Price of Being Purebred

The Price of Being Purebred

Too much inbreeding has left many dogs walking basket cases

Bad genes plague every species, but most harmful traits are naturally selected out instead of being passed from generation to generation. This has not been defined by what looks good, as loosely defined by breed-specific dog clubs and the American Kernel Club. By breeding for external traits or idiosyncrasies, such as long or blunt faces, large or short sloping hips, or an odd eye color, consumers have unwittingly caused a proliferation of genetic disorders and undermined the genetic integrity of the dog species.

The origin of the domesticated dog is the subject of much debate. We do know that early humans kept the pups of wild animals, jackals, coyotes, and wolves as pets. But as these canines were domesticated, it was discovered that some were better than others at guarding, hauling, and herding. Human began breeding selectively for these desirable traits. Only then were “breeds” created. But as dogs of similar genetic compositions were bred over and over again, the gene pool became depleted, leaving behind hundreds of inheritable diseases and disorders: a deadly legacy that could be affecting your favorite canine.

Today, Americans own more than 30 million purebred dogs. As many as one in four of these purebreds are afflicted with genetic disorders that not only cause discomfort for dogs and distress for owners, but at worst can lead to disease and death. Great Danes suffer from heart defects, collies are prone to deafness, toy poodles often experience epilepsy, and Labrador retrievers have a high risk of dwarfism. In all, more than 300 genetic abnormalities have been found in dogs.

Your dog can sit, but can it stand? Bad posture may land a dog in the doghouse in your view.. But in some cases your dog's posture may indicate real problems. A dog that's down in front, for instance, may have a neuromuscular disorder and need to see a vet. Photo by Elena. Monument to a dog in the Central Park, New York.

The problem is that the characteristics judges and clubs have deemed prize-winning are often detrimental to the animals' health. To demand huge heads on bulldogs can require that they be born unnaturally through cesarean section. The wrinkled skin on shar-peis can make them prone to rashes.

To make matters worse, the best way to produce puppies with a specific external quality is to mate two dogs with that quality. Since the closest resemblances are found in families, dogs are often inbred, the mating of fathers and daughters or brothers and sisters being common practice.

Breeders also practice “line breeding”, in which grandparents mate their grandchildren, or cousins with each other. Both inbreeding and line breeding increase the likelihood of reproducing a desirable external trait. They also increase the likelihood of reproducing genetic disease.

The problem intensifies with overbreeding. Often a single desirable male, or even a set of desirable parents will produce many litters. If it is later determined that the male or the parents, have a genetic disease, it will have already been widely dispersed in the offspring. While early humans based the value of a dog on its ability to perform traditional tasks efficiently, today's dogs are evaluated on appearance alone. Because of inbreeding, line breeding, and overbreeding, many dogs can no longer even perform traditional tasks.

Who is to blame? Veterinarians and animal behaviorists with the Human Society say, it in the culture. The culture that regards dogs as commodities and recognizes purebreds as superior to missed breds.