Trust us, not all mixed dogs look like mangy junkyard mutts (which come on, are pretty cute too). In fact, here's a rule of thumb: when one gorgeous breed mates with another gorgeous breed, the end results are -- wait for it -- pretty darn gorgeous. That's science, baby!
A crossbred (or crossbreed) dog is what you get when you breed one purebred dog to another purebred dog of a different breed. For example, a Corgi crossed with a Toy Poodle, produces crossbred offspring, like the "Corgipoo" .
Some people call them hybrid dogs, but that's wrong. A hybrid is the offspring of two different species. For example, a horse bred to a donkey produces hybrid offspring (we call it a "mule").
Some people call crossbred dogs designer dogs, but crossbreds are no more designed than purebreds. For example, Border Collie breeders designed their breed by choosing specific traits that would help their dogs be expert herders. Medium size, high energy, quickness, strong chasing instincts, weatherproof coat, etc. Border Collies are just as much designed as Corgipoo.
Here are a number of wonderful examples.
Goldendoodle (Golden Retriever crossed with Poodle)
Puggle (Pug crossed with Beagle)
Aussiedoodle (Australian Shepherd with Poodle)
Chow Pei (Chow Chow with Shar Pei)
