How to Compare a Hybrid With a Purebred

Hybrid dogs are growing rapidly in popularity. In a 2009 article on "Dogs in Canada," Naomi Kane suggests that these "designer dogs" are now outselling once-popular purebreds. With hybrids available in every pet store, you might wonder what the difference really is.

  1. Ancestry

    • The primary difference between a purebred and a hybrid is the dog's ancestry. A purebred dog "breeds true," meaning that two purebreds mated together will produce a litter of dogs with the same characteristics as the parents. To be recognized as a true breed, a certain set of characteristics must have been breeding true for many generations. On the other hand, a hybrid is produced by mating two different purebreds to produce offspring with intermediate characteristics. A popular example is the puggle, produced by breeding a purebred pug with a purebred beagle.

    Registration

    • In the United States, purebred dogs are regulated by the American Kennel Club (AKC). It is the AKC that decides which dogs will be recognized as true breeds. According to their website, the AKC considers three main criteria when accepting or rejecting a new breed. The dogs' characteristics must be shown to breed true, there must be public interest in the breed and a dedicated club for the breed must exist in the United States. Because they do not breed true, hybrids cannot be registered with the AKC. Many hybrids are recognized and can be registered with the American Canine Hybrid Club.

    Variability

    • Because of their mixed parentage, hybrid dogs are quite variable. A single litter can contain individuals with any combination of the parents' behavioral or physical characteristics. This makes a given hybrid unpredictable, as each individual dog can be drastically different. Because purebred dogs have been selectively bred for a certain set of characteristics, most offspring will be very similar to their parents, and the variability in personality and appearance is much lower.

    Hybrids vs. Mutts

    • A hybrid dog is not the same as a mutt or mixed-breed. According to the Dog Breed Info Center, the ancestry of a hybrid is always known, and the parents must be purebred dogs in their respective breed. A mutt or mixed-breed dog often has an unknown ancestry, or the parents were mutts themselves. These dogs are not recognized by the American Canine Hybrid Club.