[kellyzak]

Hello, this is my first post here, and was hoping someone could possibly help. Annie, is our 2 1/2 yr old cockapoo, and we bred her with a purebred shitzu back near the end of September. Annie is due I think around the end of November. My question is, is there a proper name for a Cockapoo/Shitzu mix? My wife and I will probably be putting them up for sale when they are old enough to leave momma. I'm also not sure what to ask for a price, as I assume the puppies would not be pure-bred.
This is our first ever breeding with a dog so we're a little in the dark, but we have all the stuff ready for her birthing.

Thanks so much for any input...:-D
Kelly

[Petunia]

The term is mutt, friend. A breed of dog is a section of breeding traits that occur over time. A breed has a set standard that each breeding strives toward. I'd fix your cocker mix, and fix the other dog as well. Breeding dogs is not to be done for money, and adds to the ever growing population issue shelters are faced with. Please please please fix the puppies that will be born. Good luck with vet care for momma, and I hope everything goes well in the birth.

Please go to learntobreed.com. It will help you along this journey.

Also, here is the http://www.americanshihtzuclub.org/ , it's the national (USA) breed club for Shih Tzu's. Here you can contact breeders that know the breed, and have years of experience breeding these guys. They will always be glad to answer questions, and help people out. make some calls and shoot some emails.

[Lunareclipse]

Get your dogs fixed. And the above answer is correct. They will be mutts. A mutt is a mixed breed no matter what fancy name a person may attach to it. We have enough mutts in shelters. Quit breeding them.

[cigwyllt]

Here in the UK the expression is "mongrel" I'm sure your pups are beautiful but honestly, are there ever any pups that aren't? I'm sorry but I don't believe in all these so called "designer" breeds. Your dog is a cross bred cocker spaniel/poodle and the pups are not first generation cross breeds, they are mongrels.

Ten years ago you would have been able to pick up a cross breed for next to nothing and you would certainly not be expecting to receive any money for a mongrel pup like yours will be.

[Pekeluv]

People can be so rude. So many people get offended when someone breeds 2 or 3 different breeds together. They yell out 'mutt' and 'mongrel' when they could just explain nicely that it would be mixed breed puppies. You can call them whatever you want really. When you have 3 breeds involved - there usually isn't a name for them. I have never had a problem with people breeding hybrids and I do believe in hybrid vigor. We breed Pekingese but I have a Peke-a-pom (Pekingese/Pomeranian mix) that is a wonderful and healthy dog. It's hard to say a fair price really - it depends on so many things. I'm sure they'll be dewormed and have their shots. A lot depends on the area you live in. I live in a city and prices are quite a bit higher here. If I were you, I'd look at the other ads in the newspaper or online and kind of get an idea of what you could ask. You want to ask enough to insure good homes but not too much to where you don't get any calls or interest. I wish you good luck with your Shockapoos! (I just made that up lol) xxxx

[cigwyllt]

Maybe it is different in the States but here a puppy of mixed breeding, especially when it is certain that one of the parents is not pure bred is a mongrel. I'm not being un PC or anything like that. "Mixed breed" is not an expression we use. One of my three dogs is a mongrel. Several people have told me what breeds they can see in her but when people ask me what dogs I have I say that one them is a mongrel and people understand me. I don't think there is anything rude about it. A mixed breed dog is a mongrel or a mutt (although here "mutt" is more a term of endearment that you could apply to any dog when you're showing affection)

[Lara's mom]

In North America, the whole "Designer Dog" thing has gotten crazy. I've actually spoken to people who are under the impression that by allowing two different breeds to mate, a new breed has been created. The people who breed these puppies attach a fancy name to them and sell them for an obscene amount of money. Ten years ago, these puppies would have been "free to a good home."

I have absolutely nothing against mixed breed/mutt/mongrel puppies. Every dog I've ever had has fallen into that category with the exception of Lara. My border collie X is the result of an "oops breeding" between a pure bred border collie and an ambitious springer spaniel. While both had very impressive pedigrees, the puppies that resulted from this accidental mating were still mixed breed.

There are some inherent problems with the whole "designer dog" industry and, it really has become an industry. These dogs are the current "flavour of the month" so, every disreputable breeder and individual hoping to make a fast buck are pumping out these poor pups at an incredible rate. The "name of the game" here is QUANTITY.

These puppies are being sold under false pretenses to people who know very little about dogs and dog breeds. They are being "fleeced" for a great deal of money for a puppy that, regardless of the cutesy name is still a mixed breed and may not even be healthy or have been tested for genetic diseases.

However, perhaps the ugliest aspect of this entire industry is that it directly contributes to the overpopulation of dogs in North America. There are few people out there who wouldn't agree that this is a very real and a very serious problem. Each and every one of these puppies condemns a dog in a shelter to death. The shelters are already overflowing with mixed breed dogs who are being killed every day by the thousands because there simply aren't enough homes for them. It is the height of irresponsibility and plain cruelty to keep bringing mixed breed puppies into the world while thousands are put to death every day. Every dime that is made from these puppies is quite simply "blood money."

[Yogi]

Originally Posted by Pekeluv

People can be so rude. So many people get offended when someone breeds 2 or 3 different breeds together. They yell out 'mutt' and 'mongrel' when they could just explain nicely that it would be mixed breed puppies. You can call them whatever you want really. When you have 3 breeds involved - there usually isn't a name for them. I have never had a problem with people breeding hybrids and I do believe in hybrid vigor. We breed Pekingese but I have a Peke-a-pom (Pekingese/Pomeranian mix) that is a wonderful and healthy dog. It's hard to say a fair price really - it depends on so many things. I'm sure they'll be dewormed and have their shots. A lot depends on the area you live in. I live in a city and prices are quite a bit higher here. If I were you, I'd look at the other ads in the newspaper or online and kind of get an idea of what you could ask. You want to ask enough to insure good homes but not too much to where you don't get any calls or interest. I wish you good luck with your Shockapoos! (I just made that up lol) xxxx

In actuality, the term "hybrid" is not the correct term either. Hybrids are the result of crossing two separate species of animals ie: cat & dog. In the context of breeding a wolf to a dog, it is incorrectly used by true definition as they are of the same species.

[Yogi]

Originally Posted by cigwyllt

Maybe it is different in the States but here a puppy of mixed breeding, especially when it is certain that one of the parents is not pure bred is a mongrel. I'm not being un PC or anything like that. "Mixed breed" is not an expression we use. One of my three dogs is a mongrel. Several people have told me what breeds they can see in her but when people ask me what dogs I have I say that one them is a mongrel and people understand me. I don't think there is anything rude about it. A mixed breed dog is a mongrel or a mutt (although here "mutt" is more a term of endearment that you could apply to any dog when you're showing affection)

to clarify: a mongrel is a term given to any dog wherein it is the result of interbreeding, especially of mixed or of undetermined breeds.
the term mutt means exactly the same thing.
These are just two different words that derive from the same, mixing to create a non purebred.