I’m interested in the conversation, but maybe want to change it’s direction a little bit, to talk about breed traits, choosing a breed where the big center of the bell curve meets your lifestyle rather than the outliers. And if maybe crosses can sometimes temper the more extreme personality /physical traits of some purebreds.
Here are some fairly extreme examples:
Belgian Tervuren (a breed I considered, but did not pursue for this reason): Dogs in the middle of the bell curve of personalities in this breed are not a dog for the casual pet owner, they take more of everything to keep happy. More physical exercise, more mental exercise, more everything. This remains true of the breed well past 5 years old, it’s not a young dog thing with these dogs. There are mellow individuals of course, but they are the exception not the rule. My roommate said he would like one, and I told him HE could be the one to QUIT HIS JOB in order to entertain the dog.
Pugs: I know of some very fine agility pugs! But they also tend to do best in agility organizations with less emphasis on fast times and high jumps (more CPE than AKC). And many just don’t do agility well because they are too slow. The middle of the bell curve of these very cute and fun little dogs isn’t ideal for a high energy dog sport. Has anyone seen any flyball pugs? I’m sure they exist, but it doesn’t seem like it would be common.
Before I go on: I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND DOING THIS!!! really OMG, NO! (like crossing a hackney pony with a Suffolk Punch… just NO.). If I see someone advertise a designer puggian shepherd 6 months from now, I will find you, say lots of bad words to you, and mock you everywhere on the inter-webz!!
These 2 breeds, who are very, very different may have some good things in common, like biddability, and a desire to be with their people. Maybe if you crossed the two, you’d get smaller, less hairy, less energetic, less OCD than the Belgian, more energetic, more athletic than the pug middle of the road pretty versatile pet. Probably the majority would be somewhere in the vast center of pretty OK, and 1 out of 50 would be a hot mess in some way. And they would all be kinda funny looking.
But it’s a little bit of an illustration of what I found when I really started talking to people with different purebred dogs. A lot of them were ‘too xxx’, of course I could find an individual that would suit, but the big middle of the bell curve would be a dog that was too <insert trait here>.
Which is why I started pursuing Chinooks, for my needs, they were sort of the Goldilocks of dogs: Not too independent, not too obsessive, not too barky, not too protective, not too hairy, not too bald etc. And it seemed to me, that a middle ground med/large pure breed was a hard thing to come by.
Others that made the potential consideration, and are still on the list:
*Samoyed: Little too much hair, my roommate doesn’t like white dogs - who knows why
*Australian Shepherd: They have no tails!
*Duck Tolling Retriever : a little small, maybe next round
*Berger Picard: more aloof than I prefer, but a good choice
*German Shepherd: Breed too fragmented, breed devotees to devoted to old style training methods.
*Belgian Shepherds - all three types: the middle of the bell curve in this breed is too much dog, though there might be individuals that are suitable.
*Giant breeds, as a group: don’t live long enough, eat more than my horses.
*Spaniels/Setters: coat hard to care for, pendulous ears hard to care for.
*Sighthounds: too much prey drive, too likely to be a problem for my cat.
But yes, occasionally things some up on the rescue sites.