OCTOBER DECEMBER 2017 EDITION 4, VOLUME 3 the cesky connection What s inside? Cover - Presidents Message pgs. 1&2 Pumpkin & Oats Treat pg. 2 MCKC Triumph pgs. 3,4,5&6 Polish Puppy Journey pgs. 7&8 Membership Renewal pg. 8 Grooming Advice pg. 9 The Cesky Genome Prayers For The Lost pgs.10&11 pg.11 Healthy Breeding pgs. 12,13&14 Miscellaneous pg. 14 The editors would like to thank everyone for their contributions! This edition has been an unprecedented partnership of gifts. Our gratitude goes out to all of you, too many to name! Please look for how you can help with the next newsletter in January 2018! PRESIDENTS MESSAGE To all Cesky Fanciers, I hope everyone is having an enjoyable fall and all of our members are safe from any of the recent fires, floods or hurricanes this year. Our Second Annual Specialty was held again at The Montgomery Kennel Club, the largest terrier show in the US and possibly in the world. Joan Murko, one of our members and also a stalwart participant in the Standard Committee, was our Sweepstakes Judge. John Costantine-Amodi, a long time Judge for the Cesky Terrier, was our classes Judge. The trophies were whimsical and charming and the rosettes were beautiful, with many thanks going out to Beth Lubbers and Doreen Fletcher. The Committee for the Specialty was headed by Sandy Bridge-Chase and Linda Comer. They deserve big kudos for a job well done. Julie Gritten also deserves praise for the cooler bags chock full of thoughtful gifts for all members who attended the meeting and dinner, Thank you, all. Our club approved Standard was presented to AKC for the final approval at AKC s November meeting. The C&BL has been given its final okay by the AKC and will go into effect January 1st, 2018, according to Mari-Beth O Neill. Now we are ready to request Member Status for ACTFA. If approved, we will be able to have a Delegate attend AKC meetings and voice our thoughts and votes on AKC Continued on page 2... 1
Continued from page 1... matters. It has been an exciting two years and we have accomplished so much. In other news, Holly Million and Harriet Dorsey have volunteered for a committee to work on a policy book for ACTFA. This will require much work and time dealing with club policies and procedures. We are hoping to have a report by our next General meeting. Harriet Dorsey has also volunteered to be our Sargent at Arms. We thank her. Glenn Dorsey, Sandra Bridge-Chase, Julie Gritten and Charlotte Kinskey have volunteered to be a committee to review the Code of Ethics. We are hoping to have a this report by our next General meeting. We need volunteers to do Meet the Breeds in NYC at the Piers on February 10 th, 2018. This is an AKC program that draws much attention from the public. In previous years we have had 45,000 people attend. I am hoping someone will step up so this can be done again this year. Love your Ceskys and have fun with them, Barbara Hopler ACTFA President 10/2017 From The Kitchen Of Lississippi Ceskys Pumpkin and Oat Dog Treats Ingredients: 1 Banana 3 Tablespoons Pumpkin Puree 1 Egg ¼ cup Rolled Oats 1 ½ cups Flour Directions: Using a large bowl, mash the banana and pumpkin puree together in a chunky mash. No need to go super fine on this one! Add in the oats and the egg. Stir well to combine. Last, mix in the flour and stir until all the ingredients blend together. (If your mixture is too sticky, go ahead and add a bit more flour.) Take the dough out of the bowl and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Use your favorite dog cookies cutters to cut the dough into treat shapes. You can also just place about a tablespoon in a ball and make non-shaped cookies. Place the shapes on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool before you serve them to your dog. 2
Cesky Terrier Triumph at Monty By Julie Gritten Montgomery County Kennel Club, lovingly known as simply Monty to long time Terrier breeders, owners, and handlers, is the Mecca for the most spectacular Terriers in the world. Each year, the first week in October since 1929, Terrier people and their top dogs in the sport of dogs make an annual pilgrimage to Pennsylvania to see the cream of the crop in terriers in America. For exhibitors, it's eye candy for the serious breeder. Walking through the grounds is like walking with the Giants of the dog show world and certainly a privilege. Every year, I am enamored and awestruck with the quality of the terriers and the expert handling and presentation of these stunning dogs. 2017 was the second year ACTFA was honored as a licensed club to hold their 2nd annual Specialty and sweepstakes. As exhibitors and breeders, we are keen to show our dogs at such prestige venues where quality exists and our wins are something to be proud of. The judges that are chosen for Montgomery are the best of the best terrier judges, with years of not only judging experience, but breeding experience as well. It is every breeder's and exhibitor's dream to have our dogs recognized and win at such a world famous event. It is the showcase for our dogs. A wonderful place to expose others to the wonderful world of the Cesky Terrier and a fantastic opportunity to learn from the giants. October 8th, 2017 was a soggy, humid day, and everyone had a very bad case of the frizzies, The smiles abounded and the sheer joy of our Ceskys brought joy to everyone's heart. The trophies were simply fantastic! Richard Cotter with Chello Beautiful Cesky ceramics hand created by Youlia Anderson and lovely ribbons for each class. A very big thank you to all who stepped in to help ringside with trophies, judges mentoring, and ringside support. It was wonderful to see everyone working together to make this Specialty extra special. I think everyone went home with big smiles just knowing how beautifully we all showcased our beloved breed. We did it in grand style with smiles on our faces. Nothing could spoil our day. After all, we are Terriers! 2017 MCKC 2nd National Specialty 2017 Group ring photo 3 More photos on next page...
Gregg Bridge-Chase & Apollo Lynne Veazie & Faith Bob Comer & Jem Mama, it s cold outside! says Gracey, ringside. (Lissa Preston) Lissa Preston & Emmy Sandra Bridge-Chase & Sweep Group ring photo with Judge John Constantine-Amodi 4 Glenn Dorsey & Atilla on page 5... More Continued photos on next page...
Continued from page 4... Tim Smith supervises a meeting of new friends... Glenn & Harriet Dorsey with Otto A midwestern conglomerate from left to right... How can you say no to this face? Victor with Bob & Linda Comer Michael Barnes & Izzy Tim Smith, Gregg Bridge-Chase, Lissa Preston & Sandra Bridge-Chase Proud ACTFA members after a wonderful meal - many thanks to our hosts! Photo credits for all pictures on these pages belong to David Spierer, Richard Cotter, Molly Comer & Arielle Hayden. You have our undying gratitude! 5 on page 6... More Continued photos on next page...
Beth Luebbers & Quincy Tim Smith & Bavi Lissa Preston & Grace Bob Comer & Victor Valerie Barnes Chris & Arielle Hayden with Doolin l Julie Gritten s Chello is on deck American Cesky Terrier Fanciers Group shot at Devon Sandra Bridge-Chase, Bob Comer, Nick Fletcher & Lissa Preston 6
Polish Puppy Journey By Tim Smith My trip to Poland! It all started with a post on Facebook showing two beautiful dogs that had been bred and a litter was on the ground. I started a conversation with the breeder about what puppy would be available and he said that I could have the pick of the males. As the puppy grew up I got more and more excited about flying to Poland to pick him up, deciding to Fly into Gdansk as that was closer to his home. The flight from Houston to Munich was wonderful. I had four seats in a row all to myself and slept most of the way. I had a fiasco acquiring a car because I had not been told that you need an international drivers license to rent a car in Poland. At least my phone's GPS worked wonderful over there and I got to the hotel and promptly went to sleep. I woke up the next morning and had a great breakfast at the hotel and went out for a lovely drive towards the Baltic Sea and a town called Gdynia. I walked around some neighborhoods and had a lovely time meeting people. All of the Polish people are very friendly and most speak enough English to help you out or can find someone that does. I spent some time visiting the local aquarium. They have an exhibit that shows the depths of the Baltic and different trenches. It was interesting to learn where the islands are in that area and about many of the native fish. On day 2, I got up very early and headed to the home of my new puppy "Great". The highways over there are in tiptop shape and wonderful to drive on. Once again, my GPS did a stellar job and got me directly to their house. Meeting "Great" was a joy - he was such a happy puppy and immediately took to me. I met the Ceskys and a couple of Staffie Bulls. Mark and his daughter took me for a long walk around their little town - it was lovely. There were many interesting sites to see and it was a fun time. When we got back to the apartment, we all decided to go to a lovely dinner at a restaurant in their town. When we returned, I told them it was time for me and "Great" to leave. Instead, they invited us to stay the night. During our conversation, I found out because of all the recent rains, they were very excited to go to the forest and hunt for mushrooms. I believe I am part hobbit because of my love of mushrooms. I got very excited and asked if I could go along. So after a late night of talking and getting to know my new friends, we got up very early the next morning and headed to the forest. It was like a dream 7 Mushroom hunting adventure A Hobbit s feast Continued on page 8...
come true. We spent the whole morning walking in a very ancient forest gathering mushrooms. When we were done, I had filled my bucket to overflowing! That afternoon I headed back to Gdansk. Very early the next morning my long journey home started. "Great" was a super trooper the whole way home and we love this new addition! Enjoying the scenery Polish puppy Great Membership Renewals are in the Mail Your membership renewal for 2018 is in the mail. Everyone that renews will receive an ACTFA pen. Members that become Platinum Members for a $100 donation will be entered into a drawing to win one of these Cesky ceramics. Please renew prior to 3 January 2018 to qualify. Eye catching local architecture 8
Continued from page 9... Ultimate coat conditioning for the Groomer and Breeder By Nanette Loya A Clean Coat is a healthy coat- Bathing & brushing regularly keeps a coat in top notch condition. This keeps a coat from matting & breaking & will allow the coat to grow (or have re-growth) at a normal or faster rate. Brushing- dry vs wet - a dirty, dry coat when brushed will break off or fray. A clean, hydrated WET coat has elasticity and will stretch when brushed without breakage. Depending on the coat type, brush against the lay of the hair a section at a time, brushing from the skin out to the end of the tips of the hair. Choose the brush according to the task at hand, animals size and coat type. Moisturize & hydrate- blow drying & brushing individual hairs that are moisturized & hydrated on a regular basis keeps the skin & coat healthy and allows the hairs to stretch without breakage. Remember, a conditioned coat has far more elasticity than a dry dirty coat that is brittle and under conditioned. Shampoos- shampoos are designed by different makers to do different things other than just cleaning the hair. Shampoos brighten, color enhance, moisturize, medicate, treat parasites, etc. choose the right shampoo for the right skin & coat and use the recommended conditioner to go with it. Conditioners- Used to hydrate and repair broken or damaged coat and sooth an irritated skin surface, to maintain the coat and protect it from further damage. Conditioners are recommended & designed to use with their shampoo counterparts manufactured from the same company for the best results. Use of products and sprays- Some products can eliminate or minimize the chance of coat breakage while others can even strengthen a weak coat. Cornstarch is a natural powder that will allow foreign debris, matts & tangles to slide out (with the aid of a brush or comb) with minimal amount of effort on the groomer and minimal strain on the coat & skin of the animal. Cornstarch MUST ALWAYS be used on a completely dry coat! Wet sprays that have antistatic or silicone ingredients also help to minimize coat breakage, but if the groomer isn t thorough enough to catch all tangles, mats & debris before the coat dries, the coat will tighten, leaving it harder to release the tangles, mats & debris. Wet sprays should almost always be used before bathing, but can be used (lightly) again as a finishing spray after bathing to minimize static. Static- Static in the dog or cat s coat is a disaster waiting to happen. Static is one reason for matting to develop within days of a freshly clean coat that has no hydration (conditioner) added to it. Static develops from 2 things-the environment the dog or cat is in & the lack of hydration within the animal s coat. Static is not usually a problem for felines, because they produce enough natural oils in the skin and hair shafts fast enough, to keep static to a minimum, but a light conditioning should be used immediately following a shampoo. Dogs take longer to reproduce their own oils after a bath than cats do. Purpose of a brush- To distribute natural oils (sebum) within the animal s hair shafts, to separate hairs from one another (de-tangle or de-matt), to change direction of the coats natural lay, to release unhealthy or dead coat, to straighten, to give volume to coat, to eliminate foreign debris and dead skin cells. Choose the right firmness, pin & tine type, handle types, & right size- Size really is important! - Large vs Medium vs Small brushes, that are appropriate to Felines & Toy, up to Giant breeds. Combs- Combs come in a variety of lengths, spine & handle types, depth of tines (teeth), & spaces between tines. The most common used is the 8 inch greyhound type with course & fine spaced tines, but many other varieties are available. Combs have several purposes. To detangle areas too small to be caught with a brush, separation of hairs, removal of debris, removal of undercoat, lifting the coat for more volume, and changing the coat s direction of the natural lay. Use of dryer- Dryers are manufactured for different uses and come in many different varieties, but using a high velocity dryer is commonly used by groomers to dry the coat while changing the coat direction giving volume & lifting as opposed to laying flat, while other times to blow out excess water, dead or excess undercoat, debris & dander. Dryers can be used to de-matt a coat or loosen it away from the skin in order to get clippers or a brush through it, lessoning the trauma to the skin, coat & the animal s mental state. Dryers are designed for: 1) cage drying, 2) hand drying or fluff drying to be used while brushing & 3) high velocity or forced air drying. Drying a dog or cat s coat by any other method (in my opinion) is superior than simply air drying or cage drying. Allowing the coat to air or cage dry naturally allows dust to cling to a wet coat, does not force debris & dander from skin, does not stimulate re-growth of new coat & skin cells, does not give any volume or lift to the coat, and leaves coat wavy or curly on acoat that should be stretched, straightened or fattened. Author: Nanette Loya, NCMG- 2012 9
The Cesky Genome #1 10 By Glenn Dorsey (This is the first of a series that explores the Cesky Genome. We will start the series at the beginning, with the wolf.) From Wolf to Dog About 15-30 thousand years ago some grey wolves started hanging around the human campsites, scavenging where they could experts are still debating where this happened, but Northern Eurasia seems to be the best bet. This was in the hunter/gatherer period of human socialization prior to the transition into the settled, farming lifestyle. Over time these canids became more domesticated (the first domesticated animal) as success came to those animals that were tame enough to benefit from the symbiotic relationship to man. This domestication process involved a very rigorous selection process and is the first major genetic bottleneck event (geneticists use the term sweeps ) in the domesticated dogs history. A bottleneck event represents a dramatic reduction in genetic variation. The canid breeding genetic pool became just that group of wolves who expressed the docility required for domestication a small fraction of the entire wolf population. It has been estimated that this bottleneck domestication process reduced the genetic variation within the dog genome to approximately 7% of the founding wolf population. Amazingly, this canine genome contained sufficient diversity to allow for the most extreme variation among breeds within the entire mammal population think size, coat, color, ears muzzles, etc. A number of the most ancient breeds started to evolve with phenotypes (appearance) based primarily on location and function (Basenjis in Africa, Salukis in the deserts of the Middle East, Shar-peis in Asia, the Husky in the North, and a few others). With this selection process, genetic traits developed as part of the domestication. Tameness is obviously the primary trait that drove the selection process, but along with docility seemed to come other traits like floppy ears, smaller cranial cavities, shorter muzzles, more frequent estrous cycles to name just a few. This same trend has been observed as part of the domestication of other mammals as well. The prevailing theory is that many of the genetic loci for these traits are co-located near the docility genetic loci and came along for the ride during domestication. Geneticists (the clever rascals that they are) call this genetic hitch-hiking. Genes tend to be inherited in long strings rather than discrete pieces. It is for this reason it is a dangerous breeding practice to try to eliminate genetic traits from breeds, since you never know what else goes with it. Breed development really accelerated in the Victorian years (1800 s) when farmers and hunters started selecting for functional traits (herding, pointing, retrieving, rodent and pest eradication) and toward the late 19 th century, as breed clubs began to develop, stud books began to close and breeds became regulated by registration bodies. These pedigree restrictions represent the 2 nd major genetic bottleneck in the purebred dog development. Instead of the variation of all docile canids, breeding was limited to a very specific set of both behavior and structure characteristics of specific breeds and was limited to dogs registered within each breed. But today the selection pressures on dogs are completely different than whether they can dive down a hole and pull out a badger or herd cattle in the fields of Wales. In most breeds the selection pressure is coming from the breed conformation fanciers rather than the field users. Purebred dog breeds continue to lose genetic diversity due to breeding practices that are designed to please ring judges or public fancy rather than to maintain genetic diversity. These can be thought of as Continued on page 11...
Continued from page 10... artificial genetic bottlenecks, and is the third and perhaps most dangerous bottleneck event in canine history. You can think of the German shepherd extreme angulation and Bulldog general unfitness, just to pick on two breeds. The fact of the matter is that the genetic load (lack of genetic robustness) on some breeds has become unsustainable. For example, a recent study on the Bulldog at UC Davis speculated that 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. This is the long definition of extinction. But fortunately our Cesky Terriers seem to be free of many of the genetic problems that exist in many purebred dogs. In the next newsletter, we will explore the Cesky Terrier breed creation and what the genetic implications are of a breed that is created from just three founding dogs. Contact the Editors Lissa Preston 309.558.8092 Kathy Loy 201-247-6767 NEWSLETTER POLICIES The Cesky Connection is the newsletter of and copyrighted by the American Cesky Terrier Fanciers Association, Inc. (ACTFA). Opinions expressed in the Cesky Connection are those of the authors and may or may not reflect the opinions of ACTFA, Inc., its Board of Directors, the editor(s) of the Cesky Connection or ACTFA membership. The editor(s) reserves the right to reject any submission deemed unsuitable for publication by the editorial staff for reasons to include poor sportsmanship or inappropriate content. Our condolences on your loss. Ishy - Dennis & Kathy Loy Faeden - Ginger Robertson Pino - Nick & Doreen Fletcher 11
THE ASPECT OF POPULATION SIZE ON HEALTHY BREEDING IN DOG BREEDS Jerold S Bell DVMCummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, USA jerold.bell@tufts.edu A large number of individual dogs in a breed population allow greater choices when making breeding decisions. Multiple breed family lines support greater breed diversity; the genetic difference between individuals in the breed. When selecting on several different traits or disorders, a large population should allow for several choices of mates that fulfill different selection preferences. A goal of all breeds is to grow and maintain a large, diverse and healthy population. All breeds originate from a small population of either related dogs or dogs who share a common conformational, behavioral, or working phenotype. Through selection, a breed standard is developed. Individual dogs that do not adhere to the standard or who demonstrate deleterious traits or disorders are purged from breeding. Those individuals who demonstrate and propagate desirable characteristics will have an increasing influence on the gene pool through multiple generations of descendants. Once breed characteristics are fixed in the population, it can go through an expansion stage where the population grows. Fig. 1: Pedigree of a typical purebred dog (individual at the left). Breed founders appear at the right, and the breed goes through a purging stage, and then expansion stage. All breeds will have several influential ancestors that appear far back in pedigrees, but pass on a high percentage of their genes to every individual in the breed. For example, all Bichons Frises share on average 17.5% of their genes with Pitou (born in 1924), which is between the contribution of a grandparent and great-grandparent. He does not appear on average until the 16th generation, but appears over 4 million times in every Bichon pedigree and 38% of his alleles have been retained in the breed population. Bearded Collie Bailie of Bothkennar was born in the1940s, and contributes 32.6% of his genes to every modern Beardie. This process of breed evolution causes a loss of genetic diversity through the purging of undesirable individuals and the concentration of genes of influential ancestors. All breeds are partial clones of their influential ancestors. This is an expected consequence of breed evolution and is not detrimental to the breed. Genetic disorders can be due to ancient disease liability genes that preceded breed formation and are shared by many breeds, or by recent mutations that cause breed specific disease. These can originate from a random mutation and be propagated through breed ancestors. Conversely, genes causing genetic disorders can be linked on a shared chromosome to a selected trait (ex., hyperuricosuria and Dalmatian spotting), or genetic disorders can be caused by direct selection for disease-causing phenotypictraits (ex., brachycephalic obstructive airway disease). IS POPULATION SIZE DIRECTLY CORRELATED TO BREED HEALTH? Evidence from registration figures and valid breed health surveys show that the size of a population does not determine whether the breed will suffer from higher frequencies of genetic disease. There are many large population breeds with high frequency genetic disorders, and many small population breeds that show excellent health. In a small population breed, individual mating choices and individual litters have a greater effect on the breed frequency of disease liability genes because they represent a larger percentage of the total gene pool. It is the lack of selection for genetic health in either large or small population breeds that allows the propagation of genetic disorders. Breed genetic health depends on selection against disease liability genes regardless of the size of the population. DOES A LARGE POPULATION AUTOMATICALLY CONFER GENETIC DIVERSITY? When analyzing entire breed population databases back to founders, every dog breed -regardless of its population size has the same findings; high homozygosity and low effective population size (minimum number of ancestors explaining the complete genetic diversity of a population). These are necessary and expected consequences of breed formation and evolution. As a breed gene pool expands, the average recent generational relationship (inbreeding and kinship) between mates can decrease. However, the average total generational relationship between dogs back to founders does not decrease. Breeds with small populations look the same as breeds with large populations did much earlier in their evolution and development. In both large and small population breeds, genetic diversity can be lost if breeders do not utilize dogs from the breadth of the gene pool. This is most evident in the popular sire syndrome. This can be compounded when a popular sire is replaced by a popular son, who is replaced by a popular grandson, and the entire breed truncates on a single 12 Continued on page 13...
Continued from page 12... popular sire line. This causes a loss of genetic diversity from the breadth of the genepool that would be propagated from other quality male lines. Another issue with popular sires is that their genetic contributions can only be evaluated after their prolific breeding period is over, and their genes have already been disseminated throughout the gene pool. Many recently identified genetic disorders that rise in frequency in a breed are caused by genes carried by popular sires. This is different from an influential ancestor, whose qualities and influence are constantly evaluated every generation. If an influential ancestor s descendants are not producing quality, then they are not bred and the ancestor s influence diminishes. With the popular sire syndrome a breed population may expand in numbers, but if breeding is concentrated in only a portion of the gene pool genetic diversity will diminish. Some breeds may lack enough health and vitality from the start, and these breeds collapse and do not progress beyond the purging stage of development. Other breeds may have a robust and growing population, but due to other factors experience a population contraction and decline that could significantly eliminate the genetic diversity present in the gene pool. The recent economically induced decline and then rise in AKC registrations is not detrimental to a breed as long as it was a temporary slowing, and not a loss of breeding lines. Frozen semen is also an important hedge against the loss of diverse lines. Population contraction is a serious detriment to breed genetic diversity if it includes the loss of diverse withinbreed lines. In extreme cases, a breed may require opening up its stud book to bring new genes into its gene pool. However most current dog breeds show acceptable genetic diversity and only require health conscious breeding and population expansion to maintain their gene pools. DO OUTBREEDING PROGRAMS IMPROVE GENETIC DIVERSITY AND GENETIC HEALTH? Conservation geneticists versed in rare and endangered species have designed species survival plans (SSPs) that call for outbreeding; mating together animals that are least related to each other. The purpose of SSPs is to prevent the homozygous expression of deleterious recessive genes. However, natural species and artificially selected breeds have completely different, and in many instances completely opposite selection pressures and desired outcomes. SSPs call for using all available individuals inbreeding and only outbreeding. Dog breeding calls for selection, which requires differences between prospective mates and therefore genetic diversity between individuals. Outbreeding homogenizes the population by removing the genetic difference between individuals in the breed and making everyone alike. If two unrelated parents are bred together, the offspring make the two lines related. If an offspring is then outbred to a further unrelated line, their offspring make all of the lines related. Outbreeding is a self limiting process as there will eventually be no unrelated dogs. In order to have selective pressure for positive traits and against negative traits or disorders, there must be variation and genetic differences between individuals in the gene pool. This requires distinct family lines that are eliminated by outbreeding programs. Thus, the basic conceptual point is, What constitutes genetic diversity? Is it the diversity within each dog (heterozygosity through outbreeding)? Or is it the diversity between each dog (maintaining diverse family lines)? These two concepts are diametrically opposed to each other and breeders and breed organizations must decide which is in the best interest of their breeds. The genes causing common breed-specific genetic disorders have already been dispersed in breed gene pools. Therefore the chance of breeding two carriers together is based on the frequency of the deleterious gene(s) in the population, and not necessarily the type (outbreeding or linebreeding) of mating. Outbreeding propagates deleterious genes in the carrier state and randomizes the occurrence of genetic disease; the same as is seen with common genetic disorders in mixedbreed dogs. The only way to select against specific genetic disorders is to specifically select against the causative or liability genes through direct genetic testing or phenotypic genetic screening. ADDITIONAL FACTORS IN SMALL POPULATION BREEDS Small population breeds have added issues because each mating has a much greater influence on the entire gene pool. If a breed has particular hereditary disorders at a higher frequency, mates should be selected that can minimize or lower the risk of producing these disorders. A quality higher risk dog (closely related to affected) can be bred to a lower risk dog and replaced with a lower risk offspring. As this process is repeated, the carrier risk and deleterious gene frequency will diminish in the population. As most disorders are complexly inherited and have no tests for carriers, carrier risk must be based on knowledge of phenotypic pedigree depth (parents and grandparents) and breadth (littermates and littermates of parents). Some breeders in small population breeds are afraid to breed and possibly cause more disease. However if no breeding is going on, the breed will certainly become extinct. Mates must be selected that reduce the risk of producing genetic disorders. Breeders need to do their best to select for health and quality and then see what they produce. In small population breeds a greater number of offspring should be placed in breeding homes to expand the population. However, breeders of some small population breeds try to constrain breeding and limit it only to themselves. This is a shortsighted attitude. Breeders should recruit and mentor puppy buyers to become thoughtful breeders. As a population expands, the 13 Continued on page 14...
Continued from page 13... choices of mates increase and the average recent relatedness of mates will decrease. Decreasing average recent generational inbreeding coefficients is a natural consequence of expanding populations utilizing the breadth of their genepools. It does not need to be artificially manipulated. Breeders all doing something a little different with their mating choices i.e., which individuals they are selecting, the types of matings utilized, etc. is what maintains breed genetic diversity. With health conscious breeding, there are greater choices available to produce healthier offspring. CONCLUSIONS All breeds require expanding or large, stable breeding populations. Mates should be selected that represent the breadth of genetic diversity in the gene pool. It is mate selection and not the types of matings that they are involved in (linebreeding or outbreeding) that maintains genetic diversity. Large and small population breeds show the same population indices of; high homozygosity, low effective population size, and high relationship to influential ancestors. The difference between large and small populations is in the available choice of breeding individuals. Health conscious selection through breed-appropriate genetic screening of prospective breeding individuals is the most important aspect of improving and maintaining the genetic health of any breed, regardless of its population size. This article was reprinted with written permission from the author: jerold.bell@tufts.edu. (Thanks to Charlotte Kinskey for providing.) NEXT ISSUE! WE WANT YOU... to give us your best story on the silliest, funniest, goofiest or most humorous thing about your Cesky! All short stories submitted will be published together. Photos are also welcome! actfanewsletter@yahoo.com Make your pet feel like man's best friend with this luxurious personalized, reversible, fleece blanket! Over 40 different dog fabrics to choose from. Dogs love blankets! They make a great gift to welcome a new family member to your home and make great gifts for others, too! The blankets are extremely soft! Each one is custom made-to-order and personalized & customized with your pet's name. Made of 100% fleece, they are easy-care and can be laundered. Available in 3 sizes - select the one that is just the right size for your four legged family member. Plush fluffy fur is also available -- dogs love this warm fabric. Copy & paste the link below to browse all the wonderful options available! RedBobbinDesigns on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/redb obbindesigns?ref=l2- shopheader -name§ion_id=21277742 14