These days we want so much more control over everything in our lives, from designer babies to designer pets. While the jury is still out on kids, the mixing of dog breeds is becoming more and more popular. People are buying hybrid puts like there is not tomorrow. The wonderful team at Divine Caroline have come up with a list that will help you determine desirable traits while weeding out undesirable ones. Now while some dog hybrids no doubt make sense—poodle mixes are hypoallergenic!—others end up more like Frankendogs.
Gollie
Put a golden retriever together with a collie and good gollie! This mix possesses the best traits from both breeds: patience, loyalty, and affectionate natures. They’re also easy to housebreak and train, making them an excellent family pet.
Cockapoo
These dogs are little mushes—little sit-on-your-lap-and-melt-your-heart mushes. The cocker spaniel–poodle mixes are smart, loyal, and mellow. They’re also mostly very healthy and require little maintenance. Because they are hypoallergenic, don’t shed, and are dander-free, they require no special grooming other than weekly brushing
Puggle
The puggle, a mix of pug and beagle, is as sweet and whimsical as its name. Puggles are wonderful around kids and are as comfortable playing fetch as they are cuddling on your lap.
Labradoodle
Dog “designers” in the 1980s got the idea to combine the highly intelligent breeds of poodle and Labrador to create a super smart pup. Labradoodles are also playful, affectionate, and hypoallergenic.
Jack-A-Bee
Mix a Jack Russell terrier and a beagle and you get a dog that is adventurous, energetic, well-behaved, and easy to train. Jack-A-Bees are the perfect blend of intelligence and friendliness.
Yorkipoo
Most poodle hybrids are beloved by their owners, but be warned if you’re considering a Yorkipoo; they’re mischievous little nuggets. With the intelligence of a poodle and fearless energy of a Yorkshire terrier, Yorkipoos are tiny little barking dynamos. This makes them sort of adorable for a while, but prospective owners should definitely invest in a good, strong leash and maybe some earplugs.
Taco Terrier
The tacco terror is more like it. When you cross a toy fox terrier and a Chihuahua, you get a tiny dog with a huge tendency to make trouble. Taco terriers have no problem approaching much bigger dogs and trying to shake things up, so their owners must work very hard to socialize them.
Czechoslovakian Wolf Dog
The Czechoslovakian wolf dog is the result of an experiment conducted in Czechoslovakia in 1955 to create a wolf dog hybrid that could help with border control. The goal was to create a dog with the temperament and trainability of a German shepherd with the strength and stamina of the Eurasian wolf. For the most part, this experiment succeeded; Czechoslovakian wolf dogs are generally tame and social, but they’re still wolves. They tend to be aggressive toward smaller animals (unless trained otherwise) and have what breeders call a “stormy adolescence.” One perk: They don’t bark (or do so very rarely).
Shih-Poo
Yes, they’re cute. And yes, they’re cuddly. And yes, breeding a poodle with a Shih-Tzu helps alleviate some of the breathing problems that pure Shih-Tzus have because shih-poos have longer snouts. But no dog can survive being called a shih-poo while maintaining his dignity
