It's all well and good to learn the best way to address inherited health issues when they arise, but how do we prevent them to begin with? For starters, the best breeders learn as much as they can about genetics and inheritance patterns. They also keep careful records relating to inheritable characteristics of all the dogs in their breeding programs, including everything from temperament to health, from conformation to working ability. They ask questions, and they offer information freely to other breeders. Exceptional breeders even have health and temperament information about all the pet puppies that they've placed. With diligence and careful selection, breeders can reduce the numbers of unhealthy dogs.
This section offers a series of articles and other references to help sort out how and why breeders need to think about genetics, and what to do to guard breed health into the future. We hope that these articles will inspire you to seek out more information on the subject. If you find something that you particularly like, please tell us about it!
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