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A Dog's Life
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Does anyone have any idea of the life expectaton of a giant poodle/border collie cross?
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Cross breeds 'could' inherit more gene defects than a purebred dog as it is doubling up, and purebred dogs from respectable breeders are generally health tested (not all though). However it is usually the pairing up of the same defective genes that cause inherited health problems to occur.
There is no average life span for a cross breed.
There is no average life span for a cross breed.
The argument of better health in true mongrels, not crossbreeds may be based on survival of the fittest ie the strongest and healthiest dogs get to breed and only th strongest and healthiest pups survive. This may be true to sn extent in a wild population but domestic dogs are generally bred by humans either accidentally or deliberately which strongly mitigates against survivals of the fittest. Crossbreeds are a different kettle of fish and simply carry all the health risks and benefits of the sire and dam
poppy, I used to take him to the vets every three months, and Margaret the vet (Not the same Margaret who looks after Max) always remarked on how well he was, but everything happened so quickly, he went from being ok to having that "I've had enough dad" look within a matter of days, it broke my heart to do do it even though I knew it was the right thing to do and it took me years beore I could even think about owning another dog
Thanks for all your answers. Speaking of mongrels, he's not a first cross - he comes from a very long line of 'Coloodles' and I have his 'pedigree'. I don't know if that makes a difference. It's just that he's nearly 10, and recently he's not been quite able to jump into the back of the 4x4. Apart from that he's perfectly healthy and still behaves like a potty 6 month old, but his sudden inability got me wondering.
Standard (not giant!) Poodles life expectancy is approximately 12 - 14 years. Border Collies often live till around 14 - 15 or older, but as said before health problems can be passed on by both parents of any dog - crossbreed, mongrel or purebred. For example both the above breeds can suffer from bad hips and eye diseases and if the parents have the genes the pups can suffer too or even pass them on if bred from.
Of course the way of life has a bearing too - if kept fit and not overweight, getting good food and exercise then this all helps keep a dog fit and healthy for longer.
Of course the way of life has a bearing too - if kept fit and not overweight, getting good food and exercise then this all helps keep a dog fit and healthy for longer.
naomi - it sounds like he is just starting to 'get old'. You can buy ramps so that they don't have to leap into the car (and so you don't have to lift them).
My last dog was a Lab/GSD and he lived until he was 14. He was slightly arthritic from about 10/11 years, then his eyesight started to go and then his hearing (he couldn't hear the fridge door opening in the end!).
I hope that you both have many years left together.
My last dog was a Lab/GSD and he lived until he was 14. He was slightly arthritic from about 10/11 years, then his eyesight started to go and then his hearing (he couldn't hear the fridge door opening in the end!).
I hope that you both have many years left together.
Surely the pure-bred is more at risk of genetic faults than the cross-breed/ It can't be a case of 'double the risk of problems'because you have 2 breeds.That doesn't sound genetically logical to me.The health risks have to be greater due to the potential in-beeding of past generations,not just because they are a standard breed.Don't get me wrong,I have a pedigree dog,and yes,you get the health checks from a reputable breeder etc,but I'm sure cross-breeds have better chances and a longer life.
