Mongrel dogs are smarter than their pedigree counterparts, according to new research.
Researchers from Aberdeen University found that cross-breeds have better spatial awareness and problem-solving abilities and would be better as police dogs, sheepdogs and guide dogs.
The team recommended that organisations, such as police forces, should no longer only use pedigree dogs to pound the beat.
They also discovered that mongrels were generally healthier than the pure-breds and escape problems generally associated with inbreeding .
Dr David Smith, who led the study, said there was a case for breeding more mongrels to prevent long-term issues, such as hip problems.
He added: "If you compare pure-bred dogs with cross-bred dogs there is no difference.
"Being a pure-bred does not improve the intelligence and our tests showed that a number of cross- breeds actually scored much higher.
"The risk of medical problems among cross-breeds is significantly lower so the focus has to move away from pure-breeding.
"Cross-breeding a German shepherd with a Rottweiler would make as good a police dog as a pure-bred German shepherd."
The researchers carried out tests on 42 pure-bred dogs and 32 cross-breeds, including spaniels, collies, and terriers.
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