Mutt (dog)

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A mutt, also known as a mixed breed, mongrel, cur, or tyke, is a dog with parents from different breedss, possibly also mutts. Many owners prefer the "mixed breed" term because it sounds less derogatory. Others refer to their dogs of uncertain ancestry as "Heinz 57" dogs, referring to the "Heinz 57 varieties" slogan of the H. J. Heinz Company.

Mutt, mongrel, cur, and tyke are also more generally used as a derogatory term for any dog ("get your mutt out of my garden"). This is the more usual usage for mutt in British English, where mixed breed dogs are almost exclusively called mongrels.

Mixed-breed dogs are in general terms no better or worse than purebred dogs; they all share common dog traits and most dogs of any kind make excellent household pets. Mixed breeds, however, (as they have no pedigree) are almost always less expensive than a purebred dog. Benji, the hero in a series of movies named for him, was a mixed-breed terrier. Some purebred breeds can be prone to various health problems, because of inbreeding; mixed-breeds can often avoid these problems. For example, German Shepherd Dogs tend to have hip problems; Cocker Spaniels from some lines tend to have personality disorders; Collies often have an autoimmune disorder that affects the skin on their noses. Because mixed-breed dogs have only one parent with these inherited disorders, they are somewhat less likely to inherit the problem.

Mutts can be of two types:

A mix of otherwise well recognized breeds, such as a shepherd-collie cross. Many popular breeds today, such as the golden retriever, resulted from such cross-breeding. Popular cross-breeds today include the pekeapoo, a cross of the Pekingese and the poodle.
The basic canis familiaris. If dogs breed indiscriminately for many generations, the result is a short-haired brown dog of about 40 pounds (18 kg). All modern breeds of dogs are most likely the descendants of dogs with this original appearance.

Mixed breed, possibly a Sheltie mix, at 12 years old showing hybrid vigor

Mixed breeds often fail to inherit their purebred parents' breeds' inbred faults, resulting in healthier and more robust animals. This is commonly known as hybrid vigor. Of course, the characteristics of a mixed-breed dog cannot be predicted as closely as those of a breed that is known to "breed true," that is, to produce offspring that have the same characteristics as the parents.

None-the-less, mixed breeds can be just as attractive, powerful, fast, clever, affectionate, and entertaining as any purebred dog (and likewise as unattractive, lazy, and so on as some purebred dogs). Without knowing a mixed breed's parentage, it is often impossible to guess its ancestry. Sometimes a dog closely resembles one or the other of its parents, in which case a believable guess can be made.

Mix of pedigreed German Shepherd and pedigreed Golden Retriever; does not greatly resemble either

Mixed breeds compete in, and excel at, many dog sports; most dog sport organizations allow any healthy dog to compete, although some well-known purebred-dog organizations, such as AKC and FCI, require that dogs be registered as a purebred with the organization to compete in its sanctioned dog sports.

See also List of dog topics