Questions & Answers
Why is this search function to find Labrador Retrievers with better hip breeding values useful?
Why does negative breeding values means a better hip?
What is the difference between expected progeny difference (EPD) and breeding value?
Will an inbred dog definitely have progeny with high inbreeding?
Why can breeding value be negative?
I wish to choose a pup from a litter and I know the parents who produced this litter? How should I use the information in the data base?
I wish to choose a pup from a litter but I don’t have information about the hip scores of either parent?
I wish to buy a male dog as a potential breeder? How should I use the information in the data base?
I wish to buy a female dog as a potential breeder? How should I use the information in the data base?
I bought a pup already but just found this web site. How should I use the information in the data base to decide if this puppy is at risk of hip dysplasia?
If a puppy is at risk for hip dysplasia based on the breeding value of its parents, what should I do about it?
I wish to choose a male dog for my female dog to produce a litter of pups with the best hips I can. How do I select a dog from this data base?
Once I have identified a litter for puppy selection or a dog to which I'd like to breed, how do I locate the owner or breeder?
- Why is this search function to find Labrador Retrievers with better hip breeding values useful?
The breeding values and inbreeding coefficients recorded in this web site enable me to find dogs with low hip score breeding values that belong to the current and recent generations. The use of the dogs in the lower part of the breeding value range for breeding will likely improve the hip quality of my breeding stock and puppies they produce. Purchase of puppies produced by the sires and dams with the lower breeding values will likely produce puppies with better hips than if I based breeding decisions on hip radiographs alone. The reason is that the selection of dogs based on breeding values means that consideration has been given to both the dog's genetic (pedigree) information and hip radiographic information combined. Selection of dogs based on radiographs alone is very useful but faster genetic gain toward better hip conformation accrues when breeding decisions are made based on genetic information as well. - Why does negative breeding values means a better hip?
The question arises due to the ambiguity of word “value”, which usually suggests the higher value the better. The breeding value is an indicator for the genetic basis of the hip score variation. Consequently, breeding values take the same unit and direction as the original phenotype – the OFA score. An OFA score of 1 is for an excellent hip and an OFA score of 7 is for the most severe hip dysplasia. - What is the difference between expected progeny difference (EPD) and breeding value?
The breeding value is the prediction of the genetic basis of an individual OFA score. Half of the genetic basis is contributed from one parent and half from the other. If an individual mated randomly, the expected difference of the progeny from the average (base) will be the half of the breeding value. Therefore, half of the breeding value is called the EPD. For example, sire A and B have breeding values of -0.1 and 0.20, their EPDs will be -0.05 and 0.1. The progeny of sire A is expected to be 0.15 lower than the progeny of sire B. - Will an inbred dog definitely have progeny with high inbreeding?
Not really. The progeny may not be inbred if the mate you select is not its relative. The inbreeding of an individual depends if the parents are relatives or not. - Why can breeding value be negative?
The current reported breeding values were the direct output of the solutions for each dog in the mixed linear model. The base of the breeding value is the average breeding value among all the dogs evaluated. The base is a “floating” base which can vary by adding new dogs which have better hips. - I wish to choose a pup from a litter and I know the parents who produced this litter? How should I use the information in the data base?
Once you decide the breed characteristics of the parents you prefer, then gather the information about any inherited traits and diseases you can. For a pup’s genetic potential to grow up with good hip quality, go into the data base and look at the hip breeding values for the dogs you like. Then you can rank those dogs based on their potential to produce pups with good hip conformation (the lowest hip breeding value indicates the dog with the genetic potential to produce the best hip conformation based on the OFA score). If only one parent is found in the data base, then that’s the best you can do. Secondly, you can rank the parents according to their inbreeding coefficients. You should try to choose pups produced from litters whose parents have the lowest inbreeding coefficients. - I wish to choose a pup from a litter but I don’t have information about the hip scores of either parent?
You can ask the breeder for any pertinent radiographic information they have about their dog. They may have PennHIP information. They may not use the OFA method. They may do no orthopedic screening at all. We also know that elbow dysplasia is a problem in the Labrador Retriever breed. If you can obtain no information about orthopedic disease in a dog’s pedigree, then we suggest you try another breeder. - I wish to choose or buy a male dog as a potential breeder? How should I use the information in the data base?
Once you have selected the potential male dogs based on all the breed qualities you prefer, then rank the dogs based on their genetic potential to produce offspring with good hip conformation and on their inbreeding coefficients. Always breed to a female dog with the best hip conformation and lowest inbreeding coefficient you can find along with all the best qualities you can ascertain, orthopedic or otherwise. - I wish to choose or buy a female dog as a potential breeder? How should I use the information in the data base?
Once you have selected the potential female dogs based on all the breed qualities you prefer, then rank them based on their genetic potential to produce offspring with good hip conformation and on their inbreeding coefficients. Always breed to a male dog with the best hip conformation and lowest inbreeding coefficient you can find along with all the best qualities you can ascertain, orthopedic or otherwise. - I bought a pup already but just found this web site. How should I use the information in the data base to decide if this puppy is at risk of hip dysplasia?
If you can identify the parents in the data base, look at the OFA breeding values of the parents. If they are above 0, then the pup has a higher chance of developing hip dysplasia than if the breeding values are below 0. The closer the breeding value is to -1, the greater the susceptibility to develop hip dysplasia. If you decide the pup is susceptible, it should be examined regularly for hip instability by your veterinarian. Depending on the dog’s age, medical or surgical intervention may be an option. This is especially important if your dogs has clinical signs of hip dysplasia like reluctance to jump, bunny hopping gait behind at speed (both hind legs moving forward together), soreness or stiffness after exercise, a “wobbly” hind limb gait, poor muscle mass development behind compared to its forequarter, difficulty getting up, placing extra body weight on its fore limbs with a hunched back, a clicking sound when it walks, or reluctance to allow you to pet near its hips. Any pup susceptible to hip dysplasia or any developmental orthopedic disease should be watched for rapid body weight gain and if it is too fat, its food intake should be restricted under advice of your veterinarian. - If a puppy is at risk for hip dysplasia based on the breeding value of its parents, what should I do about it?
Ask your veterinarian to examine your puppy’s hips regularly. This is especially important if your dogs has clinical signs of hip dysplasia like reluctance to jump, bunny hopping gait behind at speed (both hind legs moving forward together), soreness or stiffness after exercise, a “wobbly” hind limb gait, poor muscle mass development behind compared to its forequarter, difficulty getting up, placing extra body weight on its fore limbs with a hunched back, a clicking sound when it walks, or reluctance to allow you to pet near its hips. Any pup susceptible to hip dysplasia or any developmental orthopedic disease should be watched for rapid body weight gain and if it is too fat, its food intake should be restricted under advice of your veterinarian. - I wish to choose a male dog for my female dog to produce a litter of pups with the best hips I can. How do I select a dog from this data base?
Rank the male dogs based on their OFA hip breeding values scores and their inbreeding coefficients. Choose the dog with the qualities you like as well as the best genetic potential to produce offspring with good hip conformation and lower inbreeding co-efficient. - Once I have identified a litter for puppy selection or a dog to which I'd like to breed, how do I locate the owner or breeder?
We can suggest trying Google, other Labrador Retriever owners, breed/trade magazines like "Just Labs", contacting the Labrador Retreiver breed clubs, or the AKC, etc. There are many resources available on the web to help in your search. You can also purchase a pedigree from the AKC and this will have an owner's name on it.
