Managing Genetics for the Future

​Instructor
  • Carol Beuchat PhD
    Scientific Director
    ​Institute of Canine Biology
Class Starts
7 January 2019
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TOPICS
Syllabus
The biology of breeds
  • What is a breed?
  • What makes breeds different?
  • What does "purebred" mean?

Assessing the genetic health of a breed
  • How large is the gene pool?
  • How inbred is the breed?
  • Are there subpopulations that are genetically distinct?
  • What is the effective population size?

The benefits and costs of inbreeding
  • What is inbreeding depression?
  • Why is it important to balance the advantages and disadvantages of inbreeding?

Genetic consequences of breeding strategies
  • Breeding for the litter vs breeding for the breed
  • How can you use inbreeding and line-crossing to protect genetic diversity?

Fixing existing genetic problems and preventing new ones
  • Why most of the things breeders do about genetic problems make them worse

Developing a plan for sustainable breeding
  • How can you meet your goals as a breeder while protecting health and longevity?
  • How can you protect the future of the breed?
COURSE INFO

How long? How much?
The course is approximately 10 weeks; fee is $125. After you register, you can sit in on the course again as many times as you want.

How much time will it take?
Generally there will be 3-5 hours of reading and homework exercises each week. You can work with the class or at your own pace. There is no class meeting time - materials will be available to you 24/7 through the course website.

How will we meet?
The course is held entirely online. We will have a private Facebook group where we can discuss and ask questions. You can live anywhere in the world; all you need is an internet connection.

What do we need?
Internet access to the course website, where you can access the reading each week and quizzes to test your comprehension.

 
​* Textbook required for the course:
Sponenberg, Beranger, & Martin. 2017. Managing Breeds For A Secure Future, 2nd Edition.

NOTE: You don't need the book for the first 2 weeks, so there is time to order it when you register.