Crossbreeds or mongrels Discussions

Was having a discussion with my friend the other day and she was saying about a mongrel which turned out to be a yorkie x poodle.
Now I class a mix of just two different breeds as a crossbreed and a mix of more than two different breeds as a mongrel.
What do you call each?

I'd say a mongrel was a dog that was lots of different breeds and 2 breeds merged is a crossbreed.

I would say the same, but the crossbreed I have I refer to as a Terrier cross as he looks that way but TBH anything could be involved there!
I think I'm just not keen on the term Mongrel!

what natalie said

Same here crossbreed 2 breeds crossed, mongrel more than 2 breeds in the mix.

Personally I hate the description/term 'mongrel' (don't ask me why, but I do) Hence I class any cross, a cross breed no matter how much the mix. Love em all though

Crossbreed-2 pedigree's crossed together
Mongrel-multiple breeds/x breeds in its make up

Mongrel .. no real traceable history
Cross breed 2 X pedigree dogs
But I do think that either term applies as neither are "pedigree" so techinically both are mongrels:?

Rachel

I have always had the impression that a Mongrel is where parentage is visually unknown and a cross is where atleast one of the breed parents are recognisable.

Makes no difference what you call em' though-still great dogs!

Couldn't agree more - I've seen squllions of awesome crossbreeds/mongrels. I think they can be called either really, some people refer to them as crossbreeds and some say mongrel.

Maybe we should put a poll up to ask which one people use most to refer to 'non-pedigree/breeds'?

I call them all cross breeds too, or 'mixtures'!

Dont agree with you there. Mongrel , although I dont like the word is more than 2 mixes . A crossbreed is a mating of 2 pedigree dogs , A mongrel can have 57 varieties hence where the saying comed from Heinz 57. I did have one and she was a beat

I don't mind the term 'mongrel', I used to called mine 'my little mongy' as a term of endearment. What I don't like is people calling them 'only a mongrel' - IMO there is no such thing as 'only.....anything'. They are all dogs not only's.

I use either mongrel or crossbreed, if the dog is of discernable crossing then I would probably say cross lab or cross collie etc.

This would be how I see it too

never thought about it to be honest..I tend to use the two terms interchangeably (is that a real word I wonder...)

Ditto.

That and Heinz 57 for Bodhi.

Or MUTT!

All lovingly you understand

That's what she is - my mutt!

Or mix...

Just whatever springs to mind

I've always known and called a dog of unknown parentage a Heinz 57 and those with an obvious (at least one parent known) as crosses .... not that it really matters I guess at the end of the day .... they're all loveable furbabies whatever shape and size and parentage they are ;-)

What do you people class as a 'pedigree' dog though?

You can have a 'mongrel' that has a pedigree, so technically, it's a pedigree dog!
All a pedigree is, is a family tree.

I either say the breed, or a cross breed.

I refer to my dogs of unknown breed history as Bitsas - as in bits of this and bits of that.

I tend to use the term crossbreed to be a dog of two different pedigree parents.