Question!

[le_gris]

Don't normally post twice in one day, but we just sat through Pedigree Dogs Exposed and I'm morbidly curious to know more about actual "doggie eugenics", breed standards, genetic problems, etc.

Directing this mostly at aineotter and primaldog because I thought you were the most likely people on my list to have avenues to more academic resources on this sort of

Comments

[aineotter]

I haven't seen the video. Some breeds are worse than others; functioal, working breeds can be pretty good...others, not so much. English bulldogs, for example, can't give natural birth any longer because their conformation is so screwed up; they're all c-sections.
I like mutts; after vet school I can't really think of most breeds without having a list of thir 'issues' running through my head; boxers=tumor factories, boxer colitis, corneal ulcers...german shepherds=hip dysplasia and hemangiosarcoma...etc.

extra-long comment :)

[le_gris]

Thank you :) I really wanted an opinion of someone who's actually studied in this, and not art history *coughs*.
I've always been a mutt- lover beyond all else, and none of the "pound-puppies" I've ever had have had any semblance to any recognizeable breed XD. I have however fallen in love with a few breeds of dog from working around them for years. I was aware of the nightmare that are "show dogs", that inbreeding and genetic issues were pretty bad in some cases, but having someone on "Dogs 101" telling me in a jangly happy tone about how Frenchies often can't naturally reproduce because of their mutations just ruined the notion of contributing to that.
They cover the english bulldog issue in that movie, along with the syringomyelia of cavaliers, and some insane old lady killing rhodesian ridgeback puppies born without ridges. I don't normally jump on documentary bandwagons without my own research, but color me disturbed.

Re: extra-long comment :)

[aineotter]

Oh, yeah; Cavalier King Charles spaniel? We had one come through the teaching hospital when I was a 4th year student; she'd had surgical AI to get her pregnant, and then required special monitoring because she had a heart murmur. I had to serioulsy question the wisdom of breeding this animal, you know? She was apparently still considered a desirable breeder, because she looked good, and so won shows. But to make a bunch of pretty puppies with heart murmurs, that require reproductive intervention? Sheesh.
However; not all breeders are like this. Some really *do* work to improve a breed overall, and not just win shows. You can see that in the development of early tests for hip dysplasia (and their widespread adoption as a certification for breeders), and in the funding of genetics work to identify carriers of deleterious genes. But sadly, the less ethical breeders are almost by definition churning out more puppies than the good ones.

AKC eugenics

[pburns]

See >> http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2008/12/eugenics-man-at-kennel-club.html and links at bottom

Re: AKC eugenics

[le_gris]

Thank you, helpful semi-anonymous poster :)