Hallslake Cockers & Cockapoos

Clear / Carrier / Affected….. What you need to know.

Ok, so I want to address the taboo topic of DNA-tested dogs who show hereditary health conditions in their results, and how that affects their future as a breeding dog, or pet.

Initially, it would seem obvious that only dogs that are absolutely clear of every known condition should be used for breeding, but let me just open your mind to a few things you may not have considered.

First, let me explain how these conditions work. A dog will have three different options when a health test result comes back following a DNA test.

Clear

The dog is a non-carrier of a mutant gene. The dog will not suffer from the condition & will never pass the disease to its offspring. Great!

Carrier

The dog carries one copy of a mutant gene and one copy of the normal gene.

The dog itself will NEVER contract or exhibit any sign of the condition, but since it carries the mutant gene, it can pass it on to its offspring, depending on the dog it is bred to.

Affected 

The dog carries two copies of the mutant gene, meaning BOTH parents must have been carriers or affected by the disease-causing gene. The dog will therefore be directly affected by, and suffer from, the condition it has been tested for. It will also always pass one copy of the mutant gene to its entire offspring. This is a sad prognosis, and one that no knowledgeable breeder should ever have an excuse for producing.

Below is a chart showing the various outcome from crossing different status dam & sires. 

Sire		Dam		Offspring
Clear		Clear		100% clear
Clear		Carrier		50%  clear + 50% carriers
Clear		Affected		100% carriers
Carrier		Clear		50%  clear + 50% carriers
Carrier		Carrier		25% clear + 25% affected + 50% carriers
Carrier		Affected		50% carriers + 50% affected
Affected		Clear		100%  carriers
Affected		Carrier		50% carriers + 50% affected
Affected		Affected		100% affected

So why not take all carriers out of you breeding program? Because there are many more things to consider than just health.

This sounds radical at first, but when you think about it more, how would you feel about having a genetically healthy dog that;

• Was unhappy around children, other dogs, and strangers?
• Is excessively noisy?
• Panics when going to the groomer or the vet?
• Is not ok with livestock, and won’t listen to you or recall when stimulated elsewhere?
• Doesn’t cope well when left alone?
• Is overly fearful?
• Panics when surprised by things such as sudden noises?

These are factors that can be transmitted from both parents to their offspring through EPIGENETICS (this is a fascinating topic that I really recommend that you research)!

All these factors can be passed on through the genes of Dam & Sire, in just the same way genetic diseases are passed, so selecting a breeding dog is so much more than just checking the health tests.

There are also the visual considerations that need to be made.

• Are the dogs conformationally correct?
• Do they have breed standard characteristics?
• Are they attractive-looking and appealing?
• Are they unrelated and showing a low score on the ecoefficiency?

There are a considerable number of different factors that need to be considered when selecting a breeding pair of dogs, and many of those factors are not something that can be tested for; they are things that must be observed and known, and rely on the critical eye of a discerning breeder.  These are things that every good breeder puts huge emphasis on. The temperament and life experiences of both the mother and father will have a huge impact on the puppies produced. Assessing temperament alongside health is critical to the future of our dogs. Because we are looking to breed robust dogs who can not only cope but thrive in a human world. 

So consider this…. You have a stunning, show-quality, top breed standard bitch. She has a superb temperament; she is confident, calm, loving, secure, and fun. She is also intelligent, obedient, and attentive. Great with children and confidently curious when meeting new people or going into new situations. However, when performing her DNA health tests, she comes back as a carrier for one copy of a mutant gene.

Should this bitch be taken out of our breeding program? Should all the positive attributes she could pass through to her puppies be dismissed?

Or should she be very carefully bred to a dog who has also been thoughtfully selected to boost all her assets, but NOT be a carrier for the same mutant gene?

This cross would mean that some of the litter may be carriers, but NON could ever be affected by the mutant gene, so would never suffer any of the effects of the condition. But... they could be absolutely super dogs that are a joy to their families and enrich the lives of those around them!

It’s food for thought, isn’t it!