Quote Originally Posted by k muench View Post
He is a mix of lab and basset, and is available @ the local animal shelter. I haven't visited him yet (on purpose -- don't want to let emotion get in the way!), but will see him today. I understand the obedience thing, but "having a scent hound x retriever instinct to hunt and explore could be too much for an offlead area" is exactly what I am concerned about. Obviously some mutts are harder/or impossible to get trained to an acceptable level.
I have read that if the dog looks more like one of the breeds, its characteristics are like that breed. In my case, it's true. My dog is a Shih-tzu x Bichon and she looks like a Bichon. She has all the Bichon characteristics - lively, happy, friendly, likes to bark etc. But my dog isn't a great example as both breeds are quite similar in terms of temperament. But if it's more lab, then maybe the scent hound won't be as much of a problem as you think.