Why breed a particular dog?​​

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I didn’t set out to become a breeder of high-performance pointing Labrador retrievers, but for people who know me, once I dive into something, I go all in, with mastery of the subject my goal.  Ultimately, what I’m aspiring to produce is a dog with preserved genetic superiority and hybrid vigor, all while improving population health.

 

Genetic superiority means using a sire and dam whom I feel are superior to most Labrador retrievers based on the traits I value in a performance dog: 

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• Field traits:  strong desire to hunt birds, natural pointing instinct, strong desire to retrieve, accurate marking, perseverance when hunting, and tenacity when searching for a downed bird

• Personality traits:  biddable/easy for an experienced amateur to train, highly intelligent, confident but sensibly cautious, focused and eager to learn, appreciates being challenged with new concepts and catches on quickly, responds easily to correction, keen to please

• Physical traits:  conformation consistent with that of a vigorous canine athlete

• Psychological traits:  able to handle the stress of competition, content being crated or kenneled, relaxed when alone, quiet when expected

• Emotional traits:  calm in the house, a happy disposition, friendly with people, and bonded to their human

 

Hybrid vigor refers to producing offspring whose performance is greater than the average of their parents. 

To achieve these goals, I first had to have a dam whose qualities were worthy of being reproduced.  When I unexpectedly had one, I had to decide whether or not to pursue building a breeding program.   I found a great stud fairly close whom I’ve watched develop over the years and really liked.  He also had a fantastic pedigree and previous offspring who seemed to do well.  The puppies from that first pairing of Joy with Rowdy in June 2024 have so far all been very consistent in terms of the traits I valued, so I consider that pairing a success.

 

However, as I researched more on breeding for population health, I decided I wanted for Joy’s final breeding a stud dog whose pedigree was not filled with familiar names but who himself was a superior dog.  As a completely amateur-trained, two-time APLA Triple Crown finisher, 4xGrand Master Pointing Retriever, Hunting Retriever Champion and Master Hunter, Deacon fulfilled that criteria. 

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The reason I wanted a dog whose pedigree wasn’t filled with all the commonly expected names in pointing Lab pedigrees is to broaden genetic diversity.  The 5-generation Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI) between Joy and Deacon is an astonishingly tiny 0.39%, which means there is very little common blood between the sire and dam.  This is an ideal pairing of totally new bloodlines. 

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Inbreeding, linebreeding, or outbreeding:  what type of mating to do?

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The pointing Lab world is fairly inbred; you’ll see the same names popping up over and over again in our pedigrees. This was most likely done in the early days of the pointing Lab to solidify the natural pointing instinct in Labrador retrievers.  As a result, our dogs tend to be more inter-related than the average for our breed, which increases the risk for accumulating deleterious gene mutations in the background of our gene pool.

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To help lessen this problem, linebreeding is a form of breeding focuses on maintaining and improving specific traits within a lineage by selectively mating individuals that are more distantly related than inbreeding, such as cousins or grandparents to grandchildren.

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There is also something known as “popular sire syndrome.”   Breeders may be drawn to a popular or successful dog, leading to him being used for breeding more frequently than other available sires.  The repeated use of a single sire's genes reduces the overall genetic diversity of the breed.   While popular sires may be chosen for their desirable traits, breeding to them frequently can also concentrate undesirable traits, potentially leading to a decline in overall population health and quality within the breed. 

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On the other end of the breeding spectrum, outbreeding is a mating between dogs less related than the average for the breed.  It is used to bring in traits that a particular dog does not have, introduce new genes, and increase genetic diversity.  However if you consistently outbreed, it removes the similarities between dogs and thus reduces the ability to select for individual traits.

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Why test for genetic disorders?

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Testing for genetic disorders is a powerful tool that reputable breeders will use to improve population health.  Although many rare identified mutations are autosomal recessive, the majority of heritable diseases are polygenic or complex.  To help maintain genetic diversity, breeders should consider reducing the number of times a sire or dam is bred. We also have to look at the impact of environmental factors, such as stress, toxins, hormones, activity level, and diet on disease conditions.

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When you consider that a dog’s genome consists of nearly 20,000 genes and we currently have DNA tests for about 250 genetic disorders, we’re only testing 1.3% of the dog’s genes.  So just because a sire or dam are “clear” of genetic disorders on DNA testing today does not mean they don’t carry an inheritable disease.  Stastistically speaking, it’s very likely they carry at least one genetic mutation—it just isn’t identifiable at the present time.

 

As genetic disorder testing improves, we may eventually find the genes that cause conditions seen commonly in Labrador Retrievers, such as epilepsy, arthritis, heart disease, obesity, hypothyroidism, lipomas, elbow and hip dysplasia, and hemangiosarcomas.  But until then, genetic disorder testing can help breeders make responsible choices on actionable items that will improve population health by preserving quality and increasing genetic diversity.

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What genetic disorders should Labrador retrievers be tested for?

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The Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) was formed to promote the health and welfare of companion animals by establishing control programs to lower the incidence of inherited disease.  OFA has partnered with participating parent breed clubs to create the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) to research and maintain information on the health issues prevalent in specific breeds. They have established recommended protocols for breed-specific health screenings that are followed by all reputable dog breeders.

Dogs tested in accordance with that protocol are recognized with a CHIC number and certification.  A dog achieves CHIC Certification if it has been screened for every disease recommended by the parent club for that breed and those results are publicly available in the database.

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For Labrador Retrievers, recommended screenings include the following:

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• Hip Dysplasia:  OFA Radiographic Hip Evaluation

• Elbow Dysplasia:  OFA Radiographic Elbow Evaluation

• ACVO Eye Exam:  ACVO Eye Examination. Results registered with OFA.

• EIC (Exercise Induced Collapse):  EXERCISE INDUCED COLLAPSE - DNA based test from an approved lab

• D Locus (Dilute) DNA Test:  DNA based D LOCUS results from an approved lab

• Centronuclear Myopathy (Optional but recommended):  DNA Based CNM Test - results registered with the OFA

• Cardiac Evaluation (Optional but recommended):  Advanced Cardiac Exam with Echocardiogram.  Standard Congenital Cardiac Exam. Results registered with OFA.  Basic Cardiac Exam

• prcd-PRA DNA Test (Optional but recommended):  DNA based prcd-PRA test from a licensed lab - results registered with the OFA

 

Beyond this, however, there are several other genetic disorders which may have implications for the health and well-being of a dog.  The real reason to test for genetic disorders is not to weed out carriers of certain disorders, because eliminating carriers of known diseases would dramatically shrink the gene pool, restricting genetic diversity and increasing the chance of other inheritable conditions.

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The purpose of testing for genetic disorders is to provide actionable data on which to base breeding decisions and to help make lifestyle decisions that may affect the health of a dog.  For instance, Joy carries one copy of the gene linked to laryngeal paralysis.  This does not affect her, as it is a recessive trait; nor will it affect any of her offspring as long as she is not bred to a sire who also carries that gene. 

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This brings us to Deacon, who carries one copy of the ATP7B gene which is linked to copper accumulation.  This particular gene is not a simple autosomal dominant or recessive trait.  It has incomplete penetrance, which means that offspring with the same gene may or may not express the associated observable trait (i.e., copper-associated liver disease).  While having one copy of the genetic mutation slightly increases the risk a carrier may develop the disease compared to a dog who possesses no copies of the mutation, the risk is dependent on a multitude of other factors.

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In the case of copper toxicosis, environmental exposure to excessive copper (usually attributed to certain types of dog food and treats, such as liver treats) can lead to expression of that trait.  However, dogs that don’t carry the genetic mutation can also develop toxic copper accumulation so not carrying that particular mutation doesn’t necessarily make a dog “safe” from copper associated organ disease. 

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Since carrying one copy of this genetic mutation has the potential for a slightly higher risk of accumulating toxic levels of copper in the dog’s organs, the safest bet is to feed dogs that are known to carry this gene a diet lower in copper content and a little higher in zinc (which inhibits copper absorption).  That’s one reason I will test all the offspring of the Joy x Deacon breeding:  so that owners will know that if their pup carries Deacon’s gene for copper toxicosis, they will need to feed foods and treats lower in copper content to their dog.  If excessive copper accumulation is kept to a minimum and the dog’s vet is monitoring the dog for signs of copper-associated liver disease, dogs carrying this genetic mutation should enjoy long, healthy, normal lives. 

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(I kept one of the pups from Joy’s first litter who carries one copy of this ATP7B mutation.  It turns out that the first stud dog I used unexpectedly carried the mutation.  We didn’t discover this until after the pups were born and their DNA testing results came back with 1 out of 8 carrying the gene for laryngeal paralysis and 3 out of 8 carrying the copper toxicosis gene.  Both Joy and Rowdy had had normal/clear DNA testing just the year prior to breeding.  It turns out the genetic test for both LP and CT were developed a few months before Joy whelped her litter, so we went back and tested both Joy and Rowdy for those genetic variants to find out who carried what.  This just goes to show that because a sire and dam may have tested negative for known genetic disorders at one time, repeated testing is needed with each future breeding to pick up newly identified genetic disorders.) 

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To make an informed breeder’s decision, I have to balance the goals of genetic superiority and hybrid vigor with increased genetic diversification and improved population health.  Because an estimated 13-30% of Labrador retrievers carry the ATP7B gene for copper toxicosis, it’s extremely prevalent in the breed and to eliminate potential breeding stock based on this gene would severely limit the gene pool.  However it can be bred out of the offspring by pairing a carrier with an unaffected mate, which is my intention with Deacon.

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Proof of concept:  using a proven sire and dam

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Because Deacon and Joy will be an outbred mating, I can’t rely on specific traits found within a mutual lineage to strengthen the traits I want.  Instead, I’m relying on “proof of concept”—meaning I’m basing this pairing on what Deacon’s and Joy’s respective offspring have accomplished thus far.  Deacon has sired several litters with different dams and the offspring have been fairly uniform in terms of temperament and ability.  Many have attained advanced titles in APLA, AKC, and HRC and one already has an APLA Triple Crown pass.  Joy has had one litter whose pups will be a year old at the end of June.  Several have already earned their Advanced Pointing Retriever titles before a year of age.  These results make me feel quite confident that pairing these two dogs together should produce very uniform and consistent pups that amplify their parents’ traits.