Has anyone ever seen a Lowchen & Japanese Chin cross?

[curiosity]

All being well we will be getting a puppy from a litter of our neighbours 2 lovely but very different looking dogs, just wondered if one breeds' genes were more dominant than the others, have googled but haven't seen one. We don't care what they look like, it's just we can't begin to imagine which features of the parents they will have, and the combinations could be quite strange, but beautifully ugly.

Many thanks

[lankeela]

Ah, a healthy crossbreed! Just be aware that Lowchens can suffer from PRA, cataract, luxating patella, and possible allergies. Japanese Chins can suffer from
heart disease, breathing problems and luxating patella. So your healthy crossbreed could end up with any or all of the above, especially problems with kneecaps slipping (luxating patella) which is an inherited problem in both breeds.

[craft1948]

That's not great lankeela seeing as a pedigree lowchen will set you back £700.00 from a reputable breeder.

[RJUKL]

That must have cheered you up Curiosity!

[lankeela]

But many of these designer crosses will set you back more than the price of a purebred of either of the breeds! And how many of the breeders of them do the health testing that reputable pedigree breeders do? If people buy pups from crosses that have not been tested, or pedigrees from breeders who do not test, then they should not be surprised if they get problems. Those of us that do test our breeding stock spend £££s trying to ensure we only breed from healthy dogs only to be slated by some people who do not bother to check how the dogs they buy are bred and whether they are tested. I have spent the past four days talking to the public about my breed and what is required, and there are still people willing to buy one from a breeder who does not test because they are a few quid cheaper.

[lankeela]

Here's a classic example - there is a site called epupz where breeders advertise puppies for sale. There are currently two litters of my breed on there - both are £425 per pup and NEITHER of the litters are eye tested or DNA tested for our biggest eye problem, a DNA test which took ten years to be discovered and which only costs £40 to have done. Who in their right mind would buy one of these puppies knowing full well it could go blind before it is three years old? Yet the breeders will still sell them to unsuspecting buyers claiming they have no problems in their lines and all the reputable breeders in our breed will be tarred with the same brush.

[craft1948]

Lankeela my westie is a rehome who came with pedigree papers............if he's pedigree all the other westies are midgets 'cos he's massive. The dog groomer said "er he's very big isn't he" to which I replied "it's okay I'm not entering him for crufts".

[lankeela]

Which is why we have breed standards - they are a guideline for breeders to breed to, so that people who want a particular breed should be able to know roughly what they will look like and what size they will be - but if the breeder has not bred from correct size dogs then who knows what the puppies will be like. Just say for example you breed your big Westie with another big Westie and you end up with very big puppies, then in a short while the dogs will end up much bigger than what people expect Westies to be like. Unfortunately if people are only breeding for money then they do not care what dog they use on what bitch, only that they can put a male and female together and get puppies to sell! When I breed a litter I study pedigrees going back ten or more generations, so that I know whether the mating will be compatible and whether they will turn out how I want them to in terms of breed type, temperament, size, colour, etc.

[craft1948]

I love him to bits anyway................I just struggle to pick him up :-)

[lankeela]

Lol craft - I'd make him walk!

Have a look at the Crufts Best of Breed:
http://crufts.fosseda...pID=TER&ScheduleID=81

[craft1948]

Mine would have no chance as he's peach round his mouth and his feet.......but he's gorgeous.

http://s576.photobuck...t=Casper.jpg&newest=1

[lankeela]

Aw bless, he's got a smart haircut. Such lovely big brown eyes too.

[curiosity]

Wow, thank you, it is a little worrying the health problems you mention Lankeela. But I need to put this in a context. The two dogs have ended up living together because the Lowchen owner took in the Japanese chin because of a kids allergy. It was not intentionally bred as a cross although I hear you all saying common sense etc. when having a dog and bitch living together. Anyway we love Boxers, have only ever had Boxers and good pedigree although as a family pet only. After our last one died we decided to not have another. My 10 year old daughter wants a dog, I think we can't give a boxer the lifestyle it wants. I have also continually said no, until the neighbour mentioned this pregnancy, they are such lovely dogs in character I said she could have one.