A mongrel dog or a mongrel dog is a separate topic in cynological circles.
The fact is that such dogs, on the one hand, are a problem in modern society, and on the other hand, they are the most faithful friends if they live at home with caring owners. Now the question of the size of the mongrel population is acute in cities, where animals have adapted to life in a metropolis and are breeding without slowing down at all. Many volunteers from homeless animal shelters constantly catch such tailed strays from the streets, treat them and look for a home. But it is difficult to cope with the flow of mongrels, and often this is not a small dog, which is so easy and simple to bring into the apartment.
Origin of the mongrel breed
All breeds are the result of selection. During the process, dog breeders prioritize certain qualities that are inherent in a particular breed. Over a long period of time, the obtained qualities gradually improve. A mongrel dog is also considered the result of a crossing procedure, but a person is no longer involved. This can be a mating not only of stray dogs, but also of domestic dogs that are left unattended by their owners. As a result of such natural selection, dogs can be obtained with a mixture of completely different breeds. Their ancestry cannot be established.
Basic colors
According to breed standards, the color of the Bull Terrier must be white.
In this case, skin pigmentation does not matter. However, other colors are also acceptable, the owners of which can also participate in exhibitions and win prizes.
White
White is considered the most common and preferred color, with the standard allowing for spots of a different color on the face, head, neck or ears. Even in this case, the color will be considered white.
But, if there are spots on the body or legs, the color will be considered white with markings.
Ginger
Red is considered a color in which the dog is completely covered with red hair. In this case, the shade can be anything, from dark brown to light red.
However, a very light color is considered fawn and is undesirable as it leads to lower points in shows.
Black
A completely black color in a Bull Terrier is extremely rare; in most cases, such dogs have white spots on their paws, face or neck, but in this case, the color will be considered two-tone.
Two-color (bicolor)
The bi-colored Bull Terrier may have areas of white, and these may be located on the paws, tail, muzzle or chest.
The main condition is that white spots should not occupy more than 50% of the body surface.
Tricolor
This color may include:
- Black.
- Ginger.
- White.
- Brown.
According to the standard, a tricolor dog should have no more than 50% white. Other colors must be clearly distinguishable and can be of any proportion.
brindle
As a rule, in such pets the red color acts as the main color and is complemented by black stripes. At the same time, the standards allow black color as the main color with red stripes.
White markings are also allowed on the entire body except the muzzle. If white spots are present on the face, then the color is considered brindle-white.
Grey
This color is quite rare and, as a rule, is a sign of a non-purebred dog.
Animals of this color are usually not allowed to exhibit and do not participate in breeding work.
Brown
Brown color is considered one of the variants of red and can have any shades except fawn.
Fawn coloring is considered undesirable and such dogs are not allowed for breeding.
Pros and cons of yard dogs
Little mongrels, like any other animal, have both their disadvantages and advantages. The advantages include:
- good health. The mongrel dog is practically not susceptible to hereditary diseases;
- easy adaptation to any conditions;
- ease of training and learning. Such animals completely lack fixed instincts. They are characterized by acute hearing, excellent sense of smell, and good watchdog qualities.
But a yard dog often shows aggression towards other animals.
This is its main disadvantage. Important ! A yard dog has a sharp mind, he has an instant reaction, the ability to instantly assess events happening around him.
Yard dogs become very attached to their new owners
Character traits of the mongrel
Outbred puppies are unique, it is almost impossible to find the same ones, be it a black mongrel or mongrels with spots. In one puppy the blood of an English purebred toy terrier and a German shepherd, a simple cute mongrel and a large nobleman can be mixed.
The most dangerous dogs are wolf crossbreeds. They always gather in packs where they choose their leader. Dogs are very aggressive and can attack not only another dog, but also a person. Red, black and white mongrels have a rebellious character. This behavior is explained by their lifestyle. The animals grew up on the street, they have no owners who would take care of them. Dogs have to find their own food.
Important ! Dvorterrier dogs are very attached to people. If the person who took him in later abandons him, the dog will perceive this as betrayal.
How to choose a puppy
Check to see if your puppy has two dewclaws on each of his hind legs.
Do not be tempted to choose the largest and fattest baby in the litter; most likely, as he matures, he will not fit into the standard height parameters. The most trustworthy are nurseries and breeders who check their breeding stock for hip dysplasia. After passing an examination by a radiologist, future sires must receive an A or B mark. Typically, breed-class briards pass standards according to the IPO-1 system. If the puppy’s parents were able to score at least 17 points out of a possible 20 in the IPO tests, their offspring are considered promising. In the first months of life, puppies look like mongrels and bear very little resemblance to real Briards. Don't let this bother you As your furballs get older, their appearance will change significantly. The appearance of the mother and father of the puppies plays an important role, so focus on the quality and thickness of their coat, which the babies will inherit in 99 cases out of 100. Choose neat, cheerful puppies, without signs of an umbilical hernia, as well as signs of diarrhea under the tail.
Principles of training
Many mongrel dogs are highly intelligent. According to these characteristics, they are superior to purebred animals. They are easy to train and remember commands well. The advantage of such pets is that they do not have fixed instincts. From them you can make a dog that meets all the owner’s requirements.
As soon as a new pet appears in the house, you need to introduce it to the feeding area. Such dogs quickly remember where they need to sleep, their nickname, and begin to immediately respond to it. After this, you can teach the animal to simple commands: sit, lie down. The patience and skill of the owner will help turn even a non-noble breed of dog into an intellectual.
Mongrels are excellent hunters and watchdogs. They are often found in country houses, housed in enclosures and kennels. They tolerate living conditions well on the street, as they have strong immunity.
Domestic dogs have very developed protective instincts.
Health, nutrition and care
Mutts most often do not have problems with the gastrointestinal tract. They are not picky about feeding; owners do not need to carefully calculate the daily diet or buy expensive elite food. Such a pet can be fed twice a day with porridge, to which some bones are added.
Caring for mongrel dogs is as follows:
- regular combing of wool;
- monitoring the condition of teeth, eyes and ears;
- trimming nails.
You need to regularly take your pet to the veterinarian, get routine vaccinations, and give anti-worm medications.
Advice ! There is no need to bathe your dog often. It is enough to do this three to four times a year as your pet gets dirty.
One of the important features of the description of the mongrel breed is its excellent health. They are much stronger than purebred pets. This happened because breeders, trying to achieve certain qualities of the breed, often cross relatives with each other. This has a very bad effect on the health of the offspring. Often you can find specific diseases that are characteristic of certain breeds. For example, Pekingese dogs experience problems with the respiratory system, and shepherd dogs often have joint dysplasia.
Metis, unlike their purebred counterparts, are much healthier, since they inherit the best qualities from their parents. This is inherent in nature, since such animals very often have to survive in difficult outdoor conditions. Therefore, they have innate immunity and rarely get sick. The main feature of the health of outbred animals is their lack of tendency to hereditary pathologies.
Mutts can easily tolerate low temperatures, so they can be kept in kennels and enclosures. Most often, such animals are susceptible to:
- infectious diseases;
- pathologies of the circulatory system;
- skin problems.
Small puppies aged two to six months are at risk.
Unlike purebred pets, mongrels are distinguished by good health and strong immunity.
Factors influencing life expectancy
Pedigree is not the primary influence on a dog's life expectancy. There are a number of factors that determine how long a particular dog can live:
- Dimensions of the animal. There is a general relationship - the larger the dog, the shorter its life expectancy. This is explained by the fact that a large weight creates a large load on the body; dogs of gigantic size more often suffer from diseases of the heart, joints and digestive tract. In addition, it is more difficult for a large dog to find enough food on the street.
- Genetic diseases. The presence of congenital pathologies in a particular individual directly affects its life. But it is worth noting that hereditary pathologies are less common in mongrels than in purebred dogs - in the process of natural selection, animals with defective genes are eliminated, which gives mongrel dogs good health.
- Food quality. Eating spoiled food, leftovers from human meals, or long periods of fasting - all this greatly shortens the life of any animal. But a complete diet, providing the mongrel with everything necessary, will be a significant contribution to its longevity.
- Conditions of detention. Any mongrel dog that lives in the house with its owner and is regularly walked will live no less than a purebred dog, and due to good health, probably longer. If the dog is kept outside, then it should have a warm and dry kennel in case of bad weather, as well as the opportunity to run around the area for at least several hours a day. The best option is when the dog is kept on a chain during the day and released at night to guard the territory.
Who is better to have such dogs?
Beautiful pooches often become members of celebrity families. Many show business stars have mongrel pets. For example, the Russian model Bondarchuk Svetlana has three dogs at home. She picked them all up on the street.
Yard animals are suitable for absolutely everyone. These are excellent and loyal friends. This pet is a good option for elderly lonely people. The animal requires minimal care; it does not require feeding with expensive products, long and exhausting walks and jogs. The uniqueness of mongrels lies in their humanity. They are so grateful that they were sheltered that they very quickly adapt to the rhythm of life and the requirements of the new owner. The dog immediately understands what is expected of him and begins to behave accordingly.
Yard dogs do not need constant training. They grow up obedient even in the process of systematic education. In contrast, purebred dogs need to be intensively trained and educated; for example, Rottweilers without this will be dangerous to others.
Interesting fact ! The well-known first dogs, the cosmonauts Belka and Strelka, were mongrels.
Owner reviews
When getting a mongrel, you need to understand that, as a rule, these dogs have a difficult fate.
I’ve always had mongrels, so I won’t say anything about purebred ones, but our Vetka was a super friend, smart, delicate, and what a beauty she was!! Now we have Rex (very old, 16–17 years old), who came to us at the age of 9–10 years, and another guy, 2 years old. Well, they are so smart, honestly, many of my friends are far from them.
https://www.u-mama.ru/forum/family/pets/575766/
500 rubles
It’s hard with them, they have freedom in character, it’s difficult to train and they are unpredictable, it’s not clear what kind of genes they have. I kept a mongrel, it was a good, kind dog, but with character, it could disobey and it had little brains, which was also a minus.
https://www.u-mama.ru/forum/family/pets/575766/
Liz666
Despite different opinions about mongrels, these dogs, of course, have the right to exist and are sometimes not inferior to purebred dogs in many qualities. They can be very attractive in appearance, distinguished by their intelligence, and be hardy and loyal friends.
