Mongrel puppy

[Bumpette]

Hi, looking for some advice... We have been desperate for a puppy for ages. But been waiting for the right time. We are not eligible to have a rescue due to the age of our children and our work situation (although my mum is going to have our dog when we are at work so won't be on its own. Anyway I have been offered the possibility of purchasing a pup from an accidental litter (a family member of a friend. Pups not born yet). Not designer dogs at all! Proper mixture of about 4 breeds. I love mongrels but have never owned one. Growing up we had springer spaniels. I am not at all fussed about having a pure breed. And there is no way we could afford the current inflated prices. Anyway in my position would you go for it? I'm soooo tempted (obviously not got to commit to anything until they are born). Please don't suggest we get a rescue. I have looked into this and honestly we are not eligible. Also whilst I would be happy to rescue a puppy I wouldn't be confident rescuing an older dog (before anyone jumps down my throat I do know of many success stories. My parents in law have a rescue staffie who is amazing with kids and we all adore. However my sister had two bad experiences with rescues who both bit and I am afraid it has put me off having one with my children as I don't know their past.)

[ViperBugloss]

What do you know about this puppy's past?
Have the parents been health checked? possibly not if an accidental mating
What is the combination of breed of dogs in the mating?
Will the breeders offer any aftercare or take the puppy back is there are issues or you can no longer look after the dog?

I would want to have a lot of reasurrances from the owners of the dogs before I went forward with a private rehoming. It might work out but then again you could be taking a big risk.

[Hoppinggreen]

I would want to know what breeds they had in them so you could have an idea what traits you could expect

[Branleuse]

The vast majority of any dogs character will be about its socialisation and training. If youve got the time and energy for a pup, then id definitely go for a mongrel/ mutt over anything

[Bumpette]

Thanks for your responses. Pups aren't born yet and it's all very tentative at the moment. But thats all great advice thank you. They are a mix of pomeranian, French bull dog, Yorkshire terrier and Jack Russell. That's a bonkers mix isn't it?! Am I mad to even think about it?!

[midnightstar66]

Wow that is a bonkers mix indeed. The 2 terriers might dilute some of the potential issues of the Frenchie though. I don't know anything about Pomeranians. Temperament wise might be quite feisty. How old is your dc? We have a 5 month old Jack Russell and she's not be great with very young children my youngest is 7

[Shieldingending]

Ooh quite a mix! What are the temperaments of the parents like? I have a Jack Russell puppy who is just perfect, really nice natured

[Shambolical1]

How do you feel about barking?

You might well get a fair amount of that...

[Gingaaarghpussy]

I had a mongrel , his owner said he was a lurcher . He supposedly was a mix of German shepherd and greyhound. I knew the dad, he was not pure shepherd.
My dog died last year at the grand old age of 19, only because his back end was giving up and he was not 100%. Very few people believed he was as old as he was because he was still fairly enthusiastic up until his last week.
He was good with kids a total wimp with other dogs and just about tolerated my cat. Barked every time someone knocked on my door and mounted so much that my red carpet was muted somewhat.

[Bumpette]

Yep, a bonkers mix! My youngest is 6. Yes, hadn't thought about the barking but you are probably right. That does sound like quite a barky mix 😬😂. Lots to think about. Still tempted... Thank you for all your responses x

[Bumpette]

He sounds gorgeous Gingaaa. I love the idea of a mutt to be honest! I'm just not too fussed about pure breeds. And I always have a soft spot for quirky or ugly looking dogs 😂

[Gingaaarghpussy]

That should say moulted not mounted (oops)
He was also blessed with with wonderful name of morris, before I got him, so I couldn't change it. He was slightly smaller than lab size and when he was younger he jumped a 6 ft fence from a standing start and broke a cat flap to come find me when we went out once, the local shop lady rang me to say that he was waiting outside her shop.

[AlCalavicci]

I would have a mutt of a pure bread every time, my last two dogs were a lab x staffie and a whippet / lurcher / greyhound shaped dog x with a GSD in both cases they were rescues so we dont know for sure what the crosses were we just went on the body shape attitude and fur colouring. both were great dogs and lived to a very healthy age of 17 and 18 .
With the mix you mentioned you know that it will be a small (ish) but is likely to be barky and a bit on the bitey side too but then most pups are . It will be up to you to train them , it is not all about the breed .
Do you know the pups parents ? that may give you some indication as to what the pup will be like, but it is not fool proof .

[villainousbroodmare]

I would say a dog's character is about 75% nature and the rest is socialisation and training.
That puppy could be anything but is guaranteed noisy!

[IncrediblySadToo]

I'd be happy with a 'mongrel' but I think I'd want to see it first before committing.

In this case I don't like 3 of the 4 breeds, so I'd probably say no, personally but that doesn't mean you should.

Which one is the Mum?

[Wolfiefan]

I wouldn’t take on that mix. Research the traits of each and the potential health issues of each and see if you could cope if you got the worst of each breed.
And if your kids are very young then I wouldn’t get a puppy at all.

[Bumpette]

Thanks everyone. Really helpful x

[midnightstar66]

Meet the parents if you haven't already and get your dc to spend some time with them. You'll get a feel for the temperaments. If the dogs are calm and non aggressive it's more likely the pup will grow up to be too. I can't imagine what they'll look like but potentially very cute. Terrier crosses generally are adorable.

[Bumpette]

Thank you!! X

[tabulahrasa]

Most likely they’ll be just vaguely terrier type dogs...

But there’s the potential to get the worst of all the breeds or extra doses of traits.

I mean, you can almost guarantee they’ll be fairly vocal tbh, but they could be even more noisy than any of those breeds...

None of those breeds are particularly biddable, so a bit feisty and prone to just doing what they want is fairly likely.

They’re all fairly lively as well (well french bulldogs can be calmer, but that’s often breathing related)

So, um ... busy, but not particularly interested in doing what you want them to do and noisy is fairly likely.

Really really not like a staffy or spaniel, lol

Also, all puppies are bitey btw.

[Bumpette]

Haha! Yes, they do sound a bit loud. Thank you for your help.

I know puppies are bitey and I'm not worried about that. My children have been used to family members puppies being bitey. With regard to the rescue dogs of my sister's biting - they were adult dogs. Unprovoked bites - different occasions, she didn't have the dogs at the same time. The dogs didn't bite her children - one bit a family friend and the other a passer by. She was just very unlucky I think. Her kids were very calm and it was a very calm household. She has had dogs from puppies since and they are both lovely. As I say I know not all rescue dogs are like that - I adore my mother in laws dog- but it has put me off a bit I've got to be honest. Not that I think they would let us have one anyway!!

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

On the plus side, you shouldn't get the major French health issues of poor breathing (because the nose will be longer) or back problems (I'd expect the puppy to have a tail, which means a higher chance of a normal spine).

I'd have a good look at the mum: if she is fairly chill, she is likely to provide a good environment for her puppies, but even so they are likely to be quite feisty.

That said, we had a JRTx when the DC were young and she was fab with them. She did love the sound of her own voice, though.

[Shambolical1]

@Gingaarghpussy A greyhound/gsd-or-thereabouts is a lurcher. It's a mongrel, yes, and a mutt but still a lurcher!

'Lurcher' is descriptive of a type of dog, not a breed.

[Bumpette]

Thank you! The noisy bit is putting me off a bit 😬.
You are absolutely right though and it is very good advice to have a look at the parents first and check out their temperaments.

[Gingaaarghpussy]

@Shambolical1
A lurcher is a sight hound cross, only 2 breeds.
My dog was the product of a lurcher plus mongrel. His mother was a crossbreed. His father probably was a lurcher, although he had more of the gsd look. His mother was somewhere round poodle size.

[LovingLola]

Anyway I have been offered the possibility of purchasing a pup from an accidental litter (a family member of a friend.

How much will you be expected to pay for a pup from this ‘accidental’ litter?