DOGSSpecial Species, Special Problems

Attila Márton

Dogs in Science■ Dogs became objects of scientific researches only some

decades ago.

■ Most developing scientific areas:– Ethology– Canine genetics– Psychology (Human – Canine interaction)– Sociology– Evolution, domestication

WHY ARE DOGS SPECIAL?

Domestication■ Still a scientific debate

(based on DNA, fossils, and archeologic evidence)

■ Somewhen 15.000 – 30.000 years ago (Very long period. Institutional breeding started less than 200 years ago)

■ How long does it take to have amended and/or uniform traits within a population? – The fox farm of Dmitry Belyayev

■ Adaption to human life

■ Dogs can be used for much more complex duties than any other domesticated animals

■ The most complex interaction

■ Social sensitivity toward dogs

Various Traits, Various Functions

■ Hunting

■ Guarding & Securing

■ Livestock management

■ Rescue

■ Warfare

■ Therapy

■ Detection (explosives, drugs, chemicals, etc)

■ Sports

■ Campanion animal

■ And so forth

The Modern Dog■ Liberalised animal welfare from 1970s

■ Major function: companion animal

■ Many functions remained, and new ones emerged driven by the change of human way of living

DOG RELATED ANIMAL WELFARE AND

PROTECTION ISSUES

Two Major Areas■ Issue of stray dogs

■ Health & welfare of dogs

The Commonly Considered Problems■ Abandoned dogs

– Rehoming and rehabilitation– Zoonoses– Threat to wildlife– Other problems in human society caused by stray dogs– Overpopulations due to lack of neutering dogs and

irresponsible „breeding”

■ Genetically inherited diseases

The Five FreedomsBrambell’s Five Freedoms:

"An animal should at least have sufficient freedom of movementto be able without difficulty, to turn round, groom Itself, get up, liedown and stretch its limbs„

■ Freedom from hunger or thirst

■ Freedom from discomfort

■ Freedom from pain, injury or disease

■ Freedom to express (most) normal behaviour

■ Freedom from fear and distress

Problems on a Boarder Scale■ Neglection (physical and mental)

■ Health state due to environmental elements

■ Behaviour issues (spoiled and uncontrollable dogs, aggression, dog attacks)

■ Exaggerated sport activities

■ Dog fights

THE QUESTION OF BREED

Breed Related Arguments■ „Why to breed when shelters are full?”

■ Purebred vs Crossbred dogs

■ Animal health issues of purebred dogs

What Is a Breed?■ A group of animals that is consistent enough in type to be

readily recognised and logically grouped together, and that when mated within the group reproduces the same type.

(Clutton-Brock, Juliet. 1987. A Natural History of Domesticated Mammals, London, Cambridge University Press and British Museum of Natural History)

Dog Breeds■ Around 400 breeds = One genome, around 400 variations in

allele frequency

■ Variations in phenotype also within the same breed

■ Consistent and predictable genetic entities with uniformity

■ Conformation & talents (behaviour, skills) of breeds are defined in standards

Groenendael

Belgian Shepherd Dog / Chien de Berger Belge

Laekenois

Malinois Tervuren

Evolution of Breeds161 breeds establishes 23 supported clades

History of Breeds■ Artificial selection for different traits to complete different

functions

■ Functions have been changing all the time. From different type of hunting abilities to companion animals.

■ Current system of breeds is also artificial

■ Is there a breed without a standard? And is registration necessary to title a dog „purebred”?

Studbook & Pedigree■ Field trials (as early dog shows) for certain breeds, mostly gun dogs in

the middle of XIX. Century– 1859 – Newcastle, UK – 60 dogs (Pointers and Setters)– 1863 – Germany & France

■ Instituted breeding started late XIX. century– The Kennel Club – 1873– The very first Stud Book (UK) – 1874– The very first breed standard: Bulldog - 1876– American Kennel Club – 1884– Canadian Kennel Club – 1888– Fédération Cynologique Internationale – 1911

■ Studbook: Registration of population by the kennel clubs■ Pedigree: Certificate of origin

Who is a Breeder?■ Can you determine the term „breeder”?

■ What benefits does a registration process bear?

■ Registered kennels are the only ones whose activity is visible

■ „Purebred dogs” vs „Pedigree Dogs”

■ The problem of „purebred” look-alikes

Look-alikes■ Sources of puppies not from kennels:

– Puppy farms/mills– „Backyard breeders”– Mating by accident

■ Relation to health issues

■ Why does it matter?– Common thinking: look-alike dog = kennel breeding– Hard to find the pattern of animal welfare problems– Consequently, hard to find the solution– Hard to conduct adequate scientific studies

Perinatal CircumstancesWelfare of the mother and pups

■ Prenatal & postnatal stress

■ Nutrition

■ Veterinarian care

■ Sensitive period for socialisation (week 3 up to week 12 – 16 dependent on breed)

Sensitive PeriodConsequences in accordance with lack of socialisation:

■ develop extreme and persistent fears and phobias, possible learning deficits as evidenced by lower trainability,

■ distress in adulthood,

■ increase in aggression, which is most commonly directed toward the dog's owners and family members but also to unfamiliar people, and other dogs.

Cheap Dogs vs Kennel Dogs■ Finances do matter!

New Century, New „Breeds”■ „Designer” breeds (based on „hybrid vigor” concept)

■ Teacup dogs

■ Dogs with rare colour (due to genetic disorders)

Importance of Breed Preservation■ Predictable traits – conformation & behaviour:

– Existence of service dogs– Integration into the everyday life of the household

DOGS BITE!

Dog Attacks■ Are there dangerous breeds?

■ Is breed specific legislation effective?

■ How can such a breed like Golden Retriever be on the list of the „Top 10 breeds of dog attacks”?

Type of Dog Attacks■ Victim(s):

– Other dogs (or other species)– Towards humans

■ Perpetrator(s):– Stray dogs– Dogs on (?) leash– Dogs at home

Facts & Solution – 1/2.■ „Dogs are our best friends!” – Any dog can be dangerous!

■ Size matters

■ Different type of dog attacks, different solutions

■ Majority of dog bites happen at households

■ Can we read the body language of dogs?

■ Aggressiveness has different cognitive structures in breeds

■ Behavioural problems have negative effect(s) on the dog itself too

Facts & Solution – 2/2.■ „If my breed is not on the dangerous breed list, it is not

dangerous!”

■ If my dog is not a dangerous breed, I do not need to take extra caution

■ Small dogs are likely to be not that trained

■ Aggression is a coping mechanism at most of the cases

■ It seems breed specific legislation is ineffective

■ Choosing the right breed, understanding body language,training properly, understanding our very dog are necessary to reduce the likeliness of any kind of dog attack

PUREBRED VS CROSSBREDThe Health Debate

Purebred – Crossbred Health Debate■ Basic level „genetics”: crossbred dogs (or mutts) only inherit

„good” genes

■ There are purebred dogs with healthy long life and mutts with serious illnesses

■ There are breeds which are genetically more vulnerable, but not all of them(We are talking about 400 different scenarios)

■ Not every disease is related to genetics only or have not been identified as a result of genetic vulnerability

Purebred – Crossbred Health DebateFrequency and distribution of 152 genetic disease variants in over 100,000 mixed breed and purebred dogs. Donner J, Anderson H, Davison S, Hughes AM, Bouirmane J, Lindqvist J, et al. (2018) PLoS Genet 14(4): e1007361. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1007361

■ 96,514 were genotyped for a full set of 152 genetic variantusing a custom-designed beadchip microarray.

– 83,220 mixed breed dogs and – 13,294 purebred dogs from 303 breeds

■ Announcement of the creation of MyBreedData

Purebred – Crossbred Health DebateFrequency and distribution of 152 genetic disease variants in over 100,000 mixed breed and purebred dogs. Donner J, Anderson H, Davison S, Hughes AM, Bouirmane J, Lindqvist J, et al. (2018) PLoS Genet 14(4): e1007361. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1007361

■ Of the 152 screened disease variants, 127 (83.6%) were observedin at least one dog.

■ 40.5% of all dogs carried at least one of the tested disease variants in their genome in either hetero- or homozygous state. (around 2 in 5 dogs)

■ The maximum number of genetic disease variants observed in any individual dog was 5.

■ Most tested disease variants were encountered in both mixed breed and purebred dogs (N = 80) while others were exclusively observed in one of the groups.

■ Three dominant disease variants repeatedly observed in both mixed breed dogs and in the combined purebred sample.

■ DNA-based evidence for hybrid vigor

Purebred – Crossbred Health DebatePresence and distribution of 152 Mendelian disease alleles

Purebred – Crossbred Health DebateDistribution of Mendelian disease variant presence based on 152 known mutations genotyped in 96,514 dogs

Purebred – Crossbred Health DebateFrequency and distribution of 152 genetic disease variants in over 100,000 mixed breed and purebred dogs. Donner J, Anderson H, Davison S, Hughes AM, Bouirmane J, Lindqvist J, et al. (2018) PLoS Genet 14(4): e1007361. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1007361

■ Risk variants for genetic disorders are prevalent in the general dog population, and confirm that mixed breed dogs may suffer from many of the same medical conditions as purebreds.

■ Mixed breed dogs were more likely to carry a common recessive Mendelian disorder, while purebred dogs were more likely to be genetically at risk of one.

Purebred – Crossbred Health DebateFrequency and distribution of 152 genetic disease variants in over 100,000 mixed breed and purebred dogs. Donner J, Anderson H, Davison S, Hughes AM, Bouirmane J, Lindqvist J, et al. (2018) PLoS Genet 14(4): e1007361. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1007361

■ Some disease variants still segregating in mixed breeds may have been eradicated or reduced in frequency through selective breeding in purebreds, while others are enriched in subsets of breeds or are breed-specific.

■ A holistic approach and destigmatization of healthy dogs carrying inherited disorders, combined with sustainable breeding practices maintaining population genetic diversity, is needed in the management of known disease mutations while avoiding the enrichment of novel unknown ones.

Purebred – Crossbred Health Debate Conclusion 1/2.■ There is no „yes/no” answer for the question whether

purebred or crossbred dogs are healthier. It is a very complex topic.

■ Distortive factors:– Limited number of population examined– Which diseases we examine– Health is a varying state– Demography– The effect of nurture (environmental elements) is

excluded

■ Is a purebred dog from a kennel, a pet shop, or the Internet (look-alike)?

Purebred – Crossbred Health Debate Conclusion 2/2.

■ Majority of diseases and disorders have already been present.

■ Improvement of veterinarian medicine causing the expand of life expectance.

■ Genetic disorders are screened on breeds as biological models.

■ The definition of „breed” from the genetic aspect (?)

■ Genetically inherited diseases: we are asking the wrong questions.

MODERN HEALTH ISSUES

Inbreeding & Genetic Disorders

Influence of genetics and inbreeding on disease - John Woolliams, 2012

■ Forming a breed → Closed population

■ Closed population → Inbreeding (sooner or later)

■ Random drift in allele frequency over generations, with alleles becoming lost or fixed in the population

■ Loss of heterozygosity, inbreeding depression

Genetic Disorders in Dogs

Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals – March, 2015

62%9%

1%

10%

18%

Autosomal Recessive

Autosomal Dominant

Multifactorial

X-linked

Other

Inbreeding & Genetic Disorders

■ Safe level inbreeding: hard to predict or calculate

■ The Breed Management Paradox:„Homozygosity” in phenotype, heterozygosity in genotype

■ Population declines → Genetic vulnerability

■ One single breeder cannot influence the gene pool; breed management is a complex issue

The Misunderstandings of Canine Genetics■ „Gene” is the magic word; without general knowledge

■ From the aspect of breeders– Dog shows to compare the phenotype– Available DNA tests to detect the genotype – Can breeders read & manage the DNA test results?– Overregulation on breeding– The bottle-neck effect

■ From the common aspect– DNA-tested dog = Healthy dog– Neglection of environmental effects

Nature vs Nurture■ Heritability

The heritability of a trait is the fraction of the variation in phenotype among animals in a population that can be attributed to genetics.

■ Environmental elements such as:– Nutrition– Veterinarian care– Environmental pollution– And so forth

■ Genetic vulnerability does not mean that the disease starts to develop or occurs

Nature vs Nurture - ExampleSome scientific facts about canine hip dysplasia:

Heritability: 15-40%

■ Hip dysplasia is not a congenital defect; it is not present at birth.

■ The genes that cause hip dysplasia remain a mystery. It is a complex trait that is influenced by both genes and environment.

■ Joint laxity is the primary cause of hip dysplasia.

■ Body weight is a major environmental factor.

■ Exercise is good and bad

■ Nutrition is important

■ Early intervention is critical

Nature vs Nurture in Behaviour

Trait Heritability Study

Courage 0.28 Wilsson and Sundgren, 1997(GSDs and Labrador retrievers)

Affability 0.15-0.37

Ability to cooperate 0.28-0.35

Nerve stability 0.18 Ruefenacht et al., 2002(GSDs)

Reaction to gunfire 0.23

Sharpness 0.09

Playfulness 0.26 Strandberg et al., 2005(GSDs)

Chase-proneness 0.18

Curiosity/fearlessness 0.32

Aggressiveness 0.20

Nature vs Nurture■ Is an illness really a consequence of genetic disorders even if

there is a genetic vulnerability? – Genes as scapegoats.

■ Good genes, bad genes are not enough to have a healthy dog! Oversimplified „knowledge” on dogs.

■ More emphasise on genetics, less emphasise on proper environmental factors.

■ Do everyday dog keepers know how to properly raise and keep a dog?

MODERN DOGWELFARE ISSUES

Abandoned Dogs■ What is the reason behind?

■ We cannot ask dogs

■ Probable causes:– Improper knowledge about the dog– Unpredictable difficulties– Wrong choice regarding the breed or not-breed– Behaviour problems– Dog attacks within the household– Illnesses, disorders

Some additional problems■ Anthropomorphism & overhumanisation vs canine needs

■ Substituting human relationships with dogs(High capability due to interactional skills of dogs)

■ Disability to interpret canine body language

■ Dogs as status symbols

■ Lack of proper knowledge & influence of social media sites

■ Neglected biological and mental needs

■ Will treating dogs as „family” solve animal welfare issues?

Summary & Conclusion■ Animal welfare & protection of dogs is generally concentrating

on rehoming stray dogs.

■ Dogs and (consequently) dog related issues are complex matters.

■ Health related topics are utterly oversimplified.

■ Blaming genes on all health matters is too popular.

■ Deeper knowledge is needed for anyone related to dogs (owners, breeders, animal welfare activists).

■ Proper knowledge is vital to tackle down animal welfare and protection matters.

kutyabajok.blog.hudog-welfare-journal.blogspot.com

barking-up-the-wrong-tree.com

attilamarton.official

mrattilamarton@gmail.com

References & Sources■ DNA evidence is rewriting domestication origin stories

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/dna-evidence-rewriting-domestication-origin-stories

■ The Sensitive Period for Socialization in Puppies and Kittenshttp://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2017/07/the-sensitive-period-for-socialization.html

■ On Puppies, Pet Stores, and Behaviour Problemshttp://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2013/05/on-puppies-pet-stores-and-behaviour.html

■ Potential Causes of Problems in Pet Store Puppieshttp://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2017/05/potential-causes-of-problems-in-pet.html

■ Behavioral and psychological outcomes for dogs sold as puppies through pet stores and/or born in commercial breeding establishments: Current knowledge and putative causeshttp://www.journalvetbehavior.com/article/S1558-7878(17)30010-2/fulltext?cc=y=

■ Owner-reported aggressive behavior towards familiar people may be a more prominent occurrence in pet shop-traded dogshttp://www.journalvetbehavior.com/article/S1558-7878(15)00197-5/fulltext

References & Sources■ Association between prospective owner viewing of the parents of a puppy and

later referral for behavioural problemshttp://www.apbc.org.uk/system/files/private/apbc_research_viewing_puppies.pdf

■ Differences in behavioral characteristics between dogs obtained as puppies from pet stores and those obtained from noncommercial breedershttp://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.242.10.1359

■ Mental health of dogs formerly used as ‘breeding stock’ in commercial breeding establishmentshttp://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(11)00300-5/fulltext

■ Genomic Analyses Reveal the Influence of Geographic Origin, Migration, and Hybridization on Modern Dog Breed Developmenthttp://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(17)30456-4

■ Health of purebred vs mixed breed dogs: the actual datahttp://www.instituteofcaninebiology.org/blog/health-of-purebred-vs-mixed-breed-dogs-the-data

■ Longevity and mortality of owned dogs in Englandhttp://researchonline.rvc.ac.uk/7826/1/7826.pdf

References & Sources■ Large-scale survey to estimate the prevalence of disorders for 192

Kennel Club registered breedshttps://cgejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40575-017-0047-3

■ Owner perceived differences between mixed-breed and purebred dogshttp://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0172720

■ The relationship between inbreeding and genetic diseasehttp://www.instituteofcaninebiology.org/blog/the-relationship-between-inbreeding-and-genetic-disease

■ Why DNA tests won't make dogs healthierhttp://www.instituteofcaninebiology.org/blog/why-dna-tests-wont-make-dogs-healthier

■ Why all the fuss about inbreeding? (Or "Why are there so many genetic disorders in dogs?")http://www.instituteofcaninebiology.org/blog/why-all-the-fuss-about-inbreeding-or-why-do-we-have-so-many-genetic-disorders-in-dogs

■ Is it Nuture or Nature?http://www.instituteofcaninebiology.org/blog/is-it-nuture-or-nature

References & Sources■ The 10 most important things to know about canine hip dysplasia

http://www.instituteofcaninebiology.org/blog/the-10-most-important-things-to-know-about-canine-hip-dysplasia)

■ Dog Behavior: Untangling Nature and Nurturehttp://blog.dogyearbook.com/dog-behavior-untangling-nature-and-nurture/

■ Adults’ Ability to Interpret Canine Body Language during a Dog–Child Interactionhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/310740425_Adults'_Ability_to_Interpret_Canine_Body_Language_during_a_Dog-Child_Interaction

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