Some practical solutions to welfare problems in dog breeding

This paper reviews the history of the establishment of dog breeds, summariz es current health and resultant welfare problems and makes some positive su ggestions for their resolution. Some breed standards and selection practice s run counter to the welfare interests of dogs, to the extent that some bre eds are characterized by traits that may be difficult to defend on welfare grounds. Meanwhile, little selection pressure seems to be exerted on some t raits that would improve animal welfare and produce dogs better suited to U nfortunately, the incidence of certain inherited defects in some breeds is unacceptably high, while the number of registered animals of certain breeds within some countries is so low as to make it almost impossible for breede rs to avoid mating close relatives. There are several constructive ways to overcome these challenges. Breed associations can ensure that reduction of welfare problems is one of their major aims, they can review breed standard s, they call embrace modern technology for animal identification and pedigr ee checking; they can allow the introduction of 'new' genetic material into closed stud-books, and they can encourage collaboration with geneticists i n identifying and using DNA markers for the control of inherited disorders. There should be a concerted effort to produce and evaluate as companion an imals first-cross (F1) hybrids from matings between various pairs of breeds . Finally, geneticists must learn to communicate their science better and i n a language that non-geneticists can understand. modern society.