In recent years we have been testing our dogs for an increasing amount of conditions. Scoring hips has been going on since I've been involved with the breed, and doing elbows cropped in somewhere along the line too. There are never any guarantees, but Malcolm Willis who was one of the founders of the scoring scheme informed us that 40 - 50% of dysplasia was genetic, the rest was down to other factors, e.g correct exercise, correct nutrition and weight and of course the general makeup of a particular dog. No matter how hard we try, bad hips/elbows can crop up anywhere, but when one animal produces numerous serious cases to different partners, they should be removed from future breeding programs.
Tests for DM (Degenerative myelopathy) and PD (Pituitary Dwarfism) are now also becoming standard practices in breeding GSD's as well as Haemophilia A in males. The test for DM is considered less reliable as it only isolates one of the genes responsible for the condition, but in my opinion if we can stop at least one of our puppies being affected by this condition, then it's worth it. I started testing with Kaiah, I also tested Ross, and Orin and Siska are tested, all have tested clear. I do not insist that people who bring bitches to Orin have them tested, but I do suggest it should be done. Orin is clear so he can not produce any affected progeny, but as you can see above mated to an affected or carrier bitch he can produce carriers. When mating my bitches I have not been swayed if the males are not tested, Kaiah and Siska are clear so that gives me an advantage. Beti will not need to be tested as Orin and Zoe are both clear, therefore Beti can only be hereditary clear, so providing she has no joint abnormalities we could continue the Blanik line through her. Of course I do have doubts there but without X-ray vision, well we'll have to wait and see!
Anyway I posted this as I think this chart is extremely useful to check up on any conditions that need genes from each parent. Let's hope I can find it should I need it again!
