Quote:
Originally Posted by navillusc  
Makes you wonder at what point data collection will begin, and what will have happened within the breed by then that might skew test results forever.
I suppose, ideally, genome mapping and DNA testing from the initial start of the development phase of a new breed onward would be good. Even so, there would forever be unknowns about the previous generations of the foundation breed stock, wouldn't there? Especially if there are any oops matings that resulted in puppies who were 'visual representations of the breed' but carrying altered DNA...and if those were used as breed stock...???
I am merely interested and curious, not a breeder, so I could easily be soooo wrong...  |
And here-in lies the historical and current rub. Historically and currently still as you are probably aware, the authenticity of a breed in a very large part is predicated on the honesty and accurate reporting of the breeder when they register their litter. It is our "job" to keep our females safe from accidental breedings, and in fact to orchestrate breedings to designated sires. So if as a breeder you have a litter of pups beneath your feet, that seem somehow off, or if you somehow "lost" track of your gal in heat, you are duty bound to DNA test that litter, which obviously means all males in your household need to be DNA'd if they have not been already. It is an expensive mistake, but there ya go. Now conservatively speaking how many breeders will do this?
As a breeder you research thoroughly to whom you want to mate with, but at the ultimate end it does predominately rest on trust. And that trust is given to the current breeder.
Submission of DNA per registered dog either in Canada/USA or Europe is currently on a voluntary basis, other for some discrete circumstances. DNA at these registries is only used to confirm parenthood, not to confirm breed type.
There is no doubt in my mind that there is a high likelihood across almost all breeds that somewhere in their history there have been oops matings, that the breeder was either un-aware of, or decided to turn a blind eye too.
So for me, I would like to see some scientific mathematical formulae that takes into account these "mismatches" over the years. I would also like to see genome mapping starting with the most populous breeds, say GR, and GSD and YT and Rottweilers. What is different in the genome of a Rottie to a GSD? In human terms that would mean have we come so far we can tell the difference from a Purebred Chinese person, to a purebred Japanese person? Can we know and map a Germanic person from a Canadian person?