Imagine you finally get the pupper of your dreams. Lassie comes home, the days go by, and then you realize your dorkie chorkie looks kinda different. At some point, you have to tell yourself—ma doggo is everything except a collie.
But you’re not alone. In fact, there are too many pet owners out there who had their expectations hit with a reality check after their puppers grew up. From believing you got a cocker spaniel to raising a wiener dog, these people got heckin’ bamboozled! In the end, the breed is just a name and these woofers are even more adorable!
But in order to find out why breed confusion is so common, Bored Panda contacted Antonio Diaz, a dog trainer and behavior specialist based in Las Vegas. Scroll down for an interview below!
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He’s a hound mix... they said. He will be 45 lbs max... they said. They didn’t say he was mixed with Great Dane. And that he would be 45 lbs when he was 4 months old. Loki is now a comfortable 100lbs.
“It happens all the time!” said Antonio Diaz about puppers growing up into dogs of a seemingly completely different breed. The K9 dog trainer gives a few reasons for this. First, “people aren’t doing their research on the breeder.” Second, “a low price on a 'purebred dog' blinds some of us, and you get caught in a scam.” If it’s too good to be true, “you know the rest,” explained Antonio.
Antonio believes that most of these dogs “come from backyard breeders.” In order to avoid confusion later, people should “always ask to see the parents of the puppies AND previous litters.” He warns that if the parents “aren’t’ available, it’s a red flag and you should run.”
She was supposed to be a yorkshire. Turned out better than what we asked for
Dogs tend to change their looks as they grow older. “They have an undercoat that grows as they get older. Different patterns and colors of fur start to develop and grow in.” As a result, your dog could literally transform his looks with time. “This is what happened with my own German shepherd. She was dark in her face as a puppy and got lighter as she aged,” said Antonio.
In fact, it happens in humans too. “Young children can have blonde hair and end up being brunet as adults. Our eye colors sometimes change too.”
The shelter said boxer mix. After doing Wisdom Panel, we found out he's 50% American Staffordshire Terrier, 12.5% Australian Shepherd, 12.5% Australian Cattle Dog, 12.5% Mastiff (😳) and 12.5% other. 77 lbs of good boy.
My “purebred chihuahua”. The vet says 1/2 chihuahua and 1/2 yorkshire terrier. I love my dorkie chorkie
My handsome "maltese x fox terrier" boy. No idea what breeds are in there but he is amazing regardless
That he's amazing is all that matters - and what dog isn't amazing?
My “50 lb lab mix” grew into a sweet, beautiful 85 lb Rottweiler/boxer! Wouldn’t have her any other way. Pictured with my mom on her natural habitat (the lap).
When a dog comes from a shelter a lot of the time they are only guessing.
Was told she was a shih tzu come to find she is a poodle jack russel mix.
I was told he would be a small apartment dog, 4 years and 20 pounds later, still beautiful, still the Love of my life
This guy was supposed to be a mix between an mini-pincher and a jack russel terrier. He now weighs more than 11kg
I told my mom Bunni was a mini dachshund for Christmas now she is about 6-7 months old and 40 pounds lol. Merry Christmas mommy dearest lmao she loves her more then ever though so she is her mini dachshund on steroids lol
This girl was supposed to be half Rottweiler, half German shepherd.
plot twist- her largest percentage is actually CHOW CHOW at 30%, and the rest a mix of Doberman, golden retriever, shepherd, Rottweiler, jack Russell terrier and super mutt.
Our Little Girl was speculated to be a Beagle mix. However, I don’t believe I’ve ever met a 70 lb Beagle mix before. But we love her, whatever she is!
I don't know. I had a beagle/rotweiller mix growing up who was nearly 80 pounds
Purebred Jack Russell. DNA tests have confirmed Chihuahua with some pomeranian, Jack Russell is 7th down the list of composite breeds next to great Dane
The collie I got at the shelter he’s the best and I love him just as he is anyways!
Pretty markings. Though they love us no matter what we look like so we should do the same.
This old guy (who sadly had to be put to sleep at the age of seventeen last december), was supposed to be a teacup chihuahua
Aw, sad but that's not a bad age at all and he looks such a cutie.
Half poodle, as confirmed by a DNA test
I never really understand why people mind what they are once they have them - unless it's for health reasons that they need to find out. They are just themselves - loving dogs. EDIT: for purposes of clarification I don't mean why do people choose a certain type of dog but why do they mind enough to get a dna test after they have them. Seems a waste of money.
Note: this post originally had 50 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Adopt dont shop
100% agree.... once the shelters are completely empty of animals waiting to me loved we can have the luxury of going to a breeder, but thousands of innocent animals are killed every day just because no one wants them.
shelters will never be completely empty, because people are dumb/stupid. I worked at our local shelter in the 80s, we were always full. Fast forward to now, shelters are still full, 95% which are pit bulls :( Nothing wrong with pit bull, by any means, but they aren't what every person wants or needs.
I have a Street Terrier and two cats, I adopt. But my parents paid for their dog. And the only thing I say to people who pay for their dogs is love them, educate them, have their shots, everything a kid needs.
Agree. And spay/neuter the second they're old enough! And keep them up to date on their vaccines. I had a cat die last year that was completely avoidable. If i had kept her updated on her shots, she'd still be here. I f-ed up BIG TIME, and regret it every day of my life! Vaccines are literal lifesavers.
Laura Bauer, what are you talking about? When you adopt a pet from a shelter you are paying fee for spaying/neutering and shots not for the pet itself. No shopping for a sentient being which is bred for profit by greedy scums, please; go to a shelter and save an innocent life. Every compassionate person would not even think about buying, unfortunately, there are masses of humans everywhere in the world who aren't in possession of conscience.
Those snobby people who buy pets from heartless, greedy breeders don't realize that the animals are inbred and will have many medical problems. It is not fair to those poor animals, and only those who support breeders are responsible for this cruelty.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
how about - adopt or shop, it's your choice. And if you are handing over money to adopt, you are still shopping :)
I don't have a problem buying from a reputable breeder who has spent time and money is selecting the right bitch and dog, paying stud fees, vet check-ups, specific food for mother and puppies, vaccinations etc. It all adds up. People should be able to tell the difference between a puppy mill and a responsible and ethical breeder. I would never buy from someone who advertises in any newspaper. Many, many years ago we bought our GSD from a breeder who bred for the police, and with whom we did dog training. He owened the parents, we looked at their character amd how they interacted with people, and went back several times to view the puppies. She was bred very well, never had a day's illness and no sign of hip dysplasia, that we never got another GSD (she was it)- the rest of our dogs were adoptions and have been every bit as wonderful. I presume that many adoptions come from puppy farms- as long as they get a home in exchange for financial gain, these miscreants will keep breeding them.
The difference is by shopping you are also supporting puppy farms that treat their dogs like a factory line and keep them in poor conditions. A lot of these dogs and puppies have health issues and are treated appallingly.
I don't get why so many people want purebreed animals anyway. There are so many beautiful souls out there waiting for a family to share their love with.
I love a mongrel!
We adopted a border collie (mix? I don't think she is.) from the pound last year. I knew what to expect from a border. She is a hyper, hyper girl and is smart. A dog like her would be absolutely miserable for a small apartment and would likely tear it up out of boredom (I suspect she came from an apartment, she was a little overweight, and still is a big time runner when you open the front door. Nobody claimed her as she may have been problematic for her original owner.) She has worn deep trails through her yard from all her running. Depending on your lifestyle, you want to choose a type of dog that fits. You might love a lazy breed more if you can't take them on frequent walks. Some types of dogs can handle children better than others, some are easier to train, some are prone to anxiety. Mongrels can be awesome but they are a grab bag of personality traits. Purebreds are generally way more predictable.
I prefer a mutt. More intelligent and dogs should not be bought but got from the pound.
People who want pure-bred dogs should watch the Burt Kreischer stand-up bit -- turns out the purer the blood, the more health issues/cost to pet owners!! (Seriously, thousands of dollars in vet bills) That's what you get for in-breeding... Know your stuff before you get a pet :)
OOOH and they're expensive as F*CK. Adopting is low/no cost. :)
I've always heard purebreds were basically inbred genetic abominations, and that mongrels were healthier. That for sure works for humans so it makes sense.
Slightly off dog topic, but when I was a kid I bought an old cat breeders guide with bw photos from a fair...the Persians had beautiful proper cat faces! I was confused, mum explained about the inbreeding that had happened in the roughly 50 yrs since the publishing of that book. I think mixing breeds does in general strengthen genetic weaknesses associated with certain breeds
That's somewhat wrong and somewhat correct. Once Tasha, the boxer, donated her blood back in the early 2000s scientists gained a wealth of information about dog breeds. There's so much info to be had and they're still learning! https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8430-boxer-is-first-dog-to-have-full-genome-revealed/ Tests can get the backgrounds of most any breed, which will help eliminate genetic diseases, as long as the breeder is reputable and bothers to submit samples of their dog's blood. They'll get the genome of their breed so they can research and learn which perspective parents carry which genetic diseases so they can be removed from the gene pool. That said, it's still a bit in the future, more information is needed. If you have a pure breed dog and want to breed it, please donate a sampling of dog's blood. Go to your breed's club to find out more BEFORE finding a sire or dam. (to be continued)
(Continued from above) Go to a dog show and talk to breeders, (not when they are entering the ring) I got my foot in the door by handing out my name, address, phone number and email address to breeders to think of me when they had puppies available. My breeder and I have been friends since then! (I do not breed or show, I'm a pet owner only) But I certainly enjoy going to dog shows to see all the beauties. Some day, one by one, all canine health problems could be eliminated, the science is here. Random breeding (accidental and intended) needs to stop to do so. Get the genetic testing done before breeding and understand, however wonderful your dog may be, if he or she is full of genetic problems, it's probably best not to breed it. Here's a list of current testing being done on boxers: (generally only a blood test is needed) Brain, organ and skin tumors, several cancers, degenerative myelopathy, diabetes, 3 types of heart diseases, hip dysplasia, kidney disease and thyroid disorders. https://americanboxerclub.org/health.html I'm sure there's info for your breed of interest too, search for it!!
I had specific reasons. Our first five dogs were rescues. I was not ready to get a husky with young kids. The only reason I agreed was because my in-law had the older siblings and I knew how ridiculously calm these ones were. We ended up with two and then we were looking to take one of the rescues the breeder had (they work with a rescue as well). Unfortunately she died as a result of previous abuse. They ended up taking back a littermate from our youngest because the owner couldn't care for him properly and rehomed him with us (it's amazing how unprepared people are for this breed of dog). Since I now know how best to train and work with huskies we will be looking more towards rescues going forward. I just had a view of a crazy dog and I was not ready to take on a rescued one for that reason.
I don't get it either, Janine. I have a question for you R L: why are those "reputable" breeders breeding these pets for? Isn't it for profit? What happens to mothers when they cannot conceive any more?
why not some of both?
AMEN SISTER!!!💖❤💚💙💜💛
The good things is that mixed breeds are usually in better health than purebreeds. And smarter. My grandparents had a mixed whatever who knew how to open the locked door with the key to run outside. He was so smart and had such a good sense of smell that hunters would ask to breed their hunting dogs with him. Added to the number of time he run away, his descendants are all over the place.
you know there's a surgery to prevent that.......
So you're not only a terrible owner, you're a part of the problem with unwanted dogs.
I mean, this person probably didn't have a say in the care of their grandparents' dog
When you spay/neuter pets they are generally happier and healthier; reproduction takes a lot out of an animal (and human).
Adopt dont shop
100% agree.... once the shelters are completely empty of animals waiting to me loved we can have the luxury of going to a breeder, but thousands of innocent animals are killed every day just because no one wants them.
shelters will never be completely empty, because people are dumb/stupid. I worked at our local shelter in the 80s, we were always full. Fast forward to now, shelters are still full, 95% which are pit bulls :( Nothing wrong with pit bull, by any means, but they aren't what every person wants or needs.
I have a Street Terrier and two cats, I adopt. But my parents paid for their dog. And the only thing I say to people who pay for their dogs is love them, educate them, have their shots, everything a kid needs.
Agree. And spay/neuter the second they're old enough! And keep them up to date on their vaccines. I had a cat die last year that was completely avoidable. If i had kept her updated on her shots, she'd still be here. I f-ed up BIG TIME, and regret it every day of my life! Vaccines are literal lifesavers.
Laura Bauer, what are you talking about? When you adopt a pet from a shelter you are paying fee for spaying/neutering and shots not for the pet itself. No shopping for a sentient being which is bred for profit by greedy scums, please; go to a shelter and save an innocent life. Every compassionate person would not even think about buying, unfortunately, there are masses of humans everywhere in the world who aren't in possession of conscience.
Those snobby people who buy pets from heartless, greedy breeders don't realize that the animals are inbred and will have many medical problems. It is not fair to those poor animals, and only those who support breeders are responsible for this cruelty.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
how about - adopt or shop, it's your choice. And if you are handing over money to adopt, you are still shopping :)
I don't have a problem buying from a reputable breeder who has spent time and money is selecting the right bitch and dog, paying stud fees, vet check-ups, specific food for mother and puppies, vaccinations etc. It all adds up. People should be able to tell the difference between a puppy mill and a responsible and ethical breeder. I would never buy from someone who advertises in any newspaper. Many, many years ago we bought our GSD from a breeder who bred for the police, and with whom we did dog training. He owened the parents, we looked at their character amd how they interacted with people, and went back several times to view the puppies. She was bred very well, never had a day's illness and no sign of hip dysplasia, that we never got another GSD (she was it)- the rest of our dogs were adoptions and have been every bit as wonderful. I presume that many adoptions come from puppy farms- as long as they get a home in exchange for financial gain, these miscreants will keep breeding them.
The difference is by shopping you are also supporting puppy farms that treat their dogs like a factory line and keep them in poor conditions. A lot of these dogs and puppies have health issues and are treated appallingly.
I don't get why so many people want purebreed animals anyway. There are so many beautiful souls out there waiting for a family to share their love with.
I love a mongrel!
We adopted a border collie (mix? I don't think she is.) from the pound last year. I knew what to expect from a border. She is a hyper, hyper girl and is smart. A dog like her would be absolutely miserable for a small apartment and would likely tear it up out of boredom (I suspect she came from an apartment, she was a little overweight, and still is a big time runner when you open the front door. Nobody claimed her as she may have been problematic for her original owner.) She has worn deep trails through her yard from all her running. Depending on your lifestyle, you want to choose a type of dog that fits. You might love a lazy breed more if you can't take them on frequent walks. Some types of dogs can handle children better than others, some are easier to train, some are prone to anxiety. Mongrels can be awesome but they are a grab bag of personality traits. Purebreds are generally way more predictable.
I prefer a mutt. More intelligent and dogs should not be bought but got from the pound.
People who want pure-bred dogs should watch the Burt Kreischer stand-up bit -- turns out the purer the blood, the more health issues/cost to pet owners!! (Seriously, thousands of dollars in vet bills) That's what you get for in-breeding... Know your stuff before you get a pet :)
OOOH and they're expensive as F*CK. Adopting is low/no cost. :)
I've always heard purebreds were basically inbred genetic abominations, and that mongrels were healthier. That for sure works for humans so it makes sense.
Slightly off dog topic, but when I was a kid I bought an old cat breeders guide with bw photos from a fair...the Persians had beautiful proper cat faces! I was confused, mum explained about the inbreeding that had happened in the roughly 50 yrs since the publishing of that book. I think mixing breeds does in general strengthen genetic weaknesses associated with certain breeds
That's somewhat wrong and somewhat correct. Once Tasha, the boxer, donated her blood back in the early 2000s scientists gained a wealth of information about dog breeds. There's so much info to be had and they're still learning! https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8430-boxer-is-first-dog-to-have-full-genome-revealed/ Tests can get the backgrounds of most any breed, which will help eliminate genetic diseases, as long as the breeder is reputable and bothers to submit samples of their dog's blood. They'll get the genome of their breed so they can research and learn which perspective parents carry which genetic diseases so they can be removed from the gene pool. That said, it's still a bit in the future, more information is needed. If you have a pure breed dog and want to breed it, please donate a sampling of dog's blood. Go to your breed's club to find out more BEFORE finding a sire or dam. (to be continued)
(Continued from above) Go to a dog show and talk to breeders, (not when they are entering the ring) I got my foot in the door by handing out my name, address, phone number and email address to breeders to think of me when they had puppies available. My breeder and I have been friends since then! (I do not breed or show, I'm a pet owner only) But I certainly enjoy going to dog shows to see all the beauties. Some day, one by one, all canine health problems could be eliminated, the science is here. Random breeding (accidental and intended) needs to stop to do so. Get the genetic testing done before breeding and understand, however wonderful your dog may be, if he or she is full of genetic problems, it's probably best not to breed it. Here's a list of current testing being done on boxers: (generally only a blood test is needed) Brain, organ and skin tumors, several cancers, degenerative myelopathy, diabetes, 3 types of heart diseases, hip dysplasia, kidney disease and thyroid disorders. https://americanboxerclub.org/health.html I'm sure there's info for your breed of interest too, search for it!!
I had specific reasons. Our first five dogs were rescues. I was not ready to get a husky with young kids. The only reason I agreed was because my in-law had the older siblings and I knew how ridiculously calm these ones were. We ended up with two and then we were looking to take one of the rescues the breeder had (they work with a rescue as well). Unfortunately she died as a result of previous abuse. They ended up taking back a littermate from our youngest because the owner couldn't care for him properly and rehomed him with us (it's amazing how unprepared people are for this breed of dog). Since I now know how best to train and work with huskies we will be looking more towards rescues going forward. I just had a view of a crazy dog and I was not ready to take on a rescued one for that reason.
I don't get it either, Janine. I have a question for you R L: why are those "reputable" breeders breeding these pets for? Isn't it for profit? What happens to mothers when they cannot conceive any more?
why not some of both?
AMEN SISTER!!!💖❤💚💙💜💛
The good things is that mixed breeds are usually in better health than purebreeds. And smarter. My grandparents had a mixed whatever who knew how to open the locked door with the key to run outside. He was so smart and had such a good sense of smell that hunters would ask to breed their hunting dogs with him. Added to the number of time he run away, his descendants are all over the place.
you know there's a surgery to prevent that.......
So you're not only a terrible owner, you're a part of the problem with unwanted dogs.
I mean, this person probably didn't have a say in the care of their grandparents' dog
When you spay/neuter pets they are generally happier and healthier; reproduction takes a lot out of an animal (and human).