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PRO-ACTIVE APPROACH TO DOG BREEDING
by Dr Karen Hedberg BVSc
We (DOGS NSW) as a group of dedicated dog lovers and breeders should be very pro-active in all aspects of dog breeding and ownership – promoting schemes to produce healthy dogs and educating breeders, owners and the public alike on the responsibilities of dog ownership.
As dog breeders and guardians of pedigree dog breeding, we should by example, promote responsible breeding practices. We hold the future of pure bred dogs in our hands; we need to ensure that a) they have a future and b) that it is a healthy one. We should try to adopt a type of reduced Hippocratic Oath of “Do no Harm” (for now and into the future)
Equally we must be proactive in relation to governments and actively seek to provide constructive input whenever any legislation is being proposed or amended (reviews occur every 5 years). If we lead by example, we then become the body to be consulted when government issues involving dogs arise. This way we can by being pro-active avoid restrictive legislation.
Developing Best Breeding Practices.
We need to develop and adopt best breeding practices to reduce the incidence or ideally eventually eliminate major diseases affecting different breeds. By this we need to develop workable guidelines of “best breeding practice” to gradually reduce the incidence of inherited diseases over time.
With the advent of DNA testing, many serious and severe conditions can be tested and gradually eliminated, usually without any serious loss of valuable breeding stock.
While only a few major diseases have DNA tests at present, other control schemes exist (hip and elbow schemes, heart and eye testing), the basic ideals of best breeding practice can be developed for each condition and then tailored to the needs of the specific breed. Allowances can be made relative to the severity and incidence of the condition in each specific breed. These can be developed and accepted by Clubs as the accepted way to reduce the incidence of serious inherited diseases. By adopting best breeding practices, this can be used as a defence against litigation in cases of dispute.
Grouping diseases by severity of the condition and the mode of inheritance.
By grouping diseases by severity of the end condition and the mode of inheritance (if known), this can allow people to develop general guidelines of best breeding practice.
While assisting DOGS Victoria recently, we developed a system of seven different categories of diseases whereby most diseases can be slotted into a specific group. According to the severity of the disease and the mode of inheritance (dominant or recessive), broad rules can be developed for each category.
Even if there are no DNA tests available (at present) such as with Hip or Elbow dysplasia, general rules can be developed to gradually lower the severity of the condition and over time, the breed average.
When developing breeding control schemes one must always keep the breed as a whole in mind, its overall health and well being of the utmost important consideration. Breeds cannot be changed genetically overnight; one must look at long term goals with minimal loss of genetic diversity.
The beauty of the recently developed DNA tests are such that we can now, with minimal loss of valuable breeding stock, gradually clear out severe and debilitating diseases within several generations if required or longer if needed.
Summary
It is in all our best interests to develop acceptable codes of breeding practice, before they are forced upon us (as happened in Victoria). By developing these codes, they become initially a guide for breeders and eventually be adopted by all Club members as the desired breeding practice within a breed. Equally, as mentioned above they become a defence against litigation if it can be proved that the breeder has tried their best (under current conditions) to avoid serious disease in their puppies.
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