why do people mix breeds when breeding?

[Ravenwolf]

Found out something new. I guess they cross different breeds to make hog hunting dogs! Tough little suckers! My dad went on some hog hunts just to watch and he said they mixed cattle dogs and bull terriers. The dogs are supposed to run down a hog, grab its ears, and hold it until the owner can come kill it or geld it. I guess they taste better if they've been neutered! Hogs are a big problem around here. They are taking over some places and they get scary huge! They sure need tough dogs to grab a hog! My dad said sometimes it's a little frightening. The dogs do get hurt a lot from the boar's tusks. And for some reason, I guess they may have trained the dogs to do so, they mainly grab males which is what the hunters want. Thought that was interesting. I guess the cattle dog part of the mix is to make them smarter. lol.

This makes me think of Old Yeller!

[Mollys Dad]

So cutting their bits off makes the rest of the animal taste better? Can anyone confirm / explain this or is it some kind of weird mutilation ritual among hunters. Doesn't sound right to me

[Jerad]

Breeds being created from different breeds for a specific purpose is how most current breeds came into existence, like the hog dog posted earlier. But this cross breeding is usually done carefully and over multiple generations for a good breed. The 50/50 first-generation "designer dogs" are not genetically stable yet and usually aren't picked out for optimal health and performance. This causes many problems, most of which have already been stated. I did just meet a golden-husky mix today, and he looked and acted healthy, but he also had a good caring owner and was a rescue. I don't have anything against mutts as dogs, but people who stick their hand in breeding for a quick buck or because they think a mix would be OMFGABORBZLOL cause more harm than any good.

[BlueWolf]

So cutting their bits off makes the rest of the animal taste better? Can anyone confirm / explain this or is it some kind of weird mutilation ritual among hunters. Doesn't sound right to me

I know it's true for at least pigs. Although it's only a small percentage and you'll only know it when you cook the meat. I know that at least in the Netherlands most farmers do not neuter the males any more (due to costs and too much stress for the animal). There are actually people who cook a small piece of the meat to smell if it's good or not :eek:

[Removed #1]

So cutting their bits off makes the rest of the animal taste better? Can anyone confirm / explain this or is it some kind of weird mutilation ritual among hunters. Doesn't sound right to me

This isn't the case with cows. The castration of a bull causes it to produce less testosterone which makes it easier to put on fat...which gives beef that marbled look and generally increases the price of the beef at market, additionally it actually decreases growth (which is strange because if you neuter a dog before it's done growing you tend to get the leggier animal because in dogs the hormones are also when their bones are signaled to stop growing...so you end up with different bones stopping the growing process at different times in physical development), and so while you have a larger body with male bulls, you also have a leaner one which is worth less because it's not what people want in their beef.

[SaraB]

So cutting their bits off makes the rest of the animal taste better? Can anyone confirm / explain this or is it some kind of weird mutilation ritual among hunters. Doesn't sound right to me

Just googled and on a lot of hunting forum they say it makes the meat taste "less gamey," "better," and "sweeter." So I do think it is true. My dad said they would actually do that most of the time when hunting. They wouldn't keep any females or intact males. He only ever saw them catch one that had been castrated before and they kept it. Oh and I can attest that wild hog can taste horrible! We had a big family dinner where my cousin thought it would be great to cook up a wild boar for everyone. I was expecting it to taste like sweet ham. Far from it. It was not sweet at all and very tough to chew. My cousin is usually a pretty good cook, but I think his red neck side got the better of him on that dinner!

[Ravenwolf]

So cutting their bits off makes the rest of the animal taste better? Can anyone confirm / explain this or is it some kind of weird mutilation ritual among hunters. Doesn't sound right to me

I think that testosterone doesn't contribute to a good flavour in meat, either. Combine that with the behaviours of an intact male, especially in breeding season when most game is typically hunted - they are generally under a lot more stress. They use all their energy to compete and mate, therefore losing weight in almost a starvation mode and holding leaner muscle.

I can say with absolute certainty that - while I've never eaten a castrated deer - a mature male deer with an impressive rack is far less of a prize for the dinner table than a doe or a 2nd year buck. The meat is definitely not as good.

[Christine0925]

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but my step brother and his girlfriend have a pitbull/chihuahua mix. The dog is super hyper, super confused, and it's really sad. We have gotten in many arguments over this, but it gets me nowhere, as he and his girlfriend think there dog is amazing and one of a kind, and everyone is 'super jealous' where as I see it as you have a designer dog who is confused and doesn't deserve that.

[Mollys Dad]

Sorry, wrong end of the stick, so to speak. I thought SaraB meant their parts were cut off when they were caught / killed, not castrated at an earlier time. Hence my comment about ritual.