Cross Breed Dogs for a Unique Twist on Dog Breeding

While pet breeding can be a risky business venture, you'll increase your chances of profiting by learning how to cross breed dogs. Many people like the characteristics of a particular breed but find some particular aspect, such as a tendency to shed hair, to be a real drawback. For example, the Labradoodle is a Labrador Retriever and Poodle cross breed, designed to marry the friendliness of a Labrador Retriever with the non-shedding characteristics of Poodles. Created in Australia in the 1980s, this new cross breed dog is particularly suited for assistance work for people with allergies.

Be aware that crossbreeding purebred dogs is controversial. Many dog breeders insist that maintaining breed purity is essential while cross breeders feel that such small genetic pools foster bad treats. And as veterinarian Kate Schoeffel, who breeds Labradoodles, says, "My bias is towards breeding dogs as life enriching companions for people rather than breeding dogs to preserve animals of an idealized type in perpetuity."

And ill-considered, random breeding can have disastrous consequences. For example, crossing a Pug with a Pekingese would produce a dog with a high tendency for his/her eyes to pop out of their socket. You would not want to cross breed these dogs!