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COI means coefficient of inbreeding. COI simplified is how related a dog is across both the dam's and sire's lineage. The lower the percentage the less inbreeding a dog has. The higher the number the more inbred the dog is. There are many ways to calculate inbreeding, but the most common methods are genetic testing and pedigree study. The main fault with using the pedigree method is not knowing exactly what genetic diversity there is. The fault with genetic testing alone is you don't know what dogs or bitches saturate the pedigrees.
Pedigree dogs and wild isolated populations make excellent case studies for genetics, diversity, and health. Both examples share a commonality; both have high COI and low diversity. It is an accepted fact that inbreeding reduces health and longevity. Inbreeding. The gene pool becomes reduced and the risk of inheriting genetic mutations rises. Inbred populations have more infertility issues and autoimmune diseases. Doberman are one of the most inbred of the breeds. A 2017 study calculated the average COI of Doberman to be 43% (https://www.instituteofcaninebiology.org/blog/an-update-on-the-genetic-status-of-the-doberman-pinscher)! Embark marks COI under 30% as good. The lower the percentage the better. A higher percentage is correlated with increased risk of autoimmune disease. Note; ALL beings have a COI.
COI is one tool all breeders should be looking into when planning pairings and litters. High COIs should be avoided when possible, but are not inherently a bad thing. It is one part of the whole picture. Breeding for diversity is just as important as breeding for the breed standard. A low COI does not always mean a healthy dog, and vise versa a high COI doesn't always mean a poorly dog. You can have a low COI dog that is riddled with illness from the day it came home and you can have a high COI dog that lives to be 18 years old without any major health concerns. Breeders should breed for the whole picture. A breeding that offers phenomenal genetics and working ability is a good trade off for breed average COI percentages. It is also fair to trade some give room with show traits for a lower COI breeding. Breeding is complex and never a simple black and white/ right and wrong answer.
Pedigree dogs and wild isolated populations make excellent case studies for genetics, diversity, and health. Both examples share a commonality; both have high COI and low diversity. It is an accepted fact that inbreeding reduces health and longevity. Inbreeding. The gene pool becomes reduced and the risk of inheriting genetic mutations rises. Inbred populations have more infertility issues and autoimmune diseases. Doberman are one of the most inbred of the breeds. A 2017 study calculated the average COI of Doberman to be 43% (https://www.instituteofcaninebiology.org/blog/an-update-on-the-genetic-status-of-the-doberman-pinscher)! Embark marks COI under 30% as good. The lower the percentage the better. A higher percentage is correlated with increased risk of autoimmune disease. Note; ALL beings have a COI.
COI is one tool all breeders should be looking into when planning pairings and litters. High COIs should be avoided when possible, but are not inherently a bad thing. It is one part of the whole picture. Breeding for diversity is just as important as breeding for the breed standard. A low COI does not always mean a healthy dog, and vise versa a high COI doesn't always mean a poorly dog. You can have a low COI dog that is riddled with illness from the day it came home and you can have a high COI dog that lives to be 18 years old without any major health concerns. Breeders should breed for the whole picture. A breeding that offers phenomenal genetics and working ability is a good trade off for breed average COI percentages. It is also fair to trade some give room with show traits for a lower COI breeding. Breeding is complex and never a simple black and white/ right and wrong answer.
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Cross-Breeding Inevitable to Preserve The Highly Inbred Norwegian Lundehund (study)
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Average-inbreeding-coefficients-in-various-dog-breeds-a-selection_tbl1_312671522
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Average-inbreeding-coefficients-in-various-dog-breeds-a-selection_tbl1_312671522
DLA and Diversity
| major_histocompatibility_complex_diversity_in_dogs___disease_associations_-_tuftsbg2009_-_vin.pdf |
Lack of diversity results in fewer genetics and poorer health as a general population. There are two classes used to track canine autoimmune diversity; DLA class 1 (DLA II) and DLA class 2 (DLA II). DLA stands for dog leukocyte antigen. When researching DLA you may come across another term, MHC. MHC stands for major histocompatibility complex. These two terms are interchangeable. "The MHC plays a critical role in the immune response system and consists of three regions: class I, class II and class III. DLA genes belong to the first two classes, which are involved in the regulation of antigens in the immune system. The class II genes are highly polymorphic, with many different alleles/haplotypes that have been linked to diseases, allergies, and autoimmune conditions such as diabetes, polyarthritus, and hypothyroidism in canines." What that is saying is MHC is responsible for much of the immune systems response to disease and illness. Limited diversity increases the risk of developing autoimmune disorders.
Doberman as a breed have limited haplotypes and haplogroups. We have lost much of the diversity that was once there, mainly due to inbreeding for favored kennels and dogs, often seen in show and working kennels.
Doberman as a breed have limited haplotypes and haplogroups. We have lost much of the diversity that was once there, mainly due to inbreeding for favored kennels and dogs, often seen in show and working kennels.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3152640/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12074709/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023314005309
https://help.embarkvet.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000246234-What-can-you-tell-me-about-inbreeding-
https://cgejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40575-015-0026-5
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6384000_Canine_DLA_diversity_1_New_alleles_and_haplotypes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_leukocyte_antigen
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12074709/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023314005309
https://help.embarkvet.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000246234-What-can-you-tell-me-about-inbreeding-
https://cgejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40575-015-0026-5
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6384000_Canine_DLA_diversity_1_New_alleles_and_haplotypes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_leukocyte_antigen
The Show Dog Killed a Breed
Yes, show dogs and working line only kennels do have higher COI and inbreeding ratios than pet line and crossbred lines. Studies show preliminary evidence that show lines have, in fact bottlenecked, the breed. " American and European Doberman suffer the same heritable disease problems, but their incidence may be higher or lower in American than West European Doberman depending on the disorder. For instance, American Doberman Pinschers have a higher incidence of heart disease, while European Dobermann have a higher incidence of eye disease. The incidence of many of these disorders is reportedly low in Dobermann from Eastern Europe, but this may indicate less accurate diagnosis and reporting. If true, it would suggest that the incidence of these heritable conditions is increasing with the increasing interchange of show quality breeding dogs between these regions of the world." (paragraph IV., A.)
http://www.doberman.gr/arthra/DCM_Testing.html
Doberman Breeding Philosophy: https://dobermanblog.com/doberman-breeding-philosophy/
"The inbreeding of the breed and continuous use of a few popular sires paired with the hereditary problems of certain dogs resulted in an increased hereditary problems in North American Doberman population. Dr. Reinhard Haberzettl mentions 5 hereditary defects of the breed (see Table 1). He further mentions that the population of German and European dogs is currently similarly highly burdened with 2 hereditary problems as a consequence of the same bad breeding practices." - http://dobermanpuppyforsale.com/health.html
http://www.doberman.gr/arthra/DCM_Testing.html
Doberman Breeding Philosophy: https://dobermanblog.com/doberman-breeding-philosophy/
"The inbreeding of the breed and continuous use of a few popular sires paired with the hereditary problems of certain dogs resulted in an increased hereditary problems in North American Doberman population. Dr. Reinhard Haberzettl mentions 5 hereditary defects of the breed (see Table 1). He further mentions that the population of German and European dogs is currently similarly highly burdened with 2 hereditary problems as a consequence of the same bad breeding practices." - http://dobermanpuppyforsale.com/health.html