Is inbreeding necessary

Taking the Poodle as an example, because of its ancient canine history, The remarkable success of the Wycliffe black Poodles sent almost every breeder in search of Wycliffe and related Poodles to breed to and created an artificial genetic bottleneck so that the vast majority of the current population are more closely related than first cousins. There are standard poodles with distinctively different heritage out there, but there is not a large number. Many Standard Poodles, regardless of which country they came from or what state the breeder purchased them from, have distant or closely related ancestors down through their pedigree thanks to show breeders. If Standard Poodles are indiscriminately bred to the mainstream, it will be like adding a spoonful of white paint to a gallon of black and the effect will not be noticed. With our own Standard Poodles, we spent two years researching their history and their pedigrees extensively. Going back as far as the early 1930s, it was plain to see the same Champion show dogs mentioned repeatedly, although not back to back. For example, one Champion show dog who was from Germany was later seen bred a few generations down the line to another Champion show dog from Scandinavia and so on. We came to the conclusion that either the dogs themselves or their semen had been shipped all around the world by popular and successful show breeders. Unfortunately, many show breeders are the worst when it comes to excessive inbreeding or linebreeding and this is because they are desiring to achieve and produce CHAMPION SHOW DOGS.....we have said this numerous times that you can't always have your cake and eat it too. While show breeders seek out CHAMPION SHOW GENES to produce further champions down the road, they unfortunately must give up other qualities in order to retain the show qualities. Many Goldendoodle breeders have not taken the time to research their Poodles' lineage or pedigree and are not aware of this information and therefore, continue to do harm to the Goldendoodles they create, by creating multiple generation dogs.

A notable Standard poodle with a low inbreeding coefficient was Connie Rodgers' Ch. DeNevillette Dapper Dan (1981-95), COI 3.3%. Danny's sire was the black Ch. Gervais Tabu; his dam the white Ch. Alekai DeNevillette Wahine. Though many would likely have predicted disaster from the line and color mixing in Danny's pedigree, he was not only a long-lived and respected champion, but has over 180 titled descendants. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE PAGE OF RELATED INFO.

Danny's male "tail line" (the sire of the sire of the sire...) goes straight back to the great German black Champion Anderl von Hugelberg (b. 1923), as do most black Poodle pedigrees. Our own black Standard Poodle, Blackie and his chocolate brother, Cocoa, has a pedigree that can be traced back to this particule Poodle. Inbreeding and linebreeding, particularly on Sir Gay (b.1949) has been common, and in this line reached a high of just over 40% at Country Gentleman (Gentry).

Male line COI (%) Bred to COI (%)

Ch Annsown Sir Gay, CD 7.3 Clairedge Cinderella, CD 9.9

Ch Annsown Gay Knight of Arhill 11.0 Ch Wycliffe Jacqueline, UD 18.6

Ch Wycliffe Thomas 9.5 Yolanda of Wycliffe 22.6

Ch Wycliffe Ian 38.6 Ch Haus Sachse's Rebecca 25.4

Haus Brau Aladin 25.4 Haus Brau Cheri Beri Ben 37.5

Ch Winshire's Country Gentleman 40.8 Ch Jocelyene Marjorie 4.4

Ch Dassin's Broadway Joe 16.6 Ch Apiele Nominee 12.1

Apiele Lustig of Gervais 16.5 Ch Stylistic's Emerald of Juel 8.3

Ch Gervais Tabu 13.9 Ch Alekai DeNevillette Wahine 29.0

Ch DeNevillette Dapper Dan 3.2

In the early part of the century, before a distinction was made between large and small poodles (not including Toys, which were then a separate breed), the sizes probably ranged from around 14" to 24" from the withers. The English dogs were generally smaller than the German. As a result, today's Standard is about 60% German whereas the Miniature (or European Moyen) carries a much higher proportion of English heritage. We would like to note that from our personal experience and our pedigree research, our Poodles' ancestors are out of Wycliffe, Dassin, Eaton and Bel Tor lines. The mentioned names have a total of over 400 ofa Good, Champions from those particular lines....not to mention a very impressive history. There are other non mentioned ancestors down through the pedigree because they were not prominently listed as champions and we were not able to research those ancestors since they did come out of Scandinavia and other countries where information was not available to us. I am sure, had I had enough money and time to continue the ancestral research on all 400 listed Champions, we would have been able to uncover information that would have dated back to the early 1900s. Ancestral research on canine is not cheap and it is very time consuming as well. Hence, why it took us two years and why it is so important to other breeders who create Poodle hybrids to do as much extensive research as possible on their Poodles if they are breeding Goldendoodles to Poodles or Goldendoodles to Goldendoodles...for that matter, even if they are breeding Poodles to Poodles. Anytime a Poodle is considered as one parent and a Goldendoodle the other parent, indepth knowledge of the dogs' pedigree on both sides is imperative at having successfully created offspring. The more knowledge a breeder has, the more success they will have with the dogs they create. Some of the names above are within our Poodles' lineage and the percentages shown next to the names show the percentage of inbreeding by those dogs. Because of the constriction in the black Standard Poodle gene pool caused by the popularity of the Wycliffe dogs back when Wycliffe was operating (Jean Lyle has since passed away and her kennel died with her) (see The Influence of Wycliffe on the Black Standard Poodle) it is nearly impossible to find a black poodle that is not a cousin to another or directly related in some way. Jean Lyle got better, over time, as a breeder through her extensive experience and pedigree research and while Jean Lyle may be gone from the breeder world forever, her mark as a professional breeder was strongly made while she was alive and many who still have Standard Poodles with Wycliffe ancestors (and we are one of them), continue her legacy either by continuing her line with their own Standard Poodles or by continuing her line through their Goldendoodles (such as our own Goldendoodles.) Through our continuation of indepth research and breeding and through those who own our Goldendoodles, Jean's legacy and professional mark she left behind in the breeder world and through her dogs and professional research, still lives on through our Goldendoodles because we have very strong Wycliffe lines in our Standard Poodles lineage of ancestors and the Wycliffe lineage still lives on through our Goldendoodles. Our Poodles, however, also have other strong and indepth Champion lines to break up the Wycliffe gene pool......Bel Tor, Dassin and Eaton......which were some other very popular, successful Champion lines.

Poodles are very popular dogs, including the Standard Poodle. The registration of 23 Poodles in 1929 is in startling contrast to the registration of 58,661 Poodles in 1959. In the "Origins of the Poodle", there is much information on how they came about. One of their very first ancestors was the Sheep Poodle.

The Sheep Poodle

Ludwig Beckmann (author of the 1895 book Dog Breeds) was convinced that the Poodle is closely related to the herding breeds. In the chapter "Poodles and Herding Dogs," he mentions that shepherds often led white dogs on leashes. These dogs were freed only to chase away wolves. These dogs were supposedly called sheepdogs or, if they had very shaggy coats, "Schafbudel" [sheep boodle].

As early as the middle of the sixteenth century, Conrad Gessner described the "sheep dog" as strong, bold, brave, powerfully built, with a fearsome bark and with a white coat similar to that of the sheep.

The light-colored coat was purposely selected for in breeding. This camouflage color was intended to make it harder for wolves to recognize the dog in the herd. At the same time, it also eliminated any danger of the shepherd mistaking the dog for a wolf. The best known were the Hessian and the Badian (Odenwald) Sheep Poodles along with the Westfalian ones from Muensterland. According to A. Graefin vom Hagen (author of the 1935 book Dog Breeds), we know that the herd-guarding dogs from the area around Hannover show the influence of the Polish Sheep Poodle's blood. While the the agile, light-colored, and light- footed Sheep Poodle was busy guarding sheep, the farm was guarded by the heavyset, shaggy coated black guard dog. Its dark color helped it to surprise thieves in the night.

In the Dog Lover's Dictionary (written by Heinrich Zimmermann in 1933), the Sheep Poodle is described as follows: "Sheep Poodle--one of three indigenous herding breeds. A medium-sized, squarely built dog, not too long when viewed from the side, with remarkably shaggy hair. The calm gaze of its dark brown eyes is attractive. The ears are set widely on the head and of good length. Its shaggy hair has a rich undercoat, and even the tail is coated all the way to the tip." The Sheep Poodle, which one can still find in old books as something halfway between a Puli and a Komondor, seems to have practically died out today.

The Poodle pedigree database was started a number of years ago by Lynn Brucker from the pedigrees in Poodles in America and elsewhere. Lynn's objective was to have the pedigrees of all AKC Champions, but as others have become involved, it has expanded to include most English, Australian and Scandinavian Champions and many from other countries. It also includes many obedience champions and others who are related to the champions, or have simply been contributed by their owner or breeder.

What is a reasonable life expectancy for a Poodle? For that matter, any domestic dog? This is not information readily available, as neither owners nor veterinarians are obliged to report deaths, and the kennel clubs keep no records. Where such data exists, it has been collected by surveys, and the results depend on how representative the sample is of the population. For example, a Swedish study (Bonnett et al., 1997) based on insurance claims ignores all past age 10 as they are no longer insurable, while an American study (Patronek et al, 1997) is based on deaths at veterinary teaching hospitals and will likely not include many that die of old age. Nevertheless, both rank the Standard and Miniature Poodle among the most long-lived dogs.

Though it is not practical to eliminate all deleterious mutation or genetic defects, the incidence of affected individuals may be significantly reduced through a combination of intelligent breeding practice and the development of DNA tests. We ourselves believe that others can benefit by having our canine customers submit DNA samples of their purchased puppies/dogs to VETGEN, upon their first vet visit. DNA samples can be submitted and stored with VetGen for up to ten years and if a suspected genetic ailment occurs with their purchased canine, DNA evidence is readily available for indepth analysis. Some people may fear the DNA analysis, but it is really the only way to prove or disprove a veterinarian's opinion of the ailment being "gentic". Unfortunately, many canine owners take every word of their personal vet to be the "gospel" truth and the reality is, most vets are NOT geneticists and they are actually going by their personal opinions or their "theory" of how their canine became ill or what is making their canine ill. Dogs of today live in completely different environments than their ancestors. Canine are given treats that are filled with unhealthy, superficial coloring or other ingredients.....some are obese...some rarely get exercise.....some eat unhealthy foods and dogs of today are quite more pampered and get more medication prescribed to them than that of their canine ancestors. Veterinarians and other dog related businesses, rake in millions of dollars annually from canine products and medications and surgeries that may or may not be actually necessary. It is quite a booming business. People love their dogs and they love to spoil and pamper them! This is clear to see when dog related businesses sell millions of new products online and inside of their retail stores. Doggie related products can cost an arm and a leg! I've seen some dog beds more expensive than my own! So, the way a dog is created or bred goes hand in hand with its environment as well as to how long you can expect your canine to live. The human population carries at least 2500 deleterious mutant genes (or, more correctly, alleles of genes) causing significant health problems. For the most part they are fairly evenly distributed in the population. For the entire dog population, the situation is likely fairly similar. Each individual is estimated to carry a "genetic load" of three or four "lethal equivalents", which implies recessive alleles that would kill of the bearer if they were homozygous. As long as they are recessive, they should not cause problems. In a breed with larger litters, the probability of two or more affected pups occurring in the same litter is greater with those that are inbred, but even in these cases, lack of exchange of information between breeders and lack of education in genetics may result in a failure to identify the problem as genetic. Many breeders could claim "It was just one of those things". This is why we highly recommend those who purchase Goldendoodles or even families who purchase our purebred dogs to submit a DNA sample to VetGen. We DO provide each family with the DNA application to submit for their purchased puppy or dog. We can control many of the obvious genetic diseases by supporting research aimed at locating the genes and developing direct DNA tests for the mutant alleles....thus....SUBMITTING DNA SAMPLES FOR RESEARCH OR ANALYSIS. Test results should be employed to make certain that carriers are only mated to clear individuals, rather than for wholesale elimination of carriers, which would further impoverish the gene pool. So what can we do, as a breeder, to produce as healthy a puppy as possible for those who seek them? As of today, as far as we know, DNA markers are not yet available for the Poodle or the Golden Retriever to rule out breeding dogs who may be a silent carrier of a defective, recessive gene. But in due time, such markers will become available and we hope by that time, there will be DNA samples stored with VETGEN for study or analysis of our Goldendoodles and they can be compared to the DNA of our purebred Golden Retrievers and Poodles to see if there are silent defective, recessive genes in their genetic make up. This is responsible breeding, on our part, at its best. Just having breeding dogs tested by way of x-rays to determine if they have HD or other bone ailments are considerably low standards in today's world of technology. I even consider this to be of antiquated thinking by a breeder. Perhaps when DNA was NOT known to produce such valuable information to breeders and before this technology became available, X-rays were considered the best way to evaluate a breeding dog. But in today's' breeding world, we know that this is silly and provides customers of such breeders a false sense of security. It is impossible for a breeder to know with 100% accuracy that their breeding dogs, of whom they had x-rayed and OFA'ed, that their breeding dogs will never produce a single affected dog. Dogs who have good X-rays and who are certified OFA based on their "good" X-ray can still be silent carriers of defective recessive genes that can be passed on to their offspring. Until we know for a fact who those silent carriers are.......the breeder is just as much in the dark as those who purchase their puppies. We can continue to attempt at educating other breeders or those who want to become a breeder on the importance of maximizing diversity in the gene pool. We can continue to attempt at educating the general public who is interested in the Goldendoodle and other canine, at the importance of purchasing canine who are of the FIRST GENERATION ONLY. If more and more people become aware of the importance of owning a first generation canine only, fewer will purchase those who are not first generation dogs, which will then force those breeders who continue their improper breeding methods, to eliminate such methods and create their doodles or dogs the proper way. Many breeders should try and research their breeding dogs' ancestry/lineage and read all they can so as to pass this great information onto their customers. Education is invaluable to a successful breeder. The reality to purebred dogs is that Most purebred dogs of breeds recognized by all-breed club registries are controlled by "closed studbooks". In a number of modern breeds recognized by the kennel clubs, there are high incidences of specific genetic diseases or disorders and sometimes increased susceptibility to other diseases, reduced litter sizes, reduced life span, inability to conceive naturally, etc. This came about because:

1. Many breeds have been established with too few foundation dogs or ones that were already too closely related, or both

2. There was artificial isolation: the registries (stud books) are closed for most breeds; therefore one cannot introduce diversity from outside the existing population.

3. Most selective breeding practices have the effect of reducing the diversity further. In addition, in the show world, breeding specimens are often selected on the basis of aesthetic criteria only, without regard for soundness.

4. Even if the foundation dogs were sufficiently diverse genetically, almost no one knows how their genetic contributions are distributed among the present day population without DNA analysis conducted and consequently, much breeding is done without regard to conserving these contributions, which may be of value to the general health and survival of the breed. So, with this being true of purebred dogs...why on earth would any breeder backbreed to create Goldendoodles and other hybrids? Those who do this claim that their backbred Goldendoodles are "hypo-allergenic" and will never shed or will shed less than a first generation doodle, which is complete nonsense. With regards to purebred dogs and breed "purity", The idea of the superior strain was that by "breeding the best to the best," employing sustained inbreeding and selection for "superior" qualities, one would develop a bloodline superior in every way to the unrefined base stock which was the best that nature could produce. Naturally the purified line must then be preserved from dilution and debasement by base-born stock. This theory was never completely born out. It can be said that when the ideal of the purified lineage or aesthetic type is seen as an end in itself, the breed suffers over time.

Eugenics is a social philosophy (sometimes labeled a "science", a "movement", or a "pseudoscience") which advocates to improve human hereditary qualities. Proposed means of doing so have included but are not limited to selective breeding, encouragement and discouragement of certain types of reproductive practices, genetic engineering, and, historically, extermination of the designated "unfit". Advocates of the approach have said variously that it would lessen human suffering and genetically caused health problems, would save society money, and some have said it would create a new, more intelligent human race. Dysgenics is the evolutionary weakening an of organism relative to its surroundings, often due to relaxation of selectionary pressures. This can happen when negative mutations occur without ramification to the organism and accumulate in the species. The term first came into use as an opposite of eugenics, the idea that people could (and should) be subjected to selective breeding, usually by social programs or government intervention. Many dog fanciers who object to hybrids and have gone online to become vocal and disproving of hybrids are akin to the same mind-set as those who run programs to "enhance" the human race by selective breeding. I personally have read some of the postings by the negative dog fanciers with regards to hybrids and they are so far out of the ball park its beyond reasoning. Hybrids are perfect and serve multiple purposes so long as they are created properly and not ran into the ground by inexperienced breeders, which is exactly what we saw happen to the purebred dogs. Although sometimes called "the molecule of heredity", pieces of DNA as people typically think of them are not single molecules. CLICK HERE to read more.