Understanding Genetics for Dog Breeders
The history of dog breeding is a large subject, and to deal with each separate breed, would entail a volume in itself.
Here I shall give only a brief outline of the history of research in genetics. To begin with, the dog goes far back into antiquity. Just where or when he first originated it would be impossible to say, but we do know that he is frequently mentioned in the Scriptures.
To go farther back, somewhere around the year 1500 BC, we find that the dog was not held in very great esteem. At the time in which Deuteronomy was written, the "price of a dog" was considered an unworthy offering to be brought to the altar.
In 1865, the Augustinian abbot, Gregor Johann Mendel, discovered certain laws for the inheritance of characteristics from one generation to another, through the cultivation of the common variety of garden pea. He studied the relation of true-breeding types within a species, giving his attention, particularly to the way in which sharply contrasted pairs of characteristics are inherited.
He kept accurate pedigree records, and in each case found the results to be the same. The first cross or breeding showed only one of the two characteristics, which had marked the parents. Mendel called the characteristic, which came out most strongly, the dominant member of the two, and the other, the recessive.
These plants were then allowed to become self-fertilized; the seeds were kept and sown separately. This second generation consisted of plants having the dominant characteristic, and also others having the recessive. In every four, on the average, three showed the dominant and one the recessive.
When the same experiment was carried out with the plants of this second generation, it was found that every one which had shown the recessive characteristic bred true, while of those which had exhibited the dominant, only one out of three bred true. In other words, the characteristics inherited by the second generation come from a chance combination, and can only be predicted on paper.
Let us apply this to dog breeding for a moment, and see what we get. Suppose a spaniel bitch that you own is well up on the leg, short in the body, with a good back line and tail set, but a little weak in head development. Obviously, if you can procure puppies which combine a strong head with the good points of the bitch, you will have made a noteworthy advance.
Your next problem is to find a stud whose dominant feature is a strong head, and whose body characteristics and blood lines approximate those of the prospective dam as nearly as possible. Then, provided a good body is a dominant characteristic of the bitch, and a strong head of the stud, the resulting puppies should combine these features. However, should these characteristics of the sire and dam be second-generation characteristics, the likelihood of the puppies inheriting them will be a chance combination.
Mendel spent ten years on his experiments, but when he had given his results to the world they were promptly forgotten, while students of heredity wrangled over the theories of Weismann and Lamarck. However, in 1900 three men simultaneously brought it all to light again. At the start of their investigations the exceptions to Mendel's laws received more attention than they should have, and many conservative investigators decided that Mendel was wrong. Nevertheless, it is now realized that Mendel's work was valuable, and provided the basis for all future important work on genetics.
Mendel's experiments with the garden peas showed the way in which the laws of inheritance work, and brought out the truth of the conclusion, that the chance of breeding good dogs increases in direct ratio with the quality not only of the parents, but of every dog in all the generations behind them.
Understanding the basics of genetics is an essential for all dog breeders. Only then can you make an informed selection of bitch and stud.
The above information will give you a good start on this fascinating subject. Author: Betty Glauder is a student. She grew up in Aurora, Colorado. She studies at University of Colorado and works at online coursework help service as writer. She is a Greenpeace volunteer. Also she is an amateur hip-hop dancer.
About the Creator
Keep reading
More stories from Betty Glauder and writers in Petlife and other communities.
You're Nobody Until You've Been Ignored By A Cat
Introduction I am currently reading the excellent "The Pie At Night" by Stuart Maconie and he mentions that he has a homemade fridge magnet that he bought from a craft fair somewhere in Lakeland that has a wooden cat with googly eyes that states "You're Nobody Until You've Been Ignored By A Cat" and that is something that happens to me very often, so it would imply that I am not Nobody.
By Mike Singleton - Mikeydred3 days ago in Petlife
How to take care of your cat
Feed them natural food, not commercial dry powdered foods. Although natural foods involve more preparation, it really doesn't with the right steps. You can prepare a lot of natural cat food and store it in the fridge or freezer. When storing it in the freezer, be sure to put it in separate containers. You can also mix a little bit of vinegar or wine if storing it in the fridge to make it last longer. Note that storing it longer will also decrease the nutrition, taste, texture, and aroma of the food. If the cats are not spoiled or native, they'll still eat it anyway. Only mix probiotics and vitamins when you're ready to give the food. You can search on Google for foods that aren't allowed for cats and foods that are appetizing to cats. I usually mix the food with allowed fruits and veggies. Not to add too much because they won't eat it. I also mix meat stock, rice, and some commercial cat food to save more money and increase nutrition, thereby preventing diseases and veterinary expenses. When I can't give them anything, I give them rice with soy sauce mixed with a little bit of malunggay. Cats have little kidneys, so don't give them soy sauce often, which is high in sodium. It said on Google that grinded pumpkin seeds can get rid of worms, but I haven't tested it. If youre planning to give it, though, be sure to test it first on one cat and a very small amount, then monitor for the cats behavioral changes. Same procedure when introducing other types of food. If effective, maintain the diet so the worms will be completely eradicated and nutrition levels maintained. Also, clean the cage with Clorox to remove the eggs on the surfaces so the worms won't come back to the cat.
By Jan Angelo Maghinang5 days ago in Petlife
Disarmament
They say there's no atheism in the foxhole. While I wasn't currently neck-deep in a river of soft sediment, I was still praying to whoever would listen. Why am I doing this again? I would ponder while staring at the device that in no less than a minute could be my undoing. I scanned each and every variable panel and commonplace button as I watched the bright red L.E.D ticker countdown. No wires to cut, no code to put in, there was only one way to stop this infernal machine, and that incurred perfect timing.
By James U. Rizzi2 days ago in Fiction
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.