Tag archives: genetic testing for dogs

There are few dog breeds that can match the spirit and spunk of the Norfolk terrier. Prior to the recognition of the Norfolk terrier as its own independent breed, this small, English bred working terrier fell under the Norwich terrier banner, in which either drop or prick ears were recognized as acceptable traits. With time, Norwich breeders began to differentiate dogs based upon ear carriage. The drop eared members of the breed eventually became known as the Norfolk terrier, thereby splitting the breed into two very similar, yet distinct lines. The Norfolk terrier was officially recognized by the English Kennel Club in 1964 and by the American Kennel Club in 1979. Two independent breed standards were established for these breeds and despite their common roots, the breeds have diverged slightly in their physical appearance over the past few decades. The Norfolk terrier is well known for their energy, loyalty, bravery, and affectionate demeanor. Breeders of the Norfolk terrier take pride in producing dogs with great temperament while maintaining the breed’s ability to work. That being said, today’s Norfolk terrier is more commonly found in homes as a companion animal rather than fulfilling its original purpose of hunting rodents and other ...

With a beautiful variety of coat colors and markings in combination with their impressive muscular build, the striking appearance of the American Staffordshire terrier (AST) is one to behold. The modern AST can trace its origins to 19^th century England when bulldogs of the time were bred to terriers in an attempt to create a dog with the most desirable personality traits of each breed (the specific breed of terrier used in the early breedings is in dispute among domestic dog historians and may have actually been multiple terrier breeds). In 1972, the original name of the breed (used from the time of their 1936 acceptance into the American Kennel Club), Staffordshire terrier, was changed to the current, American Staffordshire terrier by breeders to distinguish their breed of heavier, American bred dogs from the original Staffordshire terrier of England.

As the AST has progressed as a breed, so has the understanding of the genetics that underlies the breed we see today. In addition, the discovery of particular genetic mutations responsible for causing inherited diseases has allowed for the development of genetic tests to identify nonsymptomatic carriers and young dogs affected with late-onset inherited disorders. Through the genetic knowledge gained ...

Despite a name which implies an origin “down under”, the Australian shepherd is widely understood to be a breed of American origin. In fact, descriptions of the breed and their importance in the lives of 19^th and 20^th century Basque shepherds who had relocated from Australia to the western US are plentiful. Australian shepherds’ exceptional intelligence, versatility, desire to please, and a natural instinct to herd and guard livestock have made them a common inhabitant of ranches and farms where they have been trained to perform a variety of tasks. Aside from their work on the homestead, their unique abilities have also made them great competitors in stock dog trials, agility events, and other dog sports. Despite their many talents and desirable traits, like many other breeds, the Australian shepherd has developed some inherited disease concerns that can prevent them from performing at their best or otherwise decrease their overall quality of life. One such condition recognized in the Australian shepherd is the genetic eye disease known as collie eye anomaly.

What is CEA?

Collie eye anomaly (CEA), also known as choroidal hypoplasia, is an inherited eye disease caused by a mutation in the canine NHEJ1 gene. Dogs ...

With a personality much bigger than their diminutive size, the toy fox terrier (TFT) is a fun and feisty breed well known for their charming and entertaining personalities. Originally created by the breeding of various toy breeds to the smooth fox terrier, like other terriers, TFTs still love the thrill of the hunt and are at their happiest giving chase to any small mammal willing to run. Though toy fox terriers have occasionally been described as headstrong and have been known to take control of a house, a well socialized and well trained toy fox terrier is a wonderful addition to many families. Still retaining tenacity from their terrier roots, their disposition is also tailored by the variety of toy breeds used to make this fine breed. Unfortunately, like other purebred dogs, the TFT has developed some inherited disease concerns along their path to the modern breed. Luckily, some of these diseases can now be prevented by performing genetic testing on dams and sires prior to breeding and by implementing selective breeding strategies based upon these results. One such genetic condition known to occur in TFTs is congenital hypothyroidism with goiter (CHG), a disease caused by a genetic mutation in ...

Despite its once prominent role as a talented upland gamebird hunting dog, by the mid-1900s the Irish Setter’s popularity in the field was on the decline. Despite developing significant interest and success as a show dog, the breed had nearly disappeared from the hip of gamebird hunters. Around this time, outbreedings to field champion English setters were performed in an effort to resurrect the popularity and improve the talents of the Irish setter as a hunting companion. In many locales, this field bred variety of Irish setter became known as the red setter while the Irish setter name is now most closely associated with the show variety of the breed. In the United States however, red setters still fall under the umbrella of the Irish setter name. Found in multiple colors and coat patterns in its early history, the breed’s modern solid red coat color became entrenched in the breed due to its popularity in the European show ring of the late 1800s.

Like other purebred dogs, the Irish setter has developed some inherited disease concerns along its path to its modern state. However, through the use of modern genetic testing technology and selective breeding practices, some inherited diseases can now be ...

Like other popular retrieving breeds such as the Labrador, golden, and flat coated retrievers, the American bred, Chesapeake Bay retriever can trace its roots back to the St. John’s water dog, a purpose bred dog originating in the Canadian providence of Newfoundland. With its wavy and slightly oily, waterproof coat, the Chessie has become a prominent fixture at the side of bird hunting enthusiasts since its development in the 19^th century. Not surprising to those that have lived and worked with a great Chesapeake, the breed has increased in popularity in the US over the past several years as indicated by their jump in the AKC registration rankings from 49^th in 2009 to 40^th in 2014. Unfortunately, like other pure bred dogs, along its path to modern popularity the Chesapeake has developed some inherited genetic disease concerns that are known to cause medical issues for some dogs and can be a source of heartache for those that love them. One particularly severe, inherited condition unique to the Chesapeake Bay retriever, is a condition known as ectodermal dysplasia or skin fragility syndrome (ED/SFS).

What is ED/SFS?

ED/SFS is a severe, inherited disease in which affected dogs are ...

With depictions in artwork from as early as the 8^th century, the ancient Briard is a French dog breed that has been employed in diverse roles throughout its history, but is most commonly recognized as a herding breed or as a guard dog for flocks of sheep. Though documentation of its early history is sparse, the first breed standard for the Briard was written in the late 19^th century and the breed was accepted for registration by the AKC in 1922 after being brought to North America from Europe (including Briards imported by Thomas Jefferson). Praised for their intelligence and memory, the Briard is a naturally protective dog that can benefit from early and extensive socialization in order to establish proper boundaries and temperament toward strangers. They are often regarded as extremely loyal and bonded to their owners and appreciate significant time with their human “pack”. Though the breed is regarded as relatively healthy, as with most purebred dogs, the Briard has developed some inherited disease concerns during its path to the modern state of the breed. One of the best known Briard inherited disease concerns, unique to the breed, is a disease known as congenital stationary night ...

The pointing Labrador is just one of many exceptional dog breeds. Versatile in their ability to point, flush and retrieve, pointing Labradors may be the perfect hunting companion.  How a specific dog breed has so many desirable characteristics is not a mystery. All domesticated dogs were bred for specific behavioral or physical traits that were required for certain jobs – whether it was for chasing and catching varmints, retrieving the evening’s dinner, or bringing in the herd, dogs are the perfect species for a variety of tasks.  

All of these traits, behavioral and physical, have a genetic component and are determined by an accumulation of genes with modifications, or mutations, that result in some outcome. Whether the traits are pointing, coat color or skull structure, humans chose founding stock to create the various breeds and bred these dogs for the traits they desired.  However, undesirable, even harmful genetic mutations were carried along in these breeds. The most ancient mutations can be found in many breeds of dogs, whereas those mutations that arose more recently maybe found in only one or two breeds.

With the advent of molecular genetic technologies and the sequencing of the domestic dog (Canis ...