Preferred breed type

[Patty]

Since 'Pedigree Dogs Exposed' was produced, the UK KC has mad e several changes in some breed standards in order that a tendency to serious problems should not be rewarded in the show ring.

They have also declared that they won't register offspring of close relatives. Luckily for me it's not retrospective. When I did these matings I was confident in what I was doing. I feel that ths is a retrograde step as in my opinion it could have been done differently. An application for such a prospective mating could have been submitted and considered by knowledgeable individuals within the Kennel Club.

I've printed off the article, Eeeefarm, as it looks interesting and i find it difficult to read from the screen.

[eeeefarm]

@Patty:

I've printed off the article, Eeeefarm, as it looks interesting and i find it difficult to read from the screen.

I would be interested in any comment you have after reading it. I find it unfortunate that the excesses of some end up limiting the options for responsible, knowledgeable breeders. Certainly in my horse breed (Arabians) there has historically been a lot of close breeding, and some of it has yielded excellent results. I can trace my guys back to desert bred, and one of these days I might do the math and figure out the COI for them. :)

[JoT]

There are currently two schools of evidence on how inbreeding avoidance occurs, but they are very similar. One school of thought is that the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) type group of genes is responsible. The other school is that incest avoidance strongly correlates with MUP type (major urinary proteins). Either way, there is a link between sexual attraction and genetic similarity – our dogs prefer mates with dissimilar chemical type. Both MHC and MUP have been shown to influence individual scent thus making it easy to distinguish individuals and determine relatedness.
Individuals who smell more like self are most likely related to some extent, so you avoid them for mating.
Therefore, natural populations have an evolutionary mechanism to ensure inbreeding avoidance and enhance genetic diversity while maintaining consistent type.

When you [generic] talk about situations where wild populations are observed to permit close matings, is there evidence (paternity tests) that any offspring are produced? There is a critical difference between the act of mating and the results of breeding.

eeeefarm wrote : "The current direction breeders are taken is called into question by this interesting article"
But, I note that the article was actually published in 2007 and would then be based on research prior to that date. So it would not reflect any changes in breeder direction over the recent ~5 years.

[eeeefarm]

@JoT:

eeeefarm wrote : "The current direction breeders are taken is called into question by this interesting article"
But, I note that the article was actually published in 2007 and would then be based on research prior to that date. So it would not reflect any changes in breeder direction over the recent ~5 years.

Yes, I realize the article isn't current. I'm interested in whether breeders are doing things differently since there has been a fair bit of controversy about close breeding in recent times. And that the veterinarians are considering their own involvement is a good thing. It does take some time for anything to change, but often there are indications before a tipping point is reached.

Thanks for the very interesting information on mate selection! The more we learn the more fascinating the whole subject becomes. :)

[DebraDownSouth]

First please ignore typos– spilled something on expensive ergo keyboard, trying to manage with reg.

Dr Jo, very interesting! Do you have any links to the smell research? Not that it surprises me. Even for humans, scent is powerful in attraction.

@eeeefarm:

I C one of these days I might do the math and figure out the COI for them. :)

There are some free online ones you can actually plug about 10 or more generations into to get the number.

@Patty:

Since 'Pedigree Dogs Exposed' was produced, the UK KC has mad e several changes in some breed standards in order that a tendency to serious problems should not be rewarded in the show ring.

They have also declared that they won't register offspring of close relatives. Luckily for me it's not retrospective. When I did these matings I was confident in what I was doing. I feel that ths is a retrograde step as in my opinion it could have been done differently. An application for such a prospective mating could have been submitted and considered by knowledgeable individuals within the Kennel Club.

I've printed off the article, Eeeefarm, as it looks interesting and i find it difficult to read from the screen.

Okay so you are saying the UKC now limits close (I assume you mean bro/sis, father/daughter type?) breedings from registry? Why the hell not go on pedigree examination? You can have extremely high COI ratings from dogs that are NOT related closely.

[sharronhurlbut]

Thanks you for this info Dr Jo.