What dog breeds are generally healthy and free of genetic disorders?

Get a mut

I'm with R1. Purebreds are asking for trouble.

Don't get a dog from a breeder (they are evil regardless of the continent).

My other dog is a mutt that I got from the pound as a puppy. Turns out she is half pitt bull. We love her dearly and she always has a home with us, but I do not want to risk getting another pitt mix. Now that I know what they look like I see it in so many puppies and dogs now.

Watching with interest. We always had border collies growing up. All suffered dysplasia. The last one also went neurotic, I think because my older parents couldn't keep her entertained enough. They need to be kept busy constantly.

OP - You "do not want to risk getting another pitt mix". The boyfriend enthusiastically wants a pitt, I'm hesitant because of their reputation. Has a risk been realized for you with this dog?

Almost all pure breeds have health issues. The AKC has a great site where you can investigate them -- there's a 'health' tab toward the bottom of each breed's page.

That said, I had a mutt who lived to be 13 but was plagued with colitis all his life and had to have both knees fixed. I rescued a Weimaraner from a shelter and he's been generally healthy, but he's very lumpy.

Your boyfriend is either dangerously deluded or deeply complected, r5. Getting a pitbull/ Staffordshire/ English Terrier/ whatever you want to call it is a relationship-ender.

Another vote for a mutt of some description. I'm a mastiff dude (as it my partner - he wasn't, but he didn't have any choice, as I came with doggy baggage), and I've rescued a lot of big dogs. Some purebred, but mostly crossbreeds. The crossbreeds have always outlasted the purebreeds, and usually with far fewer health conditions. A modern pure bull mastiff, from a reputable breeder, has an average life expectancy of around 10 years, but I have had crosses who exceeded that by several years.

If you want a big dog and can handle a puppy, then around the early summer is when most rescues seem to get 8-month-old puppies who are eating their thoughtless owners out of house and home and becoming too big to handle. A big, slobbery puddle of fur is waiting to love you.

The Guidices

Mutts come with genetic breed disorders also.

R5, My pit mix is part smaller breed of terrier. She's very hostile to everyone not a chosen member of her family. It makes it hard to have repairmen over to fix things, or other guests. She is smaller, so I can handle her on walks. She hates the sight of other dogs while on walks. She can control herself at the dog park mostly, but I have to be very careful. I can leave her and my other dog at boarding, and an employee worked herself into my dog's good graces, so she does get attention there. She's never had the chance to bite anyone, though.

I know the dangers of pitts, and I don't want to help pitt breeders think that what they are doing is alright by homing one of their puppies.

Chihuahua's are a very old breed, likely way back to the Aztecs.

They don't have many genetic disorders.

I have a rescue dog that I chose because he looks like a terrier. The DNA test came back majority chihuahua and miniature pinscher. He's very healthy and not annoying like a chihuahua.

I have a 15 year old Chow mix. My homeowners insurance does not cover for my dog. If you decided to get a dog on the list of "dangerous dogs" that apartment managers have they will not rent to you. As I stated before homeowners insurance won't either, even if it is a mix. So if you dog hurts someone you are 100% liable.

r11. you're not being a pack leader.

Maybe get a mixed-breed dog that is a mixture involving *one* of these breeds:

1. Maltese.

2. Bichon Frise.

3. Shih Tzu.

Absolutely, if you want a healthy dog go to the pound and get a mixed breed. A Heinz 57 as we call them where I live. You'll save a life and have a great dog with no genetic disorders.

Mutts can and do have genetic disorders.

Like how you got your grandma's diabetes.

Get a mix that has poodle in it.

I believe that shiba inus are generally healthy. At least, I hope it's true because I'm getting one in a few months!

mutts

I met a very healthy, vibrant 17 year old Doberman Pinscher years ago. Female. HUGE! The owner insisted that the dog had never eaten commercial dog food ever. It ate what the family ate.

Mutt can carry genetic disorders, but they are less likely to express them

OP here, a mutt would be great, but around my area people have embraced spay/neuter -except for the pit bull crowd. I think I'm going to have to travel a bit to find a mutt I can trust isn't a pit mix.

My Walker Hound/German Shepard mutt has definitely expressed an eye condition only found in GSs.

cats

Rat Terriers

Get a mutt. Yes, there’s the possibility of genetic problems, but it’s substantially less than with purebreds. You’re also, literally, SAVING A LIFE. Shelter animals get put down if they’re not adopted in a certain amount of time. There are so many wonderful companions desperate for homes.

I agree with R8 - I adopted a Malamute mix around early summer and his only flaw is he needs a ton of exercise.

Rolls eyes at R11.

The main problem with mutt pups is you can't tell how big they will be, which can be an issue for many people. .

It’s a crap shoot, OP. Just make sure you are prepared for unexpected vet bills.

My neighbours have a malamute/GSD cross, R28. They call him their malamutt. He's just had his 11th birthday, but is still bounding around like a puppy. He absolutely adores my two slightly younger mastiffs, and the feeling is returned. They play together 2-3 times a week. It sounds like murder is being committed, but they love it.

My sister has a 3-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She’s beautiful, sweet but and a nightmare health-wise. The vet told her that virtually every single CKCS dog these days will develop a heart murmur due to bad breeding so the dog gets annual screens.

I want to adopt an adult dog, mut is fine but can’t have one bigger than 25lbs. Not many available near me at the shelters, those “rescues” popping up everywhere are they a scam?

Mitzi, my Lhasa Apso, is the very picture of health. My neighbor’s son Joel loves her to bits. I’m always inviting him over for doggy dates.

R35, until Mitzi goes crazy one day and eats the eyes out of Joel's skull.

R34 yes, they’re usually for-profits masquerading as nonprofit rescues. But the dogs still need good homes.

If size is an issue, look at the pup’s paws. You can tell how big they’re going to get by the relative size of their paws. If they’re small/proportionate to the body, you’re good. If they’re the diameter of a tennis ball or look too big for the dog/like they need to be grown into, you’re looking at way more than 25 pounds.

When I was young, a wise dog-mad older woman told me: "Either get a dog from the absolute top breeder, or go down to the pound and get a nice healthy mutt. Nothing in between!".

She was right. It's not a matter of breed, so much as of the integrity of the breeder. Only the very best breeders will take care to keep the genetic disorders out of their bloodlines, the lower-end and backyard breeders don't give a rat's ass, they just want to make money. So they will inbreed, or breed from animals that have genetic disorders, they will produce animals that look good when they're young enough for sale but which are likely to develop health problems later in life, and I've seen that and it's horrible.

So do your research on the breeder, or give a mutt a home.

Thanks R39, that's the kind of advice I need.

Here, the best dogs (no pitbull mix) are in foster care, not at the shelters. Try connect with the crazy pet people of your community, the major problem is their demands for future owners sometimes are very unrealistic, that allows many of them to reject adoptions and give them an excuse to do what they really want, hoard pets.

This one might fit your needs quite well OP:

I second R41. It’s always a better idea to adopt a dog that’s been in a foster home. That way you’ll get a better idea of how it does around other dogs/pets, kids, etc.

I've had Greyhounds for many years. they tend to live between 12 and 14 years which is pretty decent for a large breed. The females are smaller and tend to live longer as a result. Mine are not rescues, and the rescues often have serious health problems from getting crappy care early in life. My first was a rescue and came with multiple types of worms that were hard to eradicate. She was great dog, though.

They do best with a large fenced yard and another dog to play for company and play. They're not trustworthy off leash because most of them have tremendous prey drive and will run after squirrels and such.

However, OP wants a dogs who bark to protect the house and my dogs don't bark much at all. That's actually one of the things I like about them.

A friend of mine trains service dogs. She said that the Labrador Retrievers tend to be pretty healthy and sane and are generally easy dogs. On average labs are much healthier than golden retrievers. Goldens are notorious for having a lot of health issues.

Rat Terriers

Ones that don't look like they got their head stuck in a record press like a pug.

You might check with breeders for 'oopsie' crossbreeds. A friend of mine got one of those from a breeder who bred Lhasa apsos, but one of her breeding girls got loose and got it on with a neighbor's Scottie (no idea why the Scottie wasn't fixed, but he wasn't). The resulting puppies were the cutest things you'd ever see--black with silky, wavy fur. The one my friend got had the sweetest disposition and lived to a ripe old age.

R33 Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are a breed that just makes me sad. They are such an adorable breed, but they have so many health issues. They should probably be bred out of existence, at this point.

I really like dogs, but it's always been hard for me to decide to adopt one or not. So many breeds, so many different criteria to take into account when deciding what type to adopt.

Beagle.

Beagles howl and get fat easily

beagles ears stink, no matter what.

Greyhounds are great. They have such soft coats, so nice to pet.

Having a dog is bad enough, but no way would I have one prone to expensive health issues.

Wire Fox Terriers

A friend of mine has a retired rescue greyhound. It was a strange start because even though the dog was an adult he had never seen stairs or a normal house or been exposed to play so he had to be taught all of those things. He has his quirks - their skin is really thin/prone to breaking and they can’t be off-lead in non-fenced areas EVER - but he’s a sweetie.

I love dogs, but I just don't want the hassle of walking, picking up poop, barking, training, etc., etc. And the number one reason I don't want one is this...

[quote]Thanks [R39], that's the kind of advice I need.

Translation: I found someone who told me what I wanted to hear.

Chihuahuas are a healthy breed, have amazing hearing. and will bark up a storm. They have big personalities and need a firm hand or they’ll be obnoxious.

I'm with you, r56! I'll content myself with photos, videos, my friends' dogs post-pandemic, and my cute little black plush therapy dog Diggory!

Just fuckin' get a dog at a pound and enjoy it. Then when it dies, get another one.

It's a DOG!!! Treat it nice but in the end, it isn't going to live more than a decade or so, so enjoy it then when it's time comes, MOVE ON.

If you want to get something clingy that will outlive you get a parrot.

I never would have predicted Chihuahuas to be one of the healthiest breeds. I wonder why that is. Are they less inbred than other breeds, somehow?