Continued from PART 2 FY = 0. This example emphasizes a point made earlier: inbreeding is dependent on relationship. In small breeds, it often happens that there are a few very influential individuals to whom most of the population is related. These elevated levels of relationship can make it difficult to plan matings free …
Continued from PART 1 Adding The Row ‘Emma’ Now that we have added a second row to form a column, a comment is in order that will greatly reduce your labor. Look ahead to the completed Table 3 e, for a moment. If you draw a diagonal line down the matrix from the cell …
[note: this first appeared as “Cryptorchidism in the German Shepherd Dog,” but is applicable to all breeds.] The most common congenital* anomaly of the scrotum and testicles is the apparent absence of one or both gonads. I use the word “apparent” because the missing testicle(s) usually are actually present inside the body cavity of the …
Hope that you never have a litter with cleft palates. But if you do, this may explain the cause of at least some cases. Let’s start at the beginning, with a short review of the birds and the bees. The sperm cell, with half the chromosomes needed for a new pup …
Breeders often talk about inbreeding and outcrossing as though they were the only possibilities — and generally with negative comments about the latter. There are other possibilities, and I have long been a proponent of assortative mating. It is not a theoretical concept that doesn’t work in practice; I …
Continued from Page 1 Genetic Load The difference between the fittest genotype of a population and the average fitness of that population is known as genetic load. [Muller, 1950] It is, of course, caused by the presence of lethal, sublethal and subvital alleles. The more such alleles found in a population, the greater the …
What is a Canine Breed? What is a breed? To put the question more precisely, what are the necessary conditions that enable us to say with conviction, “this group of animals constitutes a distinct breed?” In the cynological world, three separate approaches combine to constitute canine breeds. Dogs are distinguished first by ancestry, all of …
Translated by Irene Klotz For breed judges, Koermeister and breeders the evaluation of the German Shepherd dog is a daily activity. For all others, it is likely of interest to know how a dog – especially your own – is evaluated. Johann Mayer, Regional Breed Warden of the Bavaria-South Regional Group has compiled some of …
The Front Variously called the front assembly, forequarters, or shoulder, the whole combination made by the shoulder blade (scapula), upper arm (humerus), breastbone (sternum), and their related soft tissues is at the heart of much poor movement in German Shepherd Dogs the world …
What is the immune system? The term “Autoimmune disease” is currently making the rounds among dog breeders and exhibitors and in the veterinary community. Diseases caused by a defective immune system are of particular concern among many purebred fanciers. (Some people use the abbreviation AID for (A)uto (I)mmune (D)isease. Due to possible confusion with AIDS,(acquired …