OMAHA, Neb. -- Mixed-breed dogs used to be called mutts, but now breeders are combining bloodlines to create "designer dogs."

Breeders said they hope to get the best traits of both breeds, and they are getting hundreds of dollars for the animals.

"It's amazing how many different dogs people want because they saw this on the Internet, or saw this in another pet store, or they saw this on TV -- some of them I've never even heard of," said pet store owner Lorraine Charlie.

Purebreds are becoming passé as breeders and pet store owners watch mixed purebreds offering owners more choices.

"I think it's interesting to see what different breeds will produce together," said Julie Tully, a kennel owner. "Sometimes it's a better product of the two parents."

Charlie said one such pairing -- the "teddy bear" -- mixes a Bichon Frise and a schitzu. At Tully's, they offer the "malti-poo."

"This is half Maltese, half toy poodle," Julie Tully said.

Charlie said anything mixed with a "poo"-dle flies out of her store.

Linda Heckman purchased her designer dog, Sadie, five months ago.

"I like the way she looked. There was enough of the terrier/schnauzer look to her that I've always liked," Heckman said.

The desire for designer dogs goes beyond purely cosmetic pursuits. A "schnoodle" is a crossbreed of a schnauzer and a poodle. Breeders said they're often bred together because poodles are non-shedding.

Heckman said that's what drew her to schnoodle Sadie. She needed a hypoallergenic dog.

"Needed the basis of the poodle, but I didn't really care for poodles for looks, so the schnoodle is perfect," Heckman said.

Experts said perfection is not what you should expect from a designer dog.

"You're playing genetic crapshoot there," said animal behavioralist Denise Gurff. "You're going to get what comes out and you're not going to know for the next 10 years how that dog actually turned out."

Gurff said she saw pet stores reject the "golden doodle," which combined a golden retriever and a poodle.

"Somebody thought they were getting a sweet little poodle -- what they got was a sweet golden retriever that's high energy and ready to rock," she said.

Gurff said there's no real way to predict if a dog will have a certain temperament. In some cases, she said, crossing purebreds such as pugs and dachshunds can make an unhealthy pup.

"You're getting a dog that might have a weak rear-end and a dog that might have all sorts of breathing problems," Gurff said.

Tully agreed that not every combination is ideal.

"Sometimes it's difficult to sell some of the crossbreed puppies. I think the labradoodle is the perfect example. You don't know if they're going to shed. You don't what their hair's going to look like. Some are cute and fluffy and some have straggly hair," she said.

Heckman said her designer dog is the perfect companion.

"You're just like my baby, aren't you?" Heckman said, petting Sadie.