Good article that some of you might find interesting in increasing the performance of dogs and their relative health. This is not just Podengo related.
Here is one section
Benefits of Stimulation:
Five benefits have been observed in canines that were exposed
to the Bio Sensor stimulation exercises. The benefits noted were:
- Improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate)
- More tolerance to stress and
- Greater resistance to disease.
The article and research around it is interesting to dog breeders and
it can be found at the link below.
Canine Health Foundation Podcasts:
The mission of the AKC Canine Health Foundation is to develop significant resources for basic and applied health programs with emphasis on canine genetics to improve the quality of life for dogs and their owners.
You can check out their podcasts at:
Genome Barks - at:
Too many times - breeds run to test or over test, before determining what the real issues facing a breed are. In breeds where there are vast numbers - it is simple to say I test for XYZ and then breed around it. But what do you or can you do when your population is very small? Enter the Global Dog Pedigree Project. The people involved in this project are familiar with working with small and isolated populations and the process used, once pedigrees are selected will be similar to what Zoo's use in managing their populations of rare specimins.
We are pleased an honored to have been invited to be a part of
The Global Dog Pedigree Project.
GOAL
Our goal is to create a central, permanent, and freely accessible database of the pedigree history of every purebred dog. This is an international, cooperative effort that will bring together pedigree information that is presently scattered among kennel clubs around the world and consolidate it so that the entire history of a breed will be traceable from founders to present day dogs.
THE PROBLEM
Purebred dogs are increasingly afflicted with genetic disorders that negatively affect health, lifespan, behavior, and the ability to lead a full, happy life. The technology to explore the causes of disease at the molecular level is improving rapidly, and because the canine genome has become an excellent model in which to study the basis of many human diseases, the current interest in canine genetics will continue to increase.
Locating the genes that underlie genetic disorders in dogs can identify cause and function, but don’t eliminate the deleterious consequences to health. Breeders use test information to minimize the risk of affected offspring through selection of breeding pairs, but as the number of genetic disorders increase, the breeding options diminish. As breeders select away from unwanted genes, the genetic diversity of the gene pool declines, which increases the probability that other deleterious genes will begin to be a problem. In a way, the best efforts of breeders to minimize the health risks of the puppies they produce by testing and careful selection, only continue to make matters worse over the long term. To learn more about this project: http://www.carolbeuchat.com/2012/07/global-dog-pedigree-project/
Known issues that owners/breeders should monitor include:
Food and Contact Allergies
Thyroid
Hearing - BAER testing should be considered given the close genetic relationship to the Ibizan.
Any testing should be considered as baseline to gather information.
