The Hidden Superpowers of Mutts: Why Mixed-Breed Dogs Often Live Longer

For those who have a mixed-breed dog, it is time to celebrate! This is because National Mutt Day has arrived, a day dedicated to celebrating mixed-breed dogs and highlighting them over their purebred counterparts.

National Mutt Day, celebrated on both July 31 and December 2, was established in 2005 to raise awareness of mixed-breed dogs and the number of them living in shelters across the nation. The goal of National Mutt Day is to encourage those looking to bring a furry friend into the home to adopt rather than shop. After all, mutts have hidden superpowers, including living longer than purebred dogs. But with common misconceptions lingering about mixed-breed dogs, many would rather pay a hefty fee rather than give equally deserving dogs a chance at a forever home.

Why Mixed-Breed Dogs Often Live Longer

Purebred dogs have lineage that can be traced back generations, in some instances, proving they are only one breed of dog. Mixed-breed dogs are those whose ancestry includes more than one breed. While some may see this as a disadvantage, in many cases, mixed-breed dogs live longer than their purebred counterparts due to their more diverse genetic makeup.

Unlike purebred dogs, which have a higher risk of inherited health issues, mixed-breed dogs are less likely to face these problems. However, this does not mean that mixed-breed dogs are immune to health issues. What it means is that having multiple breeds in a dog’s DNA makes it a heartier specimen than a purebred. Consequently, according to Dr. Sarah, mixed-breed dogs tend to live longer.

“Mixed-breed dogs often surprise us with their resilience and adaptability,” Dr. Sarah tells American Breeder. “They tend to avoid many of the genetic pitfalls that purebreds face.”

The phenomenon of mixed-breed dogs being healthier than purebreds is called “hybrid vigor.” This is where mixed-breed dogs will inherit all the best traits from their parents’ breeds. When this happens, very healthy dogs are born, making them less susceptible to health issues than purebred dogs.

However, it should be noted that not all mixed-breed dogs have a long life expectancy. Factors such as the breed of dog that the individual dog has DNA from will determine just how long a dog will live.

Do Some Mixed-Breeds Live Longer Than Others?

Just like with purebred dogs, some mixed-breed dogs will live longer than others. This depends on the specific breeds that make up the mixed-breed dog and the typical lifespans of those breeds. The life expectancy of some of the most common mixed-breed dogs includes:

To put this in perspective of purebred dogs, the individual dogs live for an average of the following years:

This shows that, when it comes to dog longevity, breed size plays a significant role. Smaller dogs tend to live longest, while extra-large dogs live the shortest. Therefore, even if the mutt being adopted from the shelter is not one of the most common of mixed breeds, a good way to estimate how many years a pup will be in its forever home is to look at the average lifespan of the breed of dog. This will provide an estimated life expectancy for each breed, which can be averaged to estimate the lifespan of a mixed-breed dog. In most cases, the lifespan will be longer than that of the largest breed in the mix, unless health issues arise.

What Are Some Common Misconceptions About Mixed-Breed Dogs?

The idea of adopting a mixed-breed dog may make some people hesitate. Often, this stems from misconceptions about mutts that have been passed down for years, regardless of whether they are true.

An April 2020 study published by the National Canine Research Council found that dog breeds have received labels that are not necessarily accurate. Many of the characteristics were given based on “flawed studies.” Studies that relied on dog owners’ observations, grouping by genetics, or grouping by breed have been shown over the years to be unreliable. What was most interesting about the study is that “differences due to breed represent less than one-third of genetic variation among dogs.” This means that overall, dogs are not as genetically diverse as once believed.

This is important to note, as there are two massive misconceptions about mixed-breed dogs related to this topic. Those misconceptions are that mixed-breed dogs are not as intelligent as purebred dogs, nor are they capable of having a temperament comparable to that of any particular breed.

The study shows that it is far more than the breed that makes a dog intelligent, emotionally in tune, or more adaptable to be a working dog. A 2022 study published in Science further found that a dog’s breed accounted for only 9% of its behavioral variation.

While there are notions that dogs were bred over generations to want to guard or protect, these are learned behaviors. The way dogs are raised and treated will shape their personalities, according to the 2020 study. However, these preconceived notions about dog behavior need to be dropped to give mixed-breed dogs, particularly, a chance at adoption. When this is done, lives will be saved.

Mixed-breed dogs are a mixed bag. This means that some mixed-breed dogs may be the best companions, while others may have behavioral or health challenges. What should be noted is that, while purebred dogs have specific characteristics, they, too, exhibit individual behaviors and health concerns. Therefore, whether a dog is mixed-breed or purebred, there is no way to predict exactly how it will behave or how healthy it will be. Generalizations have made some breeds more desirable, but individual variation is always present.

Challenges with Mixed-Breed Dogs No One Talks About

When adopting a purebred dog, there are built-in knowns about the breed. Some examples include behavior, energy level, shedding level, and health issues. Unfortunately, mixed-breed dogs are full of unknowns. This does not make a mixed-breed dog any worse than a purebred. However, not knowing a mixed-breed dog’s exact breeds or background can make it more challenging to find the right fit for your household.

Some of the biggest challenges that no one talks about with mixed-breed dogs include:

• Being told the mixed-breed is a certain type of dog as a puppy, only to find it is something completely different and larger as an adult
• Mixed-breed dogs can have the best or the worst traits from their parents, as the behavior is a mixed bag
• It may be harder to diagnose mixed-breed dogs with a disease, not knowing the breeds that combined to create them
• While horror stories abound about puppy mills that supply pet stores with purebred dogs, the fact of the matter is that mixed-breed dogs have a higher likelihood of having trauma before winding up in a shelter, which will have to be worked through

None of these reasons should dissuade those who want to adopt a mixed-breed shelter pup from doing so. Instead, it should serve as a reminder for those looking to adopt to do their homework on breed types first, understand how long it can take any dog, regardless of breed, to acclimate to a new home, and know just what size of dog can be comfortably accommodated in a house if the shelters are wrong about the breed type at the time of adoption.

Benefits of Owning a Mixed-Breed Versus a Purebred Dog

Before breaking down the benefits of owning a mixed-breed dog versus a purebred, it should be noted that there are several benefits of owning a dog in general. From living longer to decreased stress levels, becoming more social, being more prone to move, and being overall happier, owning a dog is excellent for a person’s health.

While the fact that mixed-breed dogs live longer is one of the most significant advantages of owning a mutt, there are other pros of owning a mixed-breed as opposed to a purebred. Some of the advantages include:

• Each mixed-breed dog is a one-of-a-kind
• The personality traits can be from three different breeds of dogs in one body
• Mixed-breed dogs tend to adapt to environments faster than purebred dogs
• Mixed-breed dogs tend to be more in tune with their environments due to having DNA from multiple breeds
• Mixed-breed dogs are more available than purebred dogs
• Mixed-breed dogs are more affordable than purebred dogs

At the end of the day, people looking to bring home a furry friend generally already have their minds made up about whether they will adopt or shop. For those who are looking for a mixed-breed dog, know that these dogs will take time to adapt to a home. But they also know who saved them. Therefore, not only will those who adopt have a friend who will live a long life, but one who will be loyal for their lifetime.