My mom and I were talking about our dog, which a miniature pincher, and she told me that they are made up of 5 different dog breeds. Is this true? If so, what dog breeds is it mixed with?

A: The Miniature Pinscher is a purebreed, so it is not a mix of breeds. When it was being developed in the 1800s, however, various terriers, Dachshunds, German Pinschers and various other breeds were used.

Preferably small breeds. I just lost my first dog to cancer, and to my dismay the issue is linked to genetics in the breed.

A: All breeds have problems including mixed breeds. Acually, mixed breeds have just as many health problems as purebred dogs. Remember, a mix can be the product of an inbreeding. And if the parents both have hip displasia or heart disease or whatever, the pups will probably have the same disease. There are some breeds to just avoid because the health issues are too bad. The King Charles is one of these because of the heart problems.
You can find out the health issues on the...

I have 2 cats and 2 rabbits and am really hoping to get a dog. Can anyone suggest any dog breeds that may or may not get along with my other pets? Or possibly how I can train the dog to not attack or bother the cats and rabbits? Thanks guys.

A: No matter what kind of breed of dog you get never leave them alone. My friend had a Lab and a rabbit; They were the best of friends. They even slept together and would spend hours outside together. One day she came home and there was blood all over the house and one sad bunny :[. I don't mean to scare you but I'm just warning you. If you are going to watch them get a highly trainable,friendly, non-hunting dog.

I am looking for a small dog breed that I can hold in one arm comfortably and can still hold a tennis ball in their mouth. I can hold a dog larger that 25 lbs in one arm, I do not want to go any larger than that. I have been researching Toy Fox Terriers, (Toy) Manchester Terriers, Miniature Schnauzers, and other small dog breeds.

A: Some standard daschunds can do it, one of my mini's got it right.

What has been largely missing from the pit bull debate of the past few days is that dogs that attack people have owners. To focus our attention on the breed of the dog is to abdicate our responsibility to be accountable for the behaviour of our pets. The recent case in Victoria occurred because a dog owner allowed a poorly trained and poorly socialised dog to roam freely in a public place. So let's bring this issue back to where it started, with the owner of the dog. Only then will we get close to addressing the root of the problem.

We know that a dog's tendency to bite is the product of at least five factors: the dog's genetic predisposition to aggression; early socialisation to humans; its training or mistraining; the quality of its care and supervision; and the behaviour of the victim. Genetics is only one of these factors. In the wrong circumstances, any dog, regardless of size, breed or mixture of breeds can be dangerous. The RSPCA believes that deeming a dog as "dangerous" should therefore be done on the basis of its behaviour, not its breed.