Genetics and Diversity
The Kennel Club launched its "Mate Select" online service in May 2011. The site enables breeders to:
At the date of launch, the CoI values for each of the Dachshund varieties was as follows:
Smooth = 8.2%, Mini Smooth = 8.1%, Long = 8.6%, Mini Long = 7.6%, Wire = 6.7%, Mini Wire = 11.3%
For comparison, some other popular breeds have the following CoI values:
German Shepherd = 3.2%, German Shorthaired Pointer = 5.3%, Golden Retriever = 9.5%, Pug = 6.5%, Cavalier = 5.2%, Pekingese = 7.4%
CoI values for each of the Dachshund varieties since first published by the KC in May 2011:
The Dachshund Breed Council has produced a free to download Introductory Guide to Genetics. The genetics of Dachshund coats and colours is explained in Helen Geeson's Breed Conference presentation. Genetics of Dapple/Piebald is also here. Recessive coat genetics is explained here.
Read the 2015 report on Dachshund Genetic Diversity here.
The higher the CoI, the greater the probability (and risk) that two copies of a particular gene will be inherited from a common ancestor. Read about our analysis of CoI and Lafora Disease here.
The KC will no longer register puppies from mother/son, father/daughter or brother/sister combinations - these would have a CoI of at least 25%. Read about the value of CoI.
The Breed Council is monitoring changes in each Dachshund variety's Coefficient of Inbreeding over time and strongly encourages breeders to make use of Mate Select to help inform their breeding strategies. You can also find summaries (here) of stud dogs being used in each Dachshund variety and follow our analysis of "Popular Sires". Read this abstract of a German study into the influence of inbreeding on litter size and the proportion of stillborn puppies in Dachshunds. Information on Dachshund fertility and whelping is here.
Effective Population Size (EPS) data for Dachshunds can be found here. Generally, the more inbred a population is, the lower its EPS will be as there are fewer unique individuals contributing to the next generation.
More information from the Mate Select website:
How Recessive genetic mutations work in breeding programmes - a brief explanation
The value of Coefficients of Inbreeding - an article by Dr. Tom Lewis & Dr. Sarah Blott.
The FCI has produced a paper on Breeding Strategies, with recommendations on good practice.
The Canine Diversity Project has lots of articles on genetics and breeding strategies.
Dr. Cathryn Mellersh has written a paper for the Veterinary Record: "DNA testing man's best friend" and an article on "Breeding with Carriers".
Hannah Stephenson presented "Genetics for dog breeders" at our 2012 Breed Conference.
Helen Geeson presented "Genetics of Coat and Colour" at our 2012 Breed Conference.
The Kennel Club Gazette (Sept. 2012) Viewpoint article on the Popular Sire Effect.
Prof. Jerold Bell's article: The effects of genetic testing: constructive or destructive?
Prof. Jerold Bell's article: Genetic testing and counseling.
Prof. Jerold Bell's article on Popular Sire Syndrome.