giraffez Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Hi all I'm not a breeder and have no intention to breed but my question is for breeders so I hope I'm posting in the right section. Just for my own curiosity, for humans, if brothers and sisters mate, the baby may come out genetically deformed. Does this apply to dogs as well? Is it ok for siblings from the same batch to be used to produce pups? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 It won't cause genetic deformities in dogs unless there are already genetic issues in the pedigree. A very close in-breeding cannot introduce anything "new" to the pedigree. It will only reveal what is already there, but may have been hidden. This could be deformities and/or weaknesses or it could be assets. It isn't however a "desirable" breeding and should be left in the hands of those who know what they are doing and preferably know the strengths and weaknesses of the bloodlines that they are dealing with. A breeder doing such a mating, would probably have an idea of what they are aiming for, or are going to achieve and it may be the quickest way to prove (or disprove) their theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowenhart Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Actually I think in humans it does not automatically equal deformity. Wasn't there a case of half-siblings marrying and having children who were all healthy? And didn't that horrendeous incest case of a father having children with his daughter show that the children, whilst in a bad way from being locked up, they weren't deformed. Not every brother/sister litter in dogs will be deformed. There maybe some deformities, but not in every case, just as you see deformities in litters were the parents aren't related for 7 or 8 generations. If it's there, and the genes fall into that pattern, then it appears. Close inbreedng should not be undertaken by someone unfamiliar with the family tree. You really have to know the pedigree in and out before untaking such a breeding. It certainly does show up some of what is in there, and it is unadvisable to do such close breeding for multiple generations as you are not incorporating anything new and have a higher chance of bring together unwelcome recessive traits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Some breeders do matings that close but any geneticist will tell you it is a really bad idea with the potential for disaster. The biggest problem with any really close mating is it increases the risk of doubling up on genetic defects. If the puppies are deformed then they are put down but there are plenty of genetic defects that are not obvious in a puppy and may not show up until the dog is older, by which time they have been sold to an unsuspecting owner. These defects can also happen in any living creature but close inbreeding greatly increases the odds of problems like this happening. Every living creature carries defective genes, so the more you concentrate a dog in a pedigree, the greater the chance that you will produce the defects that dog is carrying. Similarly, the more a dog is bred from, the more defects it will produce. I think The Kennel Club in England has now banned full (and possibly half) brother/sister matings as well as any parent to offspring matings. Many knowledgable breeders have great success breeding the next generation away ie. niece/uncle, cousins or back to a grandparent. This allows for the consolidating of lines while still bring in some genetic diversity. These can also be risky but far less so than siblings or parent/offspring matings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giraffez Posted November 7, 2010 Author Share Posted November 7, 2010 Thanks all for helping me understand this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asal Posted November 8, 2010 Share Posted November 8, 2010 Some breeders do matings that close but any geneticist will tell you it is a really bad idea with the potential for disaster. The biggest problem with any really close mating is it increases the risk of doubling up on genetic defects. If the puppies are deformed then they are put down but there are plenty of genetic defects that are not obvious in a puppy and may not show up until the dog is older, by which time they have been sold to an unsuspecting owner. These defects can also happen in any living creature but close inbreeding greatly increases the odds of problems like this happening. Every living creature carries defective genes, so the more you concentrate a dog in a pedigree, the greater the chance that you will produce the defects that dog is carrying. Similarly, the more a dog is bred from, the more defects it will produce. I think The Kennel Club in England has now banned full (and possibly half) brother/sister matings as well as any parent to offspring matings. Many knowledgable breeders have great success breeding the next generation away ie. niece/uncle, cousins or back to a grandparent. This allows for the consolidating of lines while still bring in some genetic diversity. These can also be risky but far less so than siblings or parent/offspring matings. sadly any mating has "the potential for disaster" no matter how unrelated those in the pedigree may be. maybe i should take a photo of one i saw recently. bottom jaw so small it looks like a canine shark. parents unrelated champions . genes do as they please. whats that saying? "man proposes, god disposes." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts