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Bulldog breeders: a call to action

7/29/2016

 
By Carol Beuchat PhD
A paper just out today reports that the genetic diversity in the Bulldog breed is extremely low (Pedersen et al 2016). This study is one of several similar ones recently on other breeds out of the vet school at UC Davis, one of the top institutions in the country.
"English bulldogs have very low genetic diversity resulting from a small founder population and artificial genetic bottlenecks. Although some phenotypic and genotypic diversity still exists within the breed, whether it is sufficient to use reverse selection to improve health, select against simple recessive deleterious traits, and/or to accommodate further genotypic/phenotypic manipulations without further decreasing existing genetic diversity is questionable." (Pedersen et al 2016)
The researchers found very low genetic diversity not only in dogs intended for breeding, but also in dogs from the "pet" population, and the show and pet populations were very similar.

Low genetic diversity is associated in mammals with a long list of health disorders as well as inadequate function of the immune system. Indeed, Bulldogs suffer from an exceptionally long list of genetic disorders and problems related to brachycephaly, and they have a short lifespan as well.

The study also showed that large blocks of genes on the chromosomes were homozygous. Traits cannot be improved and health problems reduced unless there is genetic diversity in the breed; without it, there is nothing to select for. The long runs of homozygosity (ROH) found in the Bulldog suggest that reducing health issues through selective breeding could be extremely difficult if not impossible.
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The bottom line: Bulldogs suffer from a growing list of health issues, but improving the health of the breed might be difficult or impossible because homozygosity is high and genetic diversity extremely low.

This study is not an attack on the Bulldog as a breed or on Bulldog breeders. It is one of a number of studies that have documented the genetic impoverishment in purebred dog breeds that has resulted from a small number of original founders, bottlenecks, and strong selection.

Reputable, responsible Bulldog breeders are making diligent efforts to improve the health of the dogs they breed by careful selection of breeding stock and by health testing. But the data from this study indicate that even the most diligent efforts of breeders are likely to be inadequate, simply because there is not sufficient genetic diversity left in the breed.

Neil deGrasse Tyson has pointed out that the problem with denying the evidence of science is that science is true whether you believe it or not. Attacking the messenger, or trying to discredit the study or impune the reputations of the researchers, is really quite pointless. Of course, there are bulldogs out there are are relatively healthy and live long, happy lives. But this study is documenting the ill health not of the individual dogs, but of the gene pool of the breed. Breeders cannot use selection to solve health problems if there is no variation in the alleles in the gene pool to select from.

This is a good study, published in an excellent, peer-reviewed journal. In fact it held few surprises for those that understand genetics and know the history of the purebred dog.

This is definitely bad news for Bulldog breeders. But instead of wasting time and energy looking for ways to make it go away, embrace the fact that there is a problem and that the solution is, and must be, in the hands of the breeders.

Serious, reputable breeders and those that love the breed should use the information in this study to motivate a commitment to improve the health of the gene pool of the breed. Contact Dr Pedersen at UC Davis and ask for his help in coming up with effective and efficient breeding plans that will improve the health of the breed. Learn about population genetics, the scientific field that provides the tools used in this study to evaluate the genetic health of animal populations, so that you can implement an appropriate breeding plan and manage the health of the gene pool in the future.

Many breeds are in similar genetic straits, but few are acting to address their issues. Bulldog lovers can turn bad news into an opportunity. You can set an example. Gather yourselves together and make a commitment to restore the health of the gene pool of this breed. Only breeders can solve this problem.

Pedersen, NC, AS Pooch, & H Liu. 2016. A genetic assessment of the English bulldog. Canine Genetics and Epidemiology. DOI 10.1186/s40575-016-0036-y

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Basic Population Genetics for Dog Breeders
Class starts 25 July 2016

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Try these breeding games!

7/23/2016

 
Are you a Master Breeder? 
Here are a couple of cute breeding games. In the first one, you have to select for specific phenotypes of three different traits - coat length, coat color, and ear type - by making breeding decisions that will pair up the right combination of dominant and recessive traits.
You can play around with some interesting scenarios with this game. For example, what happens if you just select for one trait at a time? For example, first breed to get the ears right, then start working on coat color. Is this easier or harder?
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In this game, you have to select for a particular desirable health trait in the tigers (malaria resistance) while also keeping the level of inbreeding in the population to a reasonable level. In another scenario, you need to manage the genetic diversity in a small population of tigers that get more inbred every generation.
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​Of course, in the real world breeders are juggling even more competing or even conflicting traits, and even worse you usually don't know anything about the genes in the animals. No doubt about it, breeding is tricky business!

Did you enjoy these simulations? 
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You can learn more about the genetics of breeding dogs (and tigers) in

BASIC POPULATION GENETICS FOR DOG BREEDERS


This is a 10 week, online course, with students from all over the world.
The next class starts 7 November 2016

*** 9 November - There's still time to join us! ***

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Coming up NEXT -

Basic Population Genetics for Dog Breeders
Next class starts 7 November 2016

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Genes and the amazing mind of the dog

7/4/2016

 
By Carol Beuchat PhD
Dogs play a huge role in our lives. For most of us, they are dear companions. They make our lives fuller; they are even part of the family.
But over the last 10,000+ years, they have been so much more than that. In fact, it's hard to imagine how we would have survived without dogs.
We might try to argue that we're smarter, but in so many other ways, whatever we can do they can do better. 
What makes them so remarkable is that somehow, working from the basic wolf genes and instincts, dogs have been able to reinvent themselves in strikingly different ways to perform many diverse tasks, and to do them all exceptionally well. With dogs, we are better hunters and herders, soldiers and doctors, searchers and saviors. What makes them so remarkable is how nature and a little selective breeding has resulted in such an astonishing diversity of useful behavior.

We are just beginning to understand the roles genetics and environment play in shaping the behavior of dogs. It's probably fair to say that dogs are capable of far more than we appreciate, and that their usefulness is limited only our imagination.
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With new tools in molecular genetics and a more sophisticated approach to studying behavior, we are beginning to understand what goes on in the mind of the dog and identify the genes that are responsible. Using the tools of population genetics, we can now tease apart and quantify the effects of genetics and environment. The most exciting thing is that we've just begun to scratch the surface.
Check out the videos below, which depict some of the many things dogs do for us and also how we are using technology to unlock the secrets of the mind.

You can learn more about the genetics of behavior in dogs in ICB's online course, Genetics of Behavior & Performance. The next class starts Tuesday, 5 July 2016. 

Enjoy!

Instinct from Emmet O Hagan on Vimeo.

A game-changer for breeders: the ICB Breeder Tool

7/2/2016

 
FINALLY, somebody has created the information resource breeders really need.

​The ICB Integrated Breeder Tool pulls together the pedigree database, health information, DNA analyses, and population genetics of a breed so that ALL of this information can be used to make breeding decisions.

Instead of surfing online pedigree databases, looking for health information, and tallying up DNA test results, then trying to mash it together in your head to make the best decision, breeders need a single source for information and the tools to help them use it.

We are looking for a few breeds that would like to help us get this up and running by being "beta testers" of this new system. We would like to work with breeds that have a decent pedigree database and health records, but we will also help get those up to speed. We will be using the new 220,000 SNP high-density canine DNA chip from Embark, which includes markers for nearly 200 traits and mutations as well as X and Y chromosome haplotypes, autosomal and DLA diversity, and more, and it has the resolution necessary for gene discovery and future research. We want to work with a group of breeders that will be "all in", committed to improving the health of their breed while helping us build a state-of-the art breeding tool that will bring dog breeding into the twenty-first century.

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Is your breed struggling with genetic disorders? Are you passionate about improving the health of your breed? Are you willing to pardon our dust while we use the data for your breed to road test the most sophisticated breeding resource ever available for dogs?

For testing, we need a large amount of data and many breeders in a breed that will use it immediately so we can ferret out any problems. Consequently, we're looking for a few breeds with good data support that can round up a (preferably large) group of exceptionally committed breeders to work with us. 

​Contact ICB to discuss cost and logistics if your breed is interested. We will want to know the size and completeness of your pedigree database, what health data you have, the number of active users there will likely be, and the willingness of the breeders to do the DNA testing with Embark, for which we will be able to offer a good discount. 

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