by Brenda Nelson

Created on: August 01, 2010

In order to understand the difference between a hybrid dog and a mutt we must first understand the difference between a purebred dog and a mutt.

-Purebred vs Mutt-

Technically speaking any dog with registration papers showing that both parents were registered and of the same breed, is a purebred. Purebred does not mean a quality dog, only that it has been bred pure to that breed alone.

As such a mutt is anything else regardless of how many breeds it has. It can be one breed, but if it is not registered it cannot be referred to as a purebred, and is therefor (legally) a mutt. The term has negative connotations but this is unfortunate because an average mutt is no worse than a poorly breed purebred and could even be considerably better.

-Hybrid-

A hybrid is correctly an animal that is the result of a cross outside of its species. As such a domestic dog crossed with a wolf, or coyote, is a hybrid. However the term is used less scientifically to refer to dogs of different breeds crossed with one and other, often called “Designer dogs”.

Given fancy names, such as Cockapoo, or Puggle, these dogs are no different than mutts. They have no registration papers to prove parentage and are simply the result of crossing two dogs who are not the same breed. The Goldendoodle is such a dog in some countries, but accepted now as a breed in Australia, and as such may, or may not, be considered a hybrid/designer dog, depending where one is.

These dogs, the hybrid/designer dogs, are often held in higher esteem by the public who are generally ignorant on what goes into producing a quality purebred. In most cases neither parent attended shows to prove its worth as a breeding animal, and yet their offspring are sold at inflated prices because of the gimmick.  Really... a hybrid dog is just an over priced mutt.

When a hybrid dog truly is a hybrid, as the result of a cross between a wolf or coyote, it will tend to be more wild in nature and sometimes special permits must be obtained to keep such an animal. These are usually sold at inflated prices since not everyone is allowed to breed wolves. However, they may also be the result of an accidental breeding when dogs are owned in the country.

-Ethics-

It is generally frowned on and considered unethical to intentionally breed hybrids/designer dogs, or mutts, of any kind since the dogs are seldom checked for quality prior to breeding and are purely being bred for profit rather than breed improvement. If one can acquire such an animal at a reasonable cost (the price of vaccinations and vet check only) they often make excellent pets.

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