Pure Dog Talk

Genetic Testing Helps You Swipe Right for Your Dog

Today’s dog breeders are getting a boost from the burgeoning field of genetic testing. Doberman Diversity Project co-founder Sophie Liu talks about her work using advanced tools to improve genetic health issues in Doberman Pinschers.

Liu was a vet student researching her next dog when she became aware of the multitude of health challenges facing Dobermans.

According to the DDP website:

​OUR MISSION is to reduce the incidence of heritable diseases in the Doberman by studying and addressing the depression in the overall genetic diversity of the Doberman breed and studying and researching widespread disease-associated mutations, through comprehensive genetic testing and analysis, development and sharing of evidence-based breeding findings, development of online breeder decision-making tools, and long-term tracking of results to measure the effectiveness of varied approaches to breeding -- in terms of genetic health and longevity.Combatting DCM

Liu said that a major focus of their research is geared toward reducing the incidence of Dilated Cardiomyopathy in the breed, which currently is plagued by the devastating disease, with nearly half of the breed being affected.

A great deal of DDP’s research and studies are directed at developing a tool which establishes a genetic value for the risk of passing on DCM. Building on the work done by Guide Dogs for the Blind, DDP hopes to enable breeders to determine an “estimated breeding value” for DCM on a pedigree and genetic basis.

“This is a super powerful tool,” Liu said. “This is how guide dogs have systematically improved their breeding program.”

The two genes identified to date that are associated with DCM in Dobermans are autosomal dominant, Liu said. Because the disease shows up late in a dog’s life, it can be hard to stay ahead of, she noted.

Genetic testing offered through Embark at cost enables DDP to track genetic data. Study participants also update all clinical health data for the research project.

Need more dogs tested

Liu said that in just about two years DDP has tested more than 2,500 dogs, but they need many more.

“We need more dogs tested. Affected and unaffected dogs. We need raw data and clinical updates and medical records,” Liu said. The guide dog programs’ success relies on having the advantage of huge breeding colonies that are all tested in house, she added.

DDP’s relationship with Embark enables breeders to find the right balance between the inbreeding percentages needed to fix type and maintain health. Embark’s breeder tool enables people to make that decision for themselves, Liu noted, “just like Tinder for your Doberman.”

“We’re finding out that the genetic bottlenecks are worse than we thought,” Liu noted. “Over 99% of Dobermans share a single paternal haplotype, in other words, one stud dog is behind nearly every Doberman tested.”

The research is also turning up valuable information about the heritability of various traits – in other words, how much variation of the trait is genetic. For example, studies indicate 40 percent of fear behavior is genetic. For more on the topic of how genetics impact fear behavior, listen to Pure Dog Talk Episode 221.

“People go to breeders for consistency,” Liu said. “The better we get at it, the better it is for everyone.”

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Soul Dog: Investigative Journalist’s Poodle Journey

Emmy award-winning investigative journalist Elena Mannes shares her story of the journey on which she embarked with her first dog, a Standard Poodle.

Soul Dog – A Journey into the Spiritual Life of Animals chronicles Mannes’ determined quest to harness her inner dog whisperer by learning to decipher the unspoken language present in every animal-human relationship.

“I brought Brio home… and it wasn’t really going according to plan. I really just thought I would get trainers and support and it wouldn’t really change my life to have a puppy,” Mannes said with a rueful chuckle.

“One time, I had him in Central Park. I had started to have him off leash… he would take off and not come back when I called. I was walking backward, screaming at him to come. All of the sudden, there was no ground under me… I stepped off the edge of the boat pond and fell in…. Brio eventually came back and just stared at me.”

Skeptic to believer

“I felt sort of desperate. I didn’t talk dog. I heard about animal communicators, but I was a real skeptic. I’m a TV journalist, I don’t like woowoo things.

“(Brio) changed me in so many ways as the years went by and the connection became so deep and really life changing for me,” Mannes said.

Mannes also addressed her decision to choose a purebred dog.

“I respect people who rescue, but in my situation at the time I really didn’t know enough. I had a sense of Standard Poodles that they were so smart. I was scared to death (of adding a dog to my life),” Mannes said, adding that the predictability of a purebred dog helped provide some comfort in this decision.

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Elena Mannes is a multi-award-winning independent documentary director/writer/producer as well as an author. Her first book, The Power of Music: Pioneering Discoveries in the New Science of Song, is published by Walker Books/Bloomsbury USA (May 31, 2011).

Her work has appeared on both public and commercial television. Her honors include six national Emmys, a George Foster Peabody Award, two Directors Guild of America Awards, and nine Cine Golden Eagles.

Mannes developed and created a primetime PBS special, The Music Instinct: Science and Song,a co-production with WNET/Thirteen.

Mannes productions include the feature documentary film Amazing Grace with Bill Moyers (PBS) which won the Directors Guild Award as well as an Emmy for directing. For ABC, Mannes has produced a special with Diane Sawyer The Amazing Animal Mind, exploring the intelligence and emotions of dogs and other animals, as well as other ABC hours including Ground Zero with Peter Jennings which won an Emmy for best Historical Program.

Mannes has also produced and directed documentaries for CBS REPORTS and segments for 60 MINUTES and PRIME TIME LIVE (ABC).She worked with George Lucas to develop a television project incorporating documentary and dramatic sequences.

Mannes is a member of one of the first families of American music. Her grandparents founded the Mannes College of Music in New York City; and her great uncle, Walter Damrosch conducted the Metropolitan Opera and instigated the building of Carnegie Hall.

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Veterinary Legislation is Slippery Slope for Pet OwnersDr. Marty Greer, DVM, NAIA (National Animal Interest Alliance) board member, puts on her legislative hat and talks with host Laura Reeves about proposed legislation in New York and around the US regarding crop, dock, declaw, bark softening and more.

“As soon as they start dictating to us what veterinary care we need and need not do, we are on a slippery slope we aren’t going to like,” Greer said. “Once they start saying you cannot do an ear crop, tail dock, declaw, bark softening… You MUST do a spay… then we get into you must do a dental cleaning, you must provide this level of veterinary care, you have all rights taken away as pet owner. If those things are mandated, we will have people stop getting veterinary care because it’s being dictated. That scares me a lot.”

These procedures should be a decision made between veterinary and client, Greer noted.

“While a veterinarian is involved, we can provide supportive care. Without veterinary involvement, it can fall into the hands of lay people, where we don’t have pain management or appropriate anesthesia. Once veterinarians lose these procedures, the level of care goes down for the animals.”

Veterinarians have been coerced into thinking this is not an ethical thing, Greer observed. Noting “those procedures are going to keep happening.”

Isn’t it ironic…Meanwhile, as legislation is proposed banning these very safe, minimally invasive procedures, other legislation is advocating mandatory spay/neuter.

“Patients are being spayed/neutered too young and with insufficient care. Research has shown tremendous health risks with young spay/neuter,” Greer said. “And spay, particularly, is a major abdominal, full anesthesia procedure.

“The primary reason we spay/neuter is because we are unable or too lazy to manage our animals’ sexual behavior. There is no reason to spay/neuter our pets unless they have tumors. Less bone cancer. Less urinary incontinence. Less obesity when pets are left intact.

“People are being forced into having an invasive elective procedure done on their pets and then we tell them they can’t have a minor elective procedure, like bark softening, that allows them to keep the dog in their neighborhood.

“There are many more functional reasons to do tail docks, for example, than a spay.

“Our ancestors came here because they wanted the freedom to make decisions for themselves,” Greer insisted.

Scott Sommer: Work Hard and Never Stop TryingScott Sommer, one of only a handful of people to show multiple dogs to Best in Show at Westminster Kennel Club, offers his best advice for success.

Both JR, the Bichon Frise and Stump, the Sussex Spaniel were surprise, dark horse winners at the Garden in their respective years. JR won under Dorothy MacDonald, defeating Mick, the incomparable Kerry Blue Terrier, handled by https://puredogtalk.com/podcast/26-winners-of-westminster-dog-show-bill-mcfadden-valerie-nunes-atkinson-andy-linton-2/ (Bill McFadden), in a match up of Titans in the dog world. Stump was the oldest dog to win the coveted award. He came out of retirement to celebrate surviving a nearly tragic illness, winning under Sari Tietjen, the roar of the Madison Square Garden crowd ringing in Sommer’s ears.

Sommer’s family bred smooth fox terriers. In fact, his mother sold legendary dog man Bobby Fisher his first show dog. Sommer showed his first dog at five years old and was hooked.

He later apprenticed for Bob and Jane Forsyth. On his 16th birthday, Sommer moved to Houston and went to work for Michael Kemp.

Best adviceHis best advice? “Work hard and never stop trying. This is not something you can learn overnight. Work for it and you will get rewarded.”

“I think the initial steps are taking care of the dogs, cleaning them, feeding them, from there go forward,” Sommer said.

Top dogsJR was the Number One ranked dog in country in 2001. But Sommer said he’d never shown the dog to MacDonald before that Best in Show lineup.

“How she decided between JR and Mick I’ll never know,” Sommer said. “I fully expected the Kerry to win. When she said ‘Bichon,’ I just ran…

“JR was a great show dog. He just never let down. It could be hot, cold, wet, it didn’t matter. He was so dependable. When you show a dog at that level that is so important,” Sommer added.

Both JR and Stump lived out their lives with Sommer. They were inseparable best friends and died a week apart.

Run!Sommer’s best recommendations for the Garden include making sure large breed dogs have boots so the salt on the streets doesn’t hurt their feet.

“Go in with all the confidence in the world, hope and pray, and do the best job you can,” Sommer said. “If (the judge) points at you, RUN!”

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Attitude of Gratitude at the Holidays Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, blessed holy days, praise the universe for Winter Solstice and a joyous new year to one and all. As we celebrate the fourth Pure Dog Talk Christmas, I am focused on an Attitude of gratitude.

Number one Gratitude to my listeners who encourage me, share the love, provide GREAT ideas and support the show financially through our https://patron.podbean.com/puredogtalk (Patrons) program. I am so grateful that you all take the time to listen in to the incredible conversations I am so lucky to have. We surpassed a half million downloads on Thanksgiving day this year, on the three year anniversary of our debut episode. And our audience and listernership is growing by leaps and bounds every day. Please, continue to share the show, bring people to the table who might enjoy our “talks.” And, absolutely, give me your ideas. I can’t swear I’ll get to every single one immediately, but they are ALL on a LOOOOOONG list of great topics for upcoming shows.

Number twoGratitude to my guests. I am not kidding when I say I am the luckiest girl alive. I get to talk to ALL of the coolest people in dogs. And, after 40 years of grooming, training, handling, now judging, I literally learn something from EVERY single episode. My guests give freely of their time, their experience, their accumulated DECADES of wisdom and offer YOU the listener an unbelievable platform on which to gather knowledge.

Number threeGratitude to my sponsors. These corporations have made a conscious decision to reach out to the purebred dog community, to support us, our education, our goals, ambitions and dreams. https://trupanion.com/ec/breeder?utm_source=puredogtalkandutm_medium=referralandutm_campaign=pdt_092018 (Trupanion) and, for the first time, (drumrollllll) announcing our brand new sponsor Embark, have committed not just money but dedication to the purebred dog fancier that is admirable, and entirely worthy of your business. I am a firm believer that we support those companies who support us. Without these amazing companies, Pure Dog Talk would not exist. And that’s a fact. Check out Trupanion’s Breeder Support program and breeding rider. Investigate Embark’s DNA genetic testing. I cannot say enough about Trupanion and Embark and their willingness to invest in YOUR future.

I MUST also shoutout to the Dog Show Superintendent’s Association which was the very FIRST supporter that stepped up and said “YES, Pure Dog Talk is exactly the type of education and mentorship program our sport needs. Here, let us help you.” ALWAYS remember to stop by the superintendent’s desk and give them a shout out for their support of Pure Dog Talk. Our advertisers and partners, from Show Dog Prep School to Leading Edge Dog Show Academy to local clubs, are also due my unending gratitude for their confidence in our platform.

Number fourMoving on, I am and we ALL should be offering our undying gratitude to the Breeders who came before us. We are, without exception, building on the shoulders of those who came before. In my own case, Ray and Lyn Calkins, Cascade Wirehairs, Mildred Revell, Weidenhugel Wirehairs, Bernee Brawn, Justa GWP, Silke Alberts Cadenberg GWP, and the additional mentors who took the time to help me like GWPCA founding member Genevieve Capstaff, Pat Laurans, Joy Brewster, Judy Cheshire, Laura Myles, Doug Ljungren and many more. If you haven’t done it already, make that same list. Send them a little note this Christmas and say thank you. Thank you for the help, the guidance, the information, the direction, the encouragement, the criticism and the hard work YOU have done to bring the breed to the place it is today.

We NEED Dog BreedersSo, now my stump speech…. When my family and I got involved in purebred dogs 40+ years ago, the dog show was chock a block with, you guessed it, dog breeders. Today, dog breeders at the dog show are phantoms, rarely seen. Today, we have exhibitors. And Exhibitors, dog...

Australian Cattle Dogs and the History of AustraliaAuthor, researcher and purebred dog enthusiast Guy Hull shares the fascinating history of the development of Australian Cattle Dogs and how they helped build a fledgling nation.

Today’s episode is brought to you in cooperation with https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninecandc/ (Canine Construction and Conformation) Facebook group.

Hull is the author of https://www.amazon.com/Dogs-That-Made-Australia-Transformation/dp/B07DNL3LZF (The Dogs That Made Australia: The Story of the Dogs That Brought About Australia's Transformation from Starving Colony to Pastoral Powerhouse).

https://www.kombinalongacds.com/history-of-the-breed.asp (Australian Cattle Dogs), Hull said, are the only breed resulting from the successful hybridization of dogs and dingoes.

“Australia, more than any other country, was so dependent on dogs,” Hull said. “Especially native bred dogs that could cope with all of the hardships of the land.”The progenitors of the breed were created by the Hall family. These early Australian settlers owned 700+ square miles outside of Sydney. They needed a dog that could deal with wild cattle imported from South Africa. Sheep didn’t survive well in the hostile environment of the new country. Beef cattle could survive, but they needed tough dogs to help manage them.

The Hall family crossed an English dog known as the “droving cur,” tailless, square in profile, speckled blue, with dingoes. Dingoes, as a species, are classified as wolves.

Hall's HeelersDingo genes are so strong they dominate domestic genes, Hull said. It took multiple generations of back crossing to the domestic dogs to create the dog we know today. By 1832 the Halls had two types, including the Australian Cattle Dog progenitor.

These dogs, known as Hall’s Heelers, were privately held from 1830-70. Managers of 200 Hall properties carried forward the breeding program.

When the family sold all of their holdings after 1870, the dogs became available to the general public.

Around this same time, long distance droving dogs became redundant with the advent of wire fencing and railroads.

Hall’s dogs were designed to work wild cattle. When cattle became quieter and easier to manage, with the import of new cattle breeds, fences and transportation, the dogs were too “hard” for the domestic cattle.

Border collies, kelpies and other “collie” type breeds became popular to work the more domesticated stock.

The show fraternity preserved the Australian Cattle Dog after its job was no longer needed.

“They are a dog that has re-invented itself as all around Australian guard dog and companion,” Hull said. “They are supposed to have a suspicious glint in their eyes.”Pure Dog Talk is sponsored by Trupanion.

The Azawakh is one of AKC’s newest recognized breeds. The long-legged, aloof hounds have been in the US since 1988, but were only approved for the hound group in January 2019. With only an estimated 150 dogs in the States and less than 3,000 worldwide, Azawakh fall in to the category of “threatened” breed populations.