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Imagine a world where the average dog is healthy - both physically and behaviorally, for the majority of their lives. Imagine a world where shelters aren't overflowing with dogs because there are plenty of suitable homes for them. Imagine a world where it is the norm to live with a dog who goes through life without experiencing chronic behavior challenges. Where would these dogs come from? 

We'd have to breed them. In this episode, I bring in Dr. Jessica Perry Hekman, a behavioral geneticist and one of the founders of the Functional Dog Collaborative, to discuss why this is one of the solutions to bettering the lives of dogs, and therefore, ours. 

We discuss:

• What the Functional Dog Collaborative is 
• Behavioral traits and how they get passed down
• Physical traits and how we can breed away from ones that aren't serving dogs
• Are there really more dogs suffering from behavior challenges these days? We both chime in on this one. 
• Environment vs genetics
• What influences a puppy's development
• And so much more!

About Jessica Perry Hekman:

Jessica Perry Hekman, DVM, PhD, is a behavioral geneticist. She is one of the founders of the Functional Dog Collaborative, a non-profit which seeks to change the conversation around dog breeding in the dog loving community. She also teaches behavioral biology at the Virginia Tech online Masters program for Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare, works with Hecht Lab at Harvard, and offers webinars online and consults with breeders about genetic testing and breeding choices. Perry lives in Raymond, NH with her husband and two dogs.

Check out the Functional Dog Collaborative's podcast and Facebook group.