For months Marco, a friend of mine, has keep saying that he’s going to get a dog. He talks about that every time, he buys books and reads everything he can about dogs. This fact has brought some discussion between us because we have different point of view. He wrote about it, so I’m kinda forced to answer. The point is: if you want a dog as a companion, why picking a purebred (spending a lot of money), when mixed-breed are fantastic (and you can save their lives for free)? I admit that this is controversial and I’m not saying that the other point of view is totally wrong. But let me explain.
First of all, I would like to make clear that I’m not opposing the idea of purchasing a purebred at all. It’s perfectly logical that if you need protection, you’re going to buy a Dobermann or a Rottweiler, if you’re a hunter you’ll need a hound, and so on. There are some specific breeds that fit specific needs of humans, this is because breeds have genetic predispositions. This is a fact, I’m not going to argue against that.
Anyway, if you are looking for an affectionate animal partner I think that any dog will fit your need, if you raise him well and love him. You may like a Newfoundland, but you don’t need him except you’re a baywatcher.
Let’s use Labradors as examples to explain my position (Marco’s speeches about them are so annoying that I’m starting to hate them, poor things). It is argued that they are loving, affectionate, patient, highly intelligent, loyal and willing. But aren’t those words the same we could use for dogs in general? Well, they could say, Labradors are a little bit of that more than others. Ok, and how much is this “little bit”? I mean, there is some way we can measure this gap? And finally, is this gap worth the cost (spending 1000 euros against saving the dog’s life rescuing him from a kennel)?
Trainers say those are Labrador’s feats. But that is their job, they work with animals, trying to get the best from them. So, again, if you want a companion, does really matters that he’ll be perfect? I bet that everyone reading this who as dog knows and loves him despite his flaws. Indeed maybe you love him best for that, and you don’t give a damn if he is not going to bring you the paper or something. Plus, I’m sure neither of you think that a Labrador is going to be more affectionate than your dog. Don’t look at your dog now, it’s unfair, look at a friends of yours: do you really think he would be happier if he had raised a Labrador instead of his actual dog?
Some breeds are more trainable and Labradors are likely to be good at learning some tricks to show off with your friends. Nothing bad with that, we all like to teach our dog to sit down, but usually they don’t need to be Labrador to do it. The thing is: do you want a dog just because he is probably more skilled? That sound to me as someone looking for a beautiful gadget like a mobile or a pc. But a dog is a living being, I don’t like him being choose like he was in a supermarket: “I want him that way, that way and that way”. That’s awful. What’s that supposed to mean? You’re not gonna love him if he doesn’t grow up the way you imagined? They claim: if I know who his parents are, I know the feats of his breed, I’m more likely to love him and this is the best for him too. But this is costs/benefits thinking, brutally used for a living being. A dog is not a machine and he’ll never be as you imagine (and yes, maybe if you choose the breed he’ll get closer; but how much?). The same for a baby or a girlfriend/boyfriend. You don’t go seeing her parents to know whether they are healthy or not, what to expect from her.
Dogs are domestic animals and their habits are strongly influenced by education. Labradors, or purebred in general, are so skilled because they are trained well (and trainers choose them because they have predispositions, of course). If a pro trainer teaches two different dog, one purebred and one not, maybe in the end there will be some difference and the purebred will be better, but I’m sure that the mixed-breed will be good enough to satisfy even a demanding owner. Vice versa, if neither of them is been trained they both will be wild and uncontrollable. It stands clear if you need a dog for a specific task the better the best, so genetic predisposition plus good training is the way. But if you want a loving companion knowing some discipline and fancy tricks, don’t need to be a purebred. Mixed-breed are smart, everyone knows, and they love you desperately because they know they owe their life to you.
In the end, I think that if you want to build the perfect dog for you, you’re not in the right state of mind to deal with him. You better pick a Nintendog, they don’t bring troubles. Carefully choosing and planning in advance is not the right way to better love a dog because you’re preparing to love what you are imaging, not what you’re going to get. If you are not sure of loving your dog even if he's not what you expected to be, you better think twice, maybe you're not ready for getting one.
The right way, in my opinion, is to have a general love for dogs (not one kind of dog) and be ready to love unconditionally whatever the case may be, thinking that making the perfect dog is up to you. The main factor is how you educate him, not how carefully you choose the breed. And finally, you’ll love him anyway.
The discussion is open to everyone.