Help me Identify my mutt's parents breed(s)

1804 Views 10 Replies 6 Participants Last post by traciek88, Feb 3, 2016

moodorf

Discussion Starter · Feb 3, 2016 (Edited)

Hi! First post!

I've had my dog Rufus for nearly four years now, and I've always wondered what breed(s) his parents might be. Because I adopted him from a shelter and not a breeder, I have no idea what breeds his parents are. Anyone wanna hazard a guess? I'm guessing one of his parents was a hound of some sort...

Here he is>>> http://i.imgur.com/QM1UzN3.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AhxOAXs.jpg

...any guesses (especially educated ones) are welcome!

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travelingswift

· #2 · Feb 3, 2016 (Edited)

Well it's hard to get a good idea of his size and build from those photos but my initial reaction is that there is Jack Russell in him.

What is his personality like? Is he tenacious/stubborn/independent? Is he smart? Does he have a strong prey drive? Energy level? Preferred style of play?

Often it's easier to determine breed background by behavioral characteristics rather then just physical looks.

ETA: The other breed that I see is some sort of pointer.

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moodorf

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 3, 2016

travelingswift said:
Well it's hard to get a good idea of his size and build from those photos but my initial reaction is that there is Jack Russell in him.

What is his personality like? Is he tenacious/stubborn/independent? Is he smart? Does he have a strong prey drive? Energy level? Preferred style of play?

Often it's easier to determine breed background by behavioral characteristics rather then just physical looks.

ETA: The other breed that I see is some sort of pointer.

He can be stubborn/tenacious/independent sometimes. most certainly more than the Goldens we had previously had here. He often acts more like a human than a dog if that makes any sense. He won't lick my face or sit dutifully by my side for hours, but he will jump onto my bed to catch some zzzs with me, and he will ask me (by gently nudging me with his paw) to tuck him into the covers at night. He has very little prey drive--he's never presented me with any dead animals and he gets along well with our cat. His energy level is medium-to-low.

I probably should've included a dollar bill or a banana for reference, but I didn't since these are older pictures. he's about 62lbs. he's not a small guy.

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travelingswift

· #4 · Feb 3, 2016

moodorf said:
He can be stubborn/tenacious/independent sometimes. most certainly more than the Goldens we had previously had here. He often acts more like a human than a dog if that makes any sense. He won't lick my face or sit dutifully by my side for hours, but he will jump onto my bed to catch some zzzs with me, and he will ask me (by gently nudging me with his paw) to tuck him into the covers at night. He has very little prey drive--he's never presented me with any dead animals and he gets along well with our cat. His energy level is medium-to-low.

I probably should've included a dollar bill or a banana for reference, but I didn't since these are older pictures. he's about 62lbs. he's not a small guy.

Well prey drive is usually the instinct to chase rather then to kill, so it's more about whether when playing he likes games that involve chasing (or if he's off leash will he go running after squirrels/fast moving smaller critters). My girl has a strong prey drive but she doesn't chase or bother any small animals in the house, it's only when we're out in the woods -- so just because a dog has high prey drive doesn't mean it's automatically going to antagonize or kill small(er) animals all the time.

But based on your description of energy level and size, probably not JRT/Pointer. I would expect that cross to be smaller then your guy plus it would be a very high energy cross.

I do see some foxhound in there, possibly with yellow lab or a bully-breed mix which would explain energy level and size. Could be some JRT mixed in somewhere to give that telltale ear-flop and brown speckling?

In all likelihood one or both of his parents is also a mix which just makes "winning" this game impossible. But it is fun to play!

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TiggerBounce

· #5 · Feb 3, 2016

Jack russell and beagle would be my guess.

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moodorf

Discussion Starter · #6 · Feb 3, 2016 (Edited)

travelingswift said:
Well prey drive is usually the instinct to chase rather then to kill, so it's more about whether when playing he likes games that involve chasing (or if he's off leash will he go running after squirrels/fast moving smaller critters).

AH! I didn't know that. He has a high prey drive in that case--I can't even trust him off the leash unless we're in a place where they're aren't any roads nearby. He can be territorial, but when we're out on walks he's polite to everyone as if he he realizes that he's not on his own territory anymore.

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annageckos

· #7 · Feb 3, 2016

His face reminds me of my dog Vegas, who is a lab/english pointer cross. The thing with Vegas is he has no hunting dog traits, so while you can normally guess breed based on behavior it's not always true. Vegas also weighs in at 67ish lbs, though a little chubby now. His ideal I would say is around 60lbs. He was 55lbs when he was younger without an ounce of fat on him. We really need to see your dogs body/build to help guess on breed.

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TruckersMom

· #8 · Feb 3, 2016 (Edited)

English Pointer/Foxhound

English Pointer/Coonhound

That coloring is a Pointer (maybe if it is a Redtick Coonhound Mix) things and I think can be seen in some Spaniels?

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moodorf

Discussion Starter · #9 · Feb 3, 2016

http://imgur.com/gallery/28QGpcE/new

Here's another picture of him. I used a VHS tape for scale since I don't usually carry paper money.

thanks for all the input thus far! I'm open to more guesses! :thumbsup:

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TruckersMom

· #10 · Feb 3, 2016

Paws are wrong for a Coonhound (not cat-like enough). The fur suggests a longer haired bred such as a Setter or maybe a Golden? in there.

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traciek88

· #11 · Feb 3, 2016

Some sort of hound mix really. I personally don't see JRT but who knows? Pointer is a possibility as well.

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