lq22
Well-Known Member
Following off the back of the pedigree dogs exposed: 3 years on programme last night, has anyone looked else looked up their dog's individual inbreeding coefficient?
Holy cow, just been checking some of our old girls, there is not enough info on the two oldest ones although their names do pop up automatically, but our last one was 7.2% (showlines, German import father, mother born in quarantine).
Sorry, having way too much fun with that site![]()
Hurumpghs at no "mongrel" button!!
Perhaps someone could enlighten me. I was involved in purebred dogs in the U.S. for over 25 years. I bred, exhibited, gave handling and grooming classes, was the president of a breed club, organised specialty shows and lectures on health and breeding, prepared the art and copy for dog show catalogues (both specialty and all breed). In all those years I was aware of only 2 breedings of brother/sister or father/daughter, and both were the results of unfortunate accidents. In both incidents the breeders culled the pups at birth/kept all of the 4 pups for life (they were hounds). Is inbreeding (brother/sister, father/daughter, mother/son) really that prevalent? I know linebreeding is a common practice. Half-brother to half-sister in outcrossed individuals is a breeding method used to set type. Grandparent to grandchild is also utilised (an old saying, coming from horses, is "let the sire of the sire be the grandsire of the dam on the dam's side"). I ask this question because of last night's BBC4 program on dog breeding. I, too, preferred this program to its predecessor. So often I hear people refer to purebred dogs as being inbred, or blaming heritable problems on inbreeding. I always answer those remarks with the retort that inbreeding doesn't cause those problems, it just manifests what's already there genetically. But is the practice of very close breeding that common amongst breeders (puppy mills excluded)?
In both programs I found Mark Evans quite irritating and a force for negativity in an already negative situation. He just rubbed me the wrong way. I welcomed the comments of the other professionals/owners/scientists. The Dally story was a breath of fresh air. Watching the Pug struggling to breathe was heartbreaking. A force for change is in the breeders' and judges' hands. The Kennel Club and the American Kennel Club are dog registries. They are not policing agencies. They exist to give credibility to purebred dogs. They are not going to take the kind of stand needed to rectify these problems and, in the process, lose revenue. It's the breed societies that have this responsibility. It's quite interesting how some clubs have got their priorities in the right order, and others...do ostrich and sand ring any bells?
In the US, the Boxer breed is plagued with von Willibrands disease and a high incidence of cancer. Deafness in Dalmatians is a major problem (I mention these breeds in reference to last night's program). I used to be a member of a breed club, in this country, where epilepsy and breathing problems (elongated soft palate) within the dogs are rife. The attitude of denial within this group of breeders/exhibitors is monumental. I stopped breeding, neutered all the dogs, and let my membership lapse. I tried to make a difference. I really, really tried. But, for nothing. I couldn't be a part of it any longer. And the roster of devastated pet owners gets longer within that breed.
Hurumpghs at no "mongrel" button!!
I love the long haired weims, I have a friend who does WTs with them, beautiful dogs, though they can be a bit "blonde".![]()
Mark Evans made me laugh when he said about how shows should be about health and fitness and wotnot - soooo kind of like working trials then? But oh no, the RSPCA isn't keen on working dogs either...![]()