to participate in this experiment. Why would they cross their valuable, purebred animal to produce pups that are unregisterable mongrels? Most owners of breeding-quality purebred dogs have waiting lists for their pups – the ones produced by crossing within the breed. Why waste time & energy producing mutts? There are dog pounds full of them already. Think: Concept cars. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/18 "2008-12-01T03:19:30Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Well, the AKC has some fairly rigid restrictions on registering pups bred by artificial insemination. I’m pretty sure that most or all of my Newfoundlands have been bred via artificial insemination. Hot monkey sex between dogs that large has a good chance of damaging the bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/19 "2008-12-01T03:27:12Z")
[This](http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/shihmo.htm) is exactly what Chloe, my puppy, looks like; She’s a **Shih-Mo** , or **Shih Tzu / American Eskimo** cross, and the sweetest little angel! Oh, and she’s about 13 months old now. 😃 S^G ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023/20 "2008-12-01T03:47:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > He was a pound puppy, so there’s no knowing for sure what he is, but we think my mom’s dog is a cross between a German shepherd and a beagle. It turned out well in his case: He’s a beautiful animal, and remarkably well-behaved. My girl had a beagle mom and a husky-shepard dad. She was a beautiful dog too. She had the floppy ears and spots above the eyes of a beagle, but looked very much like a German Shepard otherwise; so much so that her vet thought she was a GS puppy when she was six! I suppose it’s a cross that’s kind of hard on the mom, but Princess was a tiny puppy when we got her, so maybe not. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-inappropriate-dog-breed-crossings/475023.md?page=2)