# Whaddya get when you cross a St Bernard with a Chihuahua? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377 "2013-09-09T01:48:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/21 "2013-09-09T14:43:33Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > What I find most difficult to believe is that two such relatively small breeds could produce something as large-bodied as a St. Bernard. I would think that neither would have the alleles producing large size. The fact that both are short-legged would also argue against it. However, if there were two different genes producing short legs by different mechanisms in bassets and bulldogs perhaps in combination they could produce longer legs. Thats exactly what the test breeding was about. Both of these breeds had mastiff in them, and the odd shaped legs with the turned in elbows they both possessed supposedly came from 2 different sources. I may still have the book. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/22 "2013-09-09T16:57:37Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Several years ago a basset hound was crossed with an english bull dog and the offspring were show quality St Bernards. As with almost every other possible combination of breeds, this cross has a cutsey-poo name: “bully basset.” An image search for bully basset turns up nothing that looks very much like a St. Bernard. There are several pictures of different bully bassets on [this page](http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/b/bullybasset.htm). To my eye, the only one that looks vaguely like a St. Bernard is Jackson, and the resemblance is slight. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/23 "2013-09-09T17:23:00Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > As with almost every other possible combination of breeds, this cross has a cutsey-poo name: “bully basset.” An image search for bully basset turns up nothing that looks very much like a St. Bernard. There are several pictures of different bully bassets on [this page](http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/b/bullybasset.htm). To my eye, the only one that looks vaguely like a St. Bernard is Jackson, and the resemblance is slight. All are rather short-legged too, except for maybe Waffles, and none seem near the size of a St. Bernard. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/24 "2013-09-09T17:33:16Z")
A very disappointed St. Bernard bitch. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/25 "2013-09-09T19:59:57Z")
So a small male dog can impregnate a large female dog… …if someone puts him up to it. ---
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/26 "2013-09-09T20:35:55Z")
Just don’t let it near a Taco Bell. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/27 "2013-09-09T20:39:10Z")
My chihuahua just told me he didn’t care how big the bitch was he could satisfy her! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/28 "2013-09-09T21:32:30Z")
It’s sort of like inserting a straw into Lake Michigan. _Says the disappointed St Bernard_ ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/29 "2013-09-09T21:37:21Z")
“[I know what you’re thinking- he stood on a chair](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13534321)” ---
**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:** [September 9, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/30 "2013-09-09T23:59:55Z")
My serious guess would have been that, assuming a combination which allowed for mating and gestation (small father and large mother, or large mother and small father in vitro with a large surrogate mother), the offspring would still be nonviable due to too many gross differences in traits (organs missized for the rest of the body, say). Just because they’re the same species doesn’t mean that _every_ male can produce offspring with _every_ female. But it looks like that’s not the case. Huh, interesting. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/31 "2013-09-10T04:47:08Z")
> [@Qwakkeddup](#): > > Just don’t let it near a Taco Bell. “Liver alone, boys. Cheese mine.” ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/32 "2013-09-10T05:04:35Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Oops. Above link to St. Bernard / Chihuahua puppy pic broken. > > Try this: [http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r507/Merdina/Facebook/Mobile%20Uploads/224308\_10152019714705075\_2015506922\_n.jpg](http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r507/Merdina/Facebook/Mobile%20Uploads/224308_10152019714705075_2015506922_n.jpg) I bookmarked that for weirdness and future reference. The dog is cute, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/33 "2013-09-10T05:15:50Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But it looks like that’s not the case. Huh, interesting. We have no proof that the dog depicted is in fact a Chihuahua/St Bernard crossing, though. However, I’d have assumed that it was possible. I know nothing about foetal growth, though, so maybe you’re right. Or maybe organ size will always be proportional to the overall size of the animal. Does someone know? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/34 "2013-09-10T05:22:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > My serious guess would have been that, assuming a combination which allowed for mating and gestation (small father and large mother, or large mother and small father in vitro with a large surrogate mother), the offspring would still be nonviable due to too many gross differences in traits (organs missized for the rest of the body, say). Just because they’re the same species doesn’t mean that _every_ male can produce offspring with _every_ female. I think most size traits are multifactorial, that is, they are influenced by more than one (probably many) genes. Size won’t display a dominant/recessive pattern, so that crosses end up being intermediate between the parental types. The development of organ systems proceeds through feedback loops, so that organs will generally be in proportion to overall body size and to other organs. ---
**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:** [September 10, 2013, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/35 "2013-09-10T15:38:17Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I think most size traits are multifactorial, that is, they are influenced by more than one (probably many) genes. Size won’t display a dominant/recessive pattern, so that crosses end up being intermediate between the parental types. The development of organ systems proceeds through feedback loops, so that organs will generally be in proportion to overall body size and to other organs. There was an excellent National Geographic in 2012, early in the year, on the canine genome. It turns out that, in contrast to most natural differences, the heavy breeding of dogs for (a) specific traits and (b) the ability to pass those traits on reliably has led to a vary narrow set of genes (around 50, I think) that determine basically every quality that distinguish dogs. I can’t remember if it includes size. Speaking of size, here’s the [toy breed](http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/02/build-a-dog/ratliff-text) of the original article. ---
**Author:** ![Slynx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@Slynx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slynx)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/36 "2018-02-19T17:31:05Z")
My dog’s father is a 3lb male Chihuahua and her mother was a 180lb female Saint Bernard. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/37 "2018-02-19T17:40:47Z")
> [@Slynx](#): > > My dog’s father is a 3lb male Chihuahua and her mother was a 180lb female Saint Bernard. 1. Welcome to the Dope! 2. Might you have some pictures to share, mate? 3. Hi, Opal! ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/38 "2018-02-19T19:23:09Z")
Zombie dog! Aaacckkk! I like post #7 though! ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/39 "2018-02-19T20:10:56Z")
I have met a rather bewildering number of dogs fathered by dachshunds on much larger bitches. They all seem to look exactly like the mother but with cartoonishly short legs. Funniest was the dachshund/chow mix, that was comedy on four feet. Dunno what it is about the dachshunds but they seem to have one helluva smoove line. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377/40 "2018-02-19T20:51:05Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > I have met a rather bewildering number of dogs fathered by dachshunds on much larger bitches. They all seem to look exactly like the mother but with cartoonishly short legs. Funniest was the dachshund/chow mix, that was comedy on four feet. Dunno what it is about the dachshunds but they seem to have one helluva smoove line. Deep departed Barry was my friends’ dog, a black Lab/dachshund mix. All black, big lab head and big body, all on short legs. > [@MonkeyMensch](#): > > A dog that can’t hold its liquor. Unless it’s just a thimbleful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whaddya-get-when-you-cross-a-st-bernard-with-a-chihuahua/668377.md?page=1)