New perspective on dog breeding part 1 puppies conditioning in the womb

This article by Larry Mueller was published in Outdoor Life 15 years ago, in 1998. Since then the science of genetics and epigenetics have advanced tremendously but the conclusion has not changed that much. If you want to breed superdogs, youd better start really, really early in a dogs life. The next installment will present a current perspective on the points raised in Larrys article.

Building The Superdog

Beginning Before Birth

The where, when, why and how of starting a superdog

Larry Mueller

Hunting Dogs Editor, Outdoor Life, 1998

     The new century for dogs is now. Modern science has poised the dog world for a fastforward of unprecedented proportions. In the past, superdogs were rare accidents of nature - naturals that made even first timers believe they were great trainers. And now we know how those accidents happen. We hold the simple secrets to building our own superdogs from scratch.

  

How early can we begin the conditioning which could lead to a superdog? Five months? Eight weeks? Ninety days? Would you believe… in the womb? Its true. We have scientific evidence that the fetus is not sealed in isolation. It lives in its mothers world.

Interestingly, before Mendel discovered genes, breeders were hunting pregnant bitches to produce superior pups. After Mendels theory caught on, that practice was called an old wives tale. Genetics allowed us to break breeding down to numbers and predict a few traits like coat color. So, we assumed that breeding is a crap shoot of many-sided gene dice. All traits, behavioral and physical alike, were thought to be locked m place at birth. It was a neatly packaged theory that shrank nature to fit our head size. To believe it, however, required ignoring all the loopholes and protecting our ignorance against obvious evidence to the contrary.

  

But this is for the future. For now, were conditioning fetuses to become great hunting dogs: Proof that its possible comes from the Universityof California, Berkeley. Dr. Marion Diamond, professor of anatomy, divided laboratory rats into two groups. In one rats were housed singly in boxes with just food and water. In the other, groups of rats lived together and enjoyed toys which were changed periodically - a mentally challenging environment.

  

At maturity, Marion Diamond sacrificed some of both groups and physically measured the cortex areas of their brains. The cortexes had actually grown thicker in the challenged rats. For the first time, it was proven that the anatomy of an animal brain could be changed by experience. Subsequent maze tests m other laboratories proved that rats with thicker cortexes were smarter and quicker to learn.

     

In a second study, Professor Diamond placed pregnant rats in both deprived and challenging environments. Again, the challenged rats had the thicker cortexes. But get this: So did their offspring! Somehow, the mothers experiences had improved their babies ability to learn.

  

Can this happen in dogs as well as rats? Of course. As Dr. Diamond points out, the number of neurons in a single column of cortical nerve cells is the same in rats, dogs and man. The number of dendrites (branchlike extensions) and the resulting complexity of circuitry is what creates some of the differences between species.

I asked Professor Diamond whether given the olfactory propensity of dogs and the fact that scent is tasted as well as smelled - there might be a biological connection telling the fetuses that their hunting mother is excited and what odor is responsible. Sound reasonable? "It does," she said, cautioning, however, that she believes everything is possible until proven otherwise.

  

How might the fetus be conditioned by the mother s experience? My own theory is that tasted odor, like medicine held under the tongue, quickly enters the bloodstream. At the same time, excitement releases adrenaline into the bloodstream. Brain chemicals such as seratonin fire into the gaps between the dendrites. A percentage of those chemicals are recycled to be used again by the brain. The remainder enters the bloodstream, which, in a pregnant bitch, also flows through the unborns brain where it reproduces sensations much like the mothers.

  

Whether my theory is right or wrong (veterinary neurologist and Auburn Universityprofessor Larry Myers says Im close, if not dead on) were certain that challenging the pregnant bitch will enlarge the offsprings cortex. Training will be easier. And if my theory is right, the pups will likely have a strong preference for the scent that excites their mother. Deer chasing should be minimized.

  

I believe that the time to make the greatest impression on the fetus is the last 21 days of gestation. (Since this was published in Outdoor Life, NBC reported that Dr. David Min used ultrasound to track heartbeats and movements of human fetuses. They began responding to parents voices and music at 26 weeks, verifying the third trimester as the time of greatest opportunity for influencing the unborn.)

Additional support for hunting the pregnant bitch comes from Missourieducator, Red Setter breeder and trainer, Bruce Ludwig. Except for heat-of-summer litters, Ludwig hunts his bitches until the last week. "Ive definitely seen more pointing intensity in pups from hunted bitches, Bruce said. And as an educator I see a parallel in children. From all walks of life and degrees of intelligence, those mothers who are physically and mentally active during pregnancy bear children who react noticeably better to sight, sound, and touch. Its most apparent before learned responses form, but it carries over to superior grades later."

  

But will breeders hunt their pregnant bitches? Should we risk hunting ours? Weve always pampered them. I can only answer with more questions. Have you ever known a coyote who took off two months from hunting to have her pups? Have you ever known a young coyote that wouldnt hunt? Not hunting the pregnant bitch may well be the first step in producing all those worthless dogs we see.

Read More..

--> By Dr Clive Dalton

 

Genetics or environment - which is more important?

This is the old question of which is more important - nature or nurture?  Is it the dog’s breeding (its genetic makeup) or the way it is trained and cared for?  Both are important and no amount of training will make a top dog if the genes for performance are not there.  On the other hand, good genes will not be fully expressed under poor training.

Most working dog traits or characters are strongly inherited - in other words what you see in a dogs performance will be passed on to the next generation.  The term "heritability" is used to describe this and is on a scale from 0 - 100%.  Weakly inherited traits like fertility and litter size are below 10% and strongly inherited ones like casting would be around 30-40%.  This is a guess, as geneticists have not done much study on working dogs, despite their importance.  Research has shown that hip dysplasia averages around 30-40% heritability.

What are working traits?

Heading dog

·      "Eye" or the ability to out-stare a sheep.  Dogs vary from "strong" eye to "plain" eye but the trait seems to be strongly inherited.

·      "Heading" or the dogs ability to cast around sheep.  Some dogs will naturally take a wide cast and others will run straight at stock.  The dog trialists ideal is a pear-shaped cast.  Again this seems to be strongly inherited.

·      "Shedding".  An ability to separate one sheep from another at close quarters.

·      Temperament.  This is the dogs "nature" and breeders say this is fairly strong in its inheritance.

·      “Early maturity” refers to the ability of a pup to start working at a young age.  Again breeders believe this trait is strongly inherited.  The fear with late-maturing pups is that they may not start to work at all.

·      Not biting or grabbing sheep is important.  Seen in some strains so must have a fairly strong genetic base.  Can be modified by training but is always there.

Huntaway

·      "Heading".  All huntaways should be able to head stock as in heading dogs.  Theyll head without showing "eye".

·      "Noise.  They must bark naturally and this seems to be strongly inherited.

·      "Temperament".  Very important and generally very good in huntaways.  They are always anxious to please.

·      "Force".  A trait usually seen best in big dogs that will push among stock with no fear of getting hurt.   A fairly strong genetic trait perfected by proper training.

·      "Backing".  Where a dog will jump on the back of sheep and walk over them.  A trait which varies a bit in strains, so must have some genetic base. 

Physical traits

Breeders are concerned with such genetic defects as:

·      Undershot jaw or parrot mouth.

·      Overshot jaw.

·      Normal reproductive organs.

·      Sound bone structure - eg no hip dysplasia common in some strains.

·      Sound feet pads.

·      Normal palate ie. no cleft palate.

·      Normal leg length - no drawfism.

·      No problems with the eye retina.

Single genes - simple traits

These are simple traits controlled by single or very few genes.   When we get to the performance traits like speed, intelligence and working ability we have to deal with thousands of genes.  The dog has 39 pairs of chromosomes in its sex cells (sperm and eggs) and at present we dont know much about the thousands of genes on them. 

These thousands of genes combine when sperm and eggs are produced into millions of different combinations.   So dont expect parents to produce identical offspring unless you start splitting eggs.  In future we could see a lot more reproductive technology used in dogs and even genetic engineering where we can separate genes on a chromosome and move them around to engineer more certain combinations.  But before that we have to do some "gene mapping" to find out what genes are where on the chromosome.  This mapping the genome of the dog is underway.

 Many genes - complex traits

If you see "variation" in a group of animals (eg litter mates), then you are dealing with many genes controlling them, and to improve the next generation, you "select" the best parents from the present generation.  Sounds simple!

So in dogs you should not be surprised when some pups in a litter turn out to be good workers and some are not so good.  You will see a whole range in ability and this variation is then the raw material we use to make improvement, and the main tool we use is "selection".  Variation and selection is what has made our dogs and what will allow us to improve them.  So dont pine for dogs that are like peas in a pod, we need variation to work on and make progress.

 Cloning

Cloning where identical copies of an animal are made is now possible, and some merit can be seen for it in farm animals.  The idea is good provided that no problems will occur over time with the animals you produce - because if they do, then the entire cloned population will get it.  You have to make sure that what you are going to clone is “perfect” in all traits, and that’s asking a lot in the world of animals.  It also restricts genetic diversity for future selection.

G and E

But remember this "variation: is caused by two things.  First theres the genes or genetic variation, referred to as "G".  Then theres the environment, referred to as "E" which is the rearing, feeding and training.  Some trainers produce better E than others.  You need plenty of G to make a champion, but youll not do it without good E.   This is the old saying that "90% of the pedigree goes down the throat."

Mate the best to the best

This is what the early improvers did long before the science of genetics was born.  It worked then as it does now.  The only problem is what do we mean by "best"?

Dogs that consistently win at a range of trials, clearly have the genes needed on the farm.  They’re surely the best.   But there are some folk who think that todays trials are too artificial, and dont relate to the commercial farm with large numbers of stock per person.

The counter argument is that these trial dogs do work on commercial farms and can do all the jobs needed, as well as the fancy stuff for the trials.  They have the genes to do everything needed so there is no worry.  If they win at trials then they qualify to enter the stud book of the New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Association (NZSDTA).  No useless dog can get into this book, and a dog’s looks and fancy points dont matter.  Its performance alone.

If you want to breed dogs that are not in the stud book, then you should make sure the parents have performed well and that you can see them working.  But remember you are trying to judge G, even if the handler has ruined it through the E provided.   In other farm livestock, many a farmer has been duped by thinking he/she was buying G when in fact they paid through the nose for E. 

Check the pedigree

Pedigrees are simply a record of ancestry - and thats all.  Never assume that a "pedigree" animal that can be registered in a studbook is geneticallybetter than a non-registered animal.  This is where the New Zealand farm working dog is unique - they can only get into the stud book by proving good working performance.

If a pedigree is a list of names and numbers and has no record of performance - then it doesnt tell you much.  The important feature of a pedigree is that every time you go back a generation, then you halve the genetic influence of the ancestors.

So parents give half of their genes (good and bad) to their offspring.  Grandparents give a quarter, great-grand parents one eighth and so on working backward along the pedigree.  In practice, only be concerned with a pedigree as far back as grandparents, as each ancestor after that has so little influence.

Remember that if anyone is trying to tell you that an animals superiority is due to a particular great-great-great grandsire, he has only provided one sixteenth of the genes.  Does this mean that the other fifteen sixteenth of the genes were useless?  Which would have the greater influence one sixteenth or fifteen sixteenths?

Fortunately the working dog world is free from a lot of the mumbo-jumbo about pedigree breeding that confuses other livestock.  We breed for performance and "functional traits" in working dogs and it makes life so much easier, and the end results more predictable.   Thank goodness nobody yet has started to say what a working dog should look like and formed a committee to administer this nonsense.  But that’s not to say it could happen in future.

Inbreeding

This is where "related" animals are mated.  This concentrates genes, whether they are good or bad.  Breeders are often forced to inbreed when they want a sire for a particular purpose, and they cannot find one better than their own.  So they mate related animals and live with the consequences.

There is nothing wrong with this, and it will certainly concentrate similar genes.  In the process however, as similar genes meet, they may throw up certain recessive genes that have been hidden.  Its here where undershot jaw, cleft palates, no hair, and drawfism is seen.  You can cull these out and keep on inbreeding, but as the level of inbreeding rises (called increasing homozygosity) youll most likely find "inbreeding depression" taking its effect.

Here traits like fertility, litter size and general "fitness" are affected.  Bitches will be hard to get in pup, and theyll have small litters with “runts”(small weak pups) in them.  In working dogs we euthanase them but in the fancy dog world they keep them, often to form new breeds!

If you inbreed and strike trouble you can get out of it in one generation by making an "outcross" to some completely unrelated animal.  All those recessive problem genes will have been buried again.

So avoid high levels of inbreeding by not mating sires to daughters, sons to mothers and even as close as first cousins.  Dont go any closer than second cousins.  First cousins have common grandparents and this is generally too close, unless you have a very special reason to experiment.

Linebreeding

This is very similar to inbreeding but seems to have a better image among breeders.  Its “inbreeding done more slowly” and has the same effect as mating relatives and concentrating genes.  This is the way to go - you make haste slowly, and it gives you time to do some selection, and go back and make an outcross if you strike trouble. 

In this outcrossing, try to get a new sire from a breeder with similar objectives but slightly different genes.  Then you dont slip back too far and lose the benefits of the genes you want.

People have a great fear of inbreeding (probably because of the human religious taboo against it) but less fear of linebreeding.  So theres an old saying that if it fails call it inbreeding but if it works call it linebreeding!

The future working dog

The dog like the human is a very adaptable species and it has a great future. It can reproduce rapidly and responds well to natural or man-made selection.  As a result there is plenty of opportunity for man to change the working dog - for better or for worse.

Read More..

Will your Dog get enough exercise during the cold months

If you’re like me you’d rather wrap up in warm fuzzy fleece and hide under the blankets than face below freezing temps. But when the dogs need to get outside in the morning I begrudgingly put on the winter wear and brave the cold. The rest of the day our walks and other outdoor activities start tapering off to only as needed outings. Standing out in the freezing cold waiting for a dog to ‘take care of business’ is sometimes more exposure to the elements than most of us want.
?
Like us our dogs can get used to a comfy sedentary life indoors during the cold months. This can take a toll on my dog’s health and well being so we find other outlets for exercise and mental stimulation.

Of course, braving the cold and going for a walk is great exercise, it’s not always possible this time of year so let’s look at other possibilities:

Get our with your dog to dog friendly stores. Lowe’s, Bass pro, pet stores, are great places to walk around with your dog.

Train your dog to walk on a treadmill.

Designate an indoor area for dog play. Dog proof an extra bedroom or basement for a some tug games and toy tosses.

Find Me! This is always fun and gets your dog moving. Just wait until your dog isn’t paying attention and hide in the other room. Call your dog or squeak a toy to get them going.
Where’s the treat. Hide a favorite treat or toy somewhere in a room and have your dog search for it.

Puppy pushups. This having the dog Sit and then Down and then back into a Sit for several repetitions. Helps build muscles too.

Sniffer Mind games. I do these with my older dogs to keep their mind and nose tuned. All it entails is presenting new foods and other smells to your dog to sniff and in some cases taste. Chapstick, bar soap, unusual spices can get your dog’s nose going (or backing away). It also lets your dog know that not everything you have is an edible tasty treat like they believe it to be. Celery, carrots, green beans, small bits of apple, or bananas are fun food treats for your dog to experiment with.

Obedience classes. It goes with out saying that learning something new is great mental stimulation.

Use the coming winter months as an opportunity to bond with your dog. We offer many ways to get over cabin fever so let us know if we can help.

We have a lot of opportunities for you and your dog to get out this Winter.

Scent Detections Fun
Trick Classes

Read More..

Dog Breeding

You may feel awkward or uneasy when breeding your dog and I know it is a serious decision one dog owner has to make. But here are some good tips that will make the process easier for you and your dog.

You should choose the right partner for your dog – this is one of the most significant things to do. Bear in mind that the puppies carry with them the genes of their parents, so you should choose a partner that is healthy, attractive, and other positive qualities you like your dog to possess.

The female dog should be very healthy so that giving birth and pregnancy is very easy. Before the breeding process, she should be well fed with supplements and the right amount of nutrition to have all the energy and boosts her body for the pregnancy.

Knowing important records about the male and female dog can give a success to the breeding process, but you should focus more on the female’s records. You should know medical issues and background of the female, time of the year where she is in heat, and any important changes in her behavior.

You should also establish a firm foundation to your veterinarian. Having a good relationship with your vet is very essential since he/she is there all throughout the breeding process. You might want to ensure that the vet is doing his/her best for the process to become successful.

We cannot avoid the fact that dogs also possess reproductive problems. Usually, female dogs have more reproductive problems than the male dogs. But problems for the males are more difficult to solve. Low sperm count, anatomical defects, and reproductive organ infection are very common problems. Male dogs may also less or no interest whenever they have Brucellosis, arthritis of the spine, and hypothyroidism.

For the female, the right timing is needed in order to have a successful breeding. That right timing is when the female dog is in heat. But, that heat period is usually hard to tell with the proper hormone tests. Fortunately, veterinarians have all the ways to know when the best time to breed is. Heat period for females occur every 6 months and it starts when they reach 1 year. It is also advisable that the female dog is fully grown, as to avoid any complications during the pregnancy.

Once a female dog is in heat, it will show signs like changes in temperament, the way she acts, etc. There are many different signs but they blood discharge is the most common. You will also know that the female is willing to breed once she is in heat. Blood discharges are usually from dark red to a tan color. You will then have to let the male and female spend time together, like a couple of days and let them do their process.

Be sure to watch and study the changes in your female for once the heat period is over, you’ll have to wait for the next 6 months. The vet will then be able to tell if your dog is pregnant 22 days after the breeding time.

Breeding occurs naturally without help from humans, but if you want to accelerate the process, a little help won’t hurt the dogs. Hope these tips will bring you joy and success in dog breeding.

Check Dog Breeding for more of the exciting thoughts! 

Read More..

The Size of the Fight in the Dog

Chihuahuas Be Fearless

.

Its not the size of the dog, but the size of the fight in the dog

Read More..

Get Rich By Breeding Dogs!

O.K., the title is a joke. 

But only barely. 

Though show dog breeders may not be getting rich, many show dog people breed dogs to defray their show ring expenses -- payments to professional handlers, payments on motor homes and hotels, veterinary expenses, etc.

With "hobby" expenses of several thousand dollars a year, selling puppies is a significant part of the economic engine driving the show ring model.

The need for uninterrupted puppy sales is one reason the show dog world is so resistant to change.

If show ring folks could not sell their current crop of dogs because an AKC standard had been changed in order to improve canine health, that would be a serious economic hit.

There is another reason breed clubs are resistant to breed standard changes, and an increased focus on canine health issues; it is a negation of their own life and their own expertise. 

What does it say about the breed club, and its breeders, that the dog they claim to love so much is now in such dismal shape?

Dogs are not dying young and in pain because they are committing suicide.

Entire breeds have not been wrecked by accidental vehicle impacts.

No, the story here is quite a bit sadder than that. It is a story about a lot of people with misplaced priorities intentionally breeding dogs, and the horrific results they have achieved despite decades and decades of putative expertise "in the breed."

For these folks to admit that the results achieved have been a collective disaster, has a huge emotional cost attached to it.

They are in the same position as the person who has given this or her entire life to a company only to be fired in humiliation, or the wife who has been married for 25 years who comes home to find her husband in bed with another man. Was the whole thing a joke? A charade? Did this investment of my life mean nothing?

Little wonder that a lot of people are willing to do almost anything not to have to face those questions!

Read More..

Breeding Dogs for Sickness and Early Death

"The rarest 50 AKC Breeds total just 3 out of every 2,000 U.S. dogs."

If you compare the UK Kennel Clubs 2004 breed health survey with their 2014 survey, you find that the deleterious effects of inbreeding and selection for defect continue unabated.

As Jemima Harrison notes over on her blog

Across all the breeds, median longevity has dropped by 11 per cent in a decade. Kennel Club registered dogs now live on average to just 10 years old - down from 11yrs 3 months in 2004.

Terrier breeds with special tumbles on health include Bull Terriers, which now die at age 7 instead of 10, and Border Terriers which now die at age 12 instead of 14.

The Labrador, Americas favorite dog, is now dead at age 11 years in the UK, as compared to 12 years and 3 months in 2004.

To be honest, within individual breeds, sample size is small, and reporting variances can move a number.

That said, when looked at across ALL breeds, it is very clear that the Kennel Club has woven the basket that makes "basket case" dogs.

Breed-blind show idiots will protest as they always do.  Let me see if we can get out in front of that and summarize their position:

I love my doggies, and you are being MEAN by asking questions based on "data" which I am sure is totally biased, or maybe a complete lie put together by "AR" people who hate doggies and are trying to force us to eat wood chips. Doggies forever and ever!!

Dysplasia is not a problem, but a FEATURE, as so many people are old now, and crippled dogs cannot move fast or pull down their crippled owners as easily since it is CRUEL to train doggies. Same with Bulldogs for people with that awful cellulite and diabetes virus. Doggies have to change with the times, and you are wrong, mean, and probably a liberal for even asking about canine health. Doggies forever!!!

Doggie training is cruel, because if you train a dog to obey, you are going to be mean and then you are NOT a doggie lover, but a fascist worse than Hitler.

Why do you admire Hitler?

Why do you hate doggies?

Why do you want to force everyone to eat wood chips?

Does that about cover it?

Ah well, carry on! 

The American Kennel Club continues to tumble down the rat hole, with a 75% decline in total canine registrations over the last 35 years.

In fact, AKC dogs now represent less than 12 percent of all the dogs in the U.S., and that number is continuing to decline as Americans are acquiring more dogs than ever.

More than half of all AKC dogs are in the top 10 breeds, with the bottom 50 breeds summing to 1.2 percent of all AKC-registered dogs (which is only 12 percent of all dogs) .

|To put it another way, the rarest 50 AKC Breeds total just 3 out of every 2,000 U.S. dogs.

Read More..