Howdy

Welcome to the forum you two.

Microchip is one of the best ways to keep track of your boy if he ever got lost. There are really no serious draw backs other than sometimes the chip can resurface out of the skin. Some dogs have a reaction to it. There is no way of telling how your fur kid will react to the chip until after the fact.
 
Having him neutered would be a wonderful idea since they do have a keen sense of smell and if he smells a female in heat, there he goes now. And it doesn't have to be another rotti/x either. Too many bad things happen when males are left in tact as females left in tact also. If I were you, I would reconsider having him mate with another mixed breed just because he looks cute or is unique. BAD IDEA.
IMHO.
 
Other than that, I think he is cute as a button.

I second Forpaws about the chip and the neutering.  You'll find that not many people approve of breeding a dog just cause he's cute.  There's no guarantee you'll get puppies like him.  []  Best to rescue another poor soul from the local shelter or rescue group.

As for what he is, that second pic makes me think part bassett or corgi, but that's based on the outward toe in his front legs.  Too cute!!!  []

Hi Jenny,
Welcome!! My dog and 2 cats are micro-chipped.  Personally I think micro-chipping is a good idea.  I look at it as one more line of defense against your pet getting lost and not being able to find his/her way back home.  Better to be safe than sorry I think. 

I agree with forpaws, spaying or nutering your pet is a good idea.  Personally all my guys are spayed/nutered.  I think this may reduce the chance of wandering and also may prevent possible health issues down the road.  That's my $.02 anyway.

     Welcome Jenny and Cowboy![] He sure is cute and has a lot of personality. We're owned by a "full-blooded mutt" too, and although I admire pure breeds, mutts can be great dogs. By the way, my grandchildren love to watch Jessie do the shooting trick, only I point my finger and  say "bang" instead of using a gun.
    I agree with forpaws and tashakota about microchipping and neutering.

Hi Jenny and Cowboy! Welcome to the board!

He sure looks like a cutie! I bet he's a barrel of fun!

This is a great place to find out whatever you want about dogs. Ask any question you want, learn about all kinds of stuff. It's great.

My dog is a mix, too. Husky, elkhound and coyote. We moved up to Alaska from New Mexico, so you can see where the coyote came from. Sofia and her sister got spayed when they were six months old. (Athena, her twin, lives with my son in Albuquerque.) They are unique, but I wouldn't breed more dogs when there are so many more I WISH I could adopt still! Have you ever looked at Petfinder.com? So many really cute dogs there! Can be dangerous to look at if you do have room for another, hehe. []

Hi welcome to the board.[]

Thanks to all for the welcome.
 
I too point my finger and say bang I meant to say. Cowboy would probably be afraid of a toy gun. He is a little strange that way. He is not afraid of any man, animal or living thing. The meter man who comes in our yard sometimes has almost 'got it' a couple of times. I can't tell Cowboy not to chase him because generally I want him to chase strangers that climb our back yard fence. I figure if they have to go in the back way, they shouldn't be there in the first place. The poor meter man, he's learned to read the meter with binocculars. Cowboy isn't real large, but he is about 50 pounds and solid. My puppy, the weirdo. He'll stand up to any living being-but show him the umbrella...that's it. he's gone and hiding under the bed. Won't come out. Thunder and he's in your lap or tries to anyway. Once, a piece of aluminum foil made a loud noise and he tried to run so fast he ended up running in place without going anywhere like in cartoons. Inanimate objects seem to scare him to death!
 
Well, I am willing to consider all options about neutering and chipping. I don't want to lose him because then I'd have to quit my job to allow time to go door to door of every house in the city trying to find him. Yes! I am that crazy about him!
 
About the chip resurfacing, how often does that happen? It kind of freaks me out. And how often do the dogs have a reaction to it? I want to get the chip, I think it's great, but I don't want him to be hurting. Has anyone here had problems it?
 
One day I would like to get him a girlfriend. Hopefully one day when I have a bigger yard. All dogs will have to Heaven one day just like we do and I'd love to have one of his puppies. I appreciate what you say about not just picking one that's cute to mate him with. Many dogs make good pets. I suppose I would want the female to at least be his size and temperment; coloring only if possible. Cowboy is engergetic and playful, but is pretty laid back when I am doing my own resting. I like feisty little dogs (my aunt has one), but I also want one that can protect me. I know I'm not ready for puppies yet, my son and Cowboy are plenty to take care of now. But I am just thinking ahead. I'd love to adopt the female and keep both her and a puppy, but I know I must have a much bigger yard than I have now. I guess I will just have to wait and see.
 
Is there any kind of meet up groups? Do you have a forum where people in the same cities chat? I live in Houston. I love taking my son and dog and explore new parks. Some parks are not very good to take your pet I have realized. The last one I went to, this guy had his dog running around without a leash. The only problem I had was that my dog likes to try to be 'leader of the pack' and will try to intice the other dog to come over and 'have it out.' I'm always worried about him getting into a fight with a bigger dog and getting hurt. Cowboy is just barely too big to pick up. I read a book that said that if a strange dog ran towards you, don't try to back off with your dog. It said to let them greet each other. I'm not sure, I'm don't think I could stop a fight if it started....am I being paranoid? What do you guys do when bigger dogs approach you when walking your pet?
 
Jessie's mom: What kind of dog is yours? His coloring is similar to Cowboys. Really we're just guessing on the mix of rottweiler. There was one in the area, a stray. His mom was bigger, she was a boxer/mix and the color of brown sugar. Many people say he looks like a giant weenie dog! I don't see the hound in him. But too many people say it, soooo maybe he is boxer/bassett or weenie dog. But doesn't matter. So is there anyone here who would say NO to chipping?

I say "yes" to micro-chipping.  I've never even heard of anyone having a bad reaction to it.  I'm sure that it's very rare. 
 
Breeding is not something to be taken lightly, there is ALOT to consider and it's an awesome responsibility.  You've come to the right place if you want to learn!  This forum is full of great information posted by true experts.  Check out the Breeding Archive for more:
[linkhttp://forum.dog.com/discus/messages/46/731.html]http://forum.dog.com/discus/messages/46/731.html[/link]

Always Happy to see new people join idog. Makes for there to be a steady stream of continous learning and than be able to try to teach others better aswell. Your boy is definately a cutie I personally feel that anything that is able to be done to offer more security in knowing that if your pet becomes lost you have a better chance to get them back than it's worth giving it a shot. Also not to sound rude at all but PLEASE rethink your idea of wanting to breed your dog. There are WAY too many homeless dogs looking for homes now and although you are wanting to do it to get another cute puppy, what will happen to the rest of the litter? Just something to think about
 

There are too many homeless dogs-I see them all the time. I would not take just one puppy and then throw the rest out on the street. What kind of person do you think I am? I have friends and family who want them. Each puppy would be as special to me as Cowboy.

Microchipping is a quick and painless thing (and usually low-cost too). A dog isn't even sedated or anything to insert the chip. It's about the size of a piece or rice. The chip is inserted with something like a needle and usually a dog won't even flinch or act like they feel anything. I don't think negative reactions or chips resurfacing happens very often. I would think the benefit of microchipping your dog far outweigh any negative thing that "may or may not" happen (but probably won't). It's not something you need to worry a lot about IMO. Welcome to the forum!

ORIGINAL: jlowe

There are too many homeless dogs-I see them all the time. I would not want just one puppy and then throw the rest out. What kind of person do you think I am? I have friends and family who would want one. Each puppy would be as special to me as Cowboy.

I didn't mean to make it sound as if I thought you were a bad person or uncaring at all. I apologize if that is the way it sounded. I am just very against the breeding of Any dog just because there's a chance of getting a cute puppy. Just my opinion

I'm afraid that you'll find MOST of us pretty opinionated on breeding.  There are so many wonderful dogs dying every day in shelters that it's hard for us to justify the deliberate creation of more pups.  Although you may have good homes lined up for any you create, that makes for fewer homes for the ones ALREADY born.  Many of us work/volunteer in shelters, or do rescue and fostering.  So, we aren't a very supportive bunch when it comes to stuff like this.  There is a reason that the breeding threads are considered a HARD HAT area! []

Ummmm?  Garrett??  Who's the cute kid?