LGD x Golden Retriever... would this make a good mix?

[dianneS]

I have a Karakachan/Great Pyr cross, intact male. I have a friend in need of a LGD and I wouldn't mind having another guardian myself. She has a Golden Retriever that desperately wants to have puppies. She's a great dog, but not really a guardian dog. Has good instincts does not have a strong prey drive and is really sweet. What kind of combo do you think that would make? Would it be better to mix only two LGD breeds?

 

[ksalvagno]

If you want an LGD dog, then I would breed to another LGD. If it doesn't matter, then go for it.

 

[Grazer]

Personally I don't think this is a good idea at all. In fact I think it makes no sense to mix a working LGD with a retriever breed that's nowadays mostly used as either a pet or a service dog because of their character.
Your dog and your friend's dog couldn't have a more different background.

I'm all for LGD mixes between 2 different LGD breeds; but I'm against mixing LGD's with non-LGD breeds. I'm sure some people will say they have had a good experience with such a mix, but I don't see the purpose of doing such mix.
I don't know what kind of predators you have where you live, but the Golden Retriever in such mix would make that dog less capable of dealing with anything bigger than a coyote..
There is a reason why LGD breeds are huge and why these breeds are capable of scaring off and/or chasing off large predators. Tough selection for hundreds, even thousands of years is that reason.
So I say, why dilute the gene-pool with a breed that's been selected to do something completely different?

If you want another guardian, look for LGD puppies from working parents. They often come reasonably cheap, somewhere between 200 and 500 dollars.
And then the chance is huge you'll at least have the right dog for your situation.


You also say the Golden Retriever female desperate wants puppies? This might be a symptom of false pregnancy/pseudopregnancy syndrome.
I would have your friend talk to her vet about it, just in case.

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Personally I don't think this is a good idea at all. In fact I think it makes no sense to mix a working LGD with a retriever breed that's nowadays mostly used as either a pet or a service dog because of their character.
Your dog and your friend's dog couldn't have a more different background.

I'm all for LGD mixes between 2 different LGD breeds; but I'm against mixing LGD's with non-LGD breeds. I'm sure some people will say they have had a good experience with such a mix, but I don't see the purpose of doing such mix.
I don't know what kind of predators you have where you live, but the Golden Retriever in such mix would make that dog less capable of dealing with anything bigger than a coyote..
There is a reason why LGD breeds are huge and why these breeds are capable of scaring off and/or chasing off large predators. Tough selection for hundreds, even thousands of years is that reason.
So I say, why dilute the gene-pool with a breed that's been selected to do something completely different?

If you want another guardian, look for LGD puppies from working parents. They often come reasonably cheap, somewhere between 200 and 500 dollars.
And then the chance is huge you'll at least have the right dog for your situation.


You also say the Golden Retriever female desperate wants puppies? This might be a symptom of false pregnancy/pseudopregnancy syndrome.
I would have your friend talk to her vet about it, just in case.

X2 I would not mix them either. No kind of retriever is not a LGD. I don't think it would work out to well.

 

[dianneS]

I didn't think it was a good idea either, thanks for confirming that! It was her idea. I'll tell her to get a great pyr pup and some day we'll breed them!

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Yep, bad idea. Plenty of mixed breed pets out there without adding more to the pool and that breeding is unlikely to give you any working dogs. Goldens were bred for completely different purposes.

 

[Grazer]

@ dianneS
That sounds like a good plan. I mean I understand why your friend came up with that idea in the first place; sometimes when people own a really good dog, they want one just like him/her in the future.
So hopefully if your friend gets a Great Pyr puppy, it will be one with an amazing character & health as well.

 

[Mzyla]

Everybody have a good point.
There is one thing that you must FORESEEN:

If you decide to breed these two and say you take 1 pup and you friend keep 1 pup.
What is gone happen with the rest???
You must realize that it's gone be very HARD to place them in good homes.
People will be seeing them as *MUTTS*, thus making almost impossible to sell them and where do they end up? In the pond?
This is what worries me the most.

 

[Symphony]

Everybody have a good point.
There is one thing that you must FORESEEN:

If you decide to breed these two and say you take 1 pup and you friend keep 1 pup.
What is gone happen with the rest???
You must realize that it's gone be very HARD to place them in good homes.
People will be seeing them as *MUTTS*, thus making almost impossible to sell them and where do they end up? In the pond?
This is what worries me the most.

There's NOTHING wrong with a Mutt!

 

[marlowmanor]

Everybody have a good point.
There is one thing that you must FORESEEN:

If you decide to breed these two and say you take 1 pup and you friend keep 1 pup.
What is gone happen with the rest???
You must realize that it's gone be very HARD to place them in good homes.
People will be seeing them as *MUTTS*, thus making almost impossible to sell them and where do they end up? In the pond?
This is what worries me the most.

There's NOTHING wrong with a Mutt!

I agree. Some of the best dogs are "mutts"! I've never had a purebred dog, but every dog I have had has been wonderful and all were "mutts"