Dog breeding

Dog breeding is the practice of mating selected specimens with the intent to maintain or produce specific qualities and characteristics.

Litters of puppies and their mother

Dogs reproduce without human interference, so their offsprings' characteristics are determined by natural selection. Domestic dogs may be intentionally bred by their owners. ^[1] A person who intentionally mates dogs to produce puppies is referred to as dog breeder. Breeding relies on the science of genetics, so the breeder with a knowledge of canine genetics, health, and the intended use for the dogs attempts to breed suitable dogs.

History

Humans maintained a population of useful animals around their places of habitat since pre-historic times ^[2]. They intentionally fed dogs considered useful, while killing others, establishing the relationships between humans and specific types of dogs over thousands of years. Later, certain domesticated dogs developed into different types, or groups, such as livestock guardian dogs, hunting dogs, and sight hounds. In order to maintain these differences, humans intentionally mated dogs with certain characteristics.

Over years, hundreds of dog breeds were developed. Initially, the ownership of working, and, later, purebred dogs, was a privilege of the wealthy. Nowadays, many people can afford to buy a dog. Some breeders chose to breed purebred dogs, while some prefer to produce crossbred dogs, claiming that the outcross is healthier than original breeds, and avoiding linebreeding or inbreeding.

Registries

Breeders may report the birth of a litter of puppies to a dog registry, such as kennel club to record it in stud books and receive according documents for the puppies. AKC (American Kennel Club) is widely known. Such registries maintain records of dogs’ lineage, accenting on achievements and working qualities, and usually are affiliated with kennel clubs ^[3]. Maintaining the correct data is vitally important for purebred dog breeding. When the breeder has access to records, he shall be able to analyze the pedigrees and understand what traits to expect and what to avoid, while choosing inbreeding or to outcross. Requirements for the breeding of registered purebreds vary between breeds, countries, kennel clubs and registries. In general, the rules are formulated to benefit either a certain breed, or different breeds of dogs, and breeders have to abide the rules of certain organization in order to participate in its breed maintaining and development programs. The rules may apply to the health of the dogs, such as joint x-rays, hip certifications, and eye examinations; to working qualities, such as passing a special test or achieving at a trial; to general conformation, such as evaluation of a dog by a breed expert.

Criticism

The term ‘backyard breeders’ is commonly used in the U.S. to describe a breeder with a lack of knowledge and experience; while the term ‘puppy mills’ or ‘puppy farms’ refers to businesses that mass produce puppies of different breeds. Animal rights activists claim that breeding dogs in order to sell them is unethical, attacking breeders whom they believe are more concerned with profit than the animals' welfare.

Critics cite breed registries for encouraging the inbreeding of dogs thereby contributing to a proliferation of genetic disorders.

Animal rights group PETA ^[4] has compared the American Kennel Club to the Klu Klux Klan, claiming that AKC adds to the pet overpopulation problem by encouraging breeding pure bred dogs when millions of dogs are killed yearly in US animal shelters.^[5]

Veterinarian and author Dr. Michael Fox claims that, "The best use of pedigree papers is for housebreaking your dog. They don't mean a damn thing. You can have an immune- deficient puppy that is about to go blind and has epilepsy, hip dysplasia, hemophilia and one testicle, and the AKC will register it" "^[6]

Genetic defects

Some dogs have certain inheritable characteristics, that can develop into a disability or disease. Excessive wear of hip joint or bone, known as hip dysplasia is one such condition. As well, some eye abnormalities, heart conditions, deafness, are proven to be inherited.^[7]

There have been extensive studies ^[8] of these conditions, commonly sponsored by breed clubs and dog registries, while breed clubs provide information of common genetic defects for according breed. As well, special organizations, such as Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, collect data and provide it to breeders, as well as to the general public.

Some registries, such as American Kennel Club include records of absence of certain genetic defects, known as certification, into dog’s individual records. For example, the German Shepherd National Breed Club in Germany is a registry that recognizes that hip dysplasia is a genetic defect for the dogs of this breed. Accordingly, it requires all dogs to pass evaluation for absence of Hip Dysplasia in order to register their progeny, and records the results in individual dog‘s pedigrees.

References

External links

• Article showing graph of increased inbreeding resulting from closed registries
• Rosettes to Ruin: An Article on the effects of conformation breeding on working dogs
• European registry FCI
• Extent of inbreeding in pedigree dogs revealed in new study Imperial College London
• Flaws on paws - Welfare problems in breeding pedigree dogs New Scientist
• Designer animals or breeding for welfare? (video) - British Veterinary Association Animal Welfare Foundation