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COI means coefficient of inbreeding. Carl Beauchat with the Institute of Canine Biology defines COI as "Inbreeding coefficient of an individual is the probability that both alleles at a randomly taken locus of this individual are identical by descent. Or in other words: the average homozygosity in an animal that is caused by ancestors common to both the sire and dam." COI simplified is "the probability of an animal inheriting two copies of the same allele from an ancestor". The lower the percentage the less inbreeding - identical alleles by decent- 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. (FREE ICB course on COI here!)
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.
"The bottom line is that an Embark genetic COI calculated from your dog's DNA is the Gold Standard of COI testing and gives you insight and accuracy not possible to get from a pedigree calculator "
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.
"The bottom line is that an Embark genetic COI calculated from your dog's DNA is the Gold Standard of COI testing and gives you insight and accuracy not possible to get from a pedigree calculator "
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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
When looking at potential breeding stock it is best to pick the dogs with the lowest COI that have the fewest homozygous genes and are a stable representation of the breed. Those dogs do not need to be a show dog or working do to be a foundation for a breeding program nor do they need to be of "superior" status to be "worthy to breed. Those "tags" have only hurt breeds and breeds like the Doberman. We need stable dogs with good health. A low COI dog with good genetics that is within the breed standard is a good candidate for a breeding program, most likely more so than a dog of equal genetic value with a much higher COI.
Keep in mind, breeding for COI is preservation breeding. It takes education, it takes time, it takes planning, it takes a lot of effort to find the right dogs, the right pairings and the right balance. It's breeding better. Breeding strictly for pedigree, for the titles and for the show (show or working line only) is no different than breeding just for color or off standard traits; it can ruin a breed and leads to inbreeding and increased health issues. But when breeding for COI you can inadvertently bottle-neck or eliminate lines. It's the same balancing act as before. Don't shun other lines or dogs, keep an open mind and be prepared to open your kennel to new dogs. That is how you save a breed!
Keep in mind, breeding for COI is preservation breeding. It takes education, it takes time, it takes planning, it takes a lot of effort to find the right dogs, the right pairings and the right balance. It's breeding better. Breeding strictly for pedigree, for the titles and for the show (show or working line only) is no different than breeding just for color or off standard traits; it can ruin a breed and leads to inbreeding and increased health issues. But when breeding for COI you can inadvertently bottle-neck or eliminate lines. It's the same balancing act as before. Don't shun other lines or dogs, keep an open mind and be prepared to open your kennel to new dogs. That is how you save a breed!
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 solid evidence that show lines have, in fact, bottle-necked 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
Common practice among many esteemed kennels is to only use what they deem the "best" dogs and bitches, often that translates into breeding titled dogs and their offspring together and among other titled families. Many times popular sires like AM. CH Cambria's Cactus Cash and IDC SIEGER Fedor del Nasi. IPO1, ZTP V1B were bred to their own relatives and bred often. This severely crippled the gene pool; promoting the use of only a handful of studs and breeding among relatives was accepted and highly encouraged among breeders. This practice was, and still is today, seen as "responsible" breeding. Science shows that practice is detrimental to a species overall health and survival. While inbreeding can have a positive effect on a breed/species, it should not be the accepted norm and should only be used when there is no other option. Genetic diversity is the key to a stable breeding population and to the breed/species general well being.
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
Common practice among many esteemed kennels is to only use what they deem the "best" dogs and bitches, often that translates into breeding titled dogs and their offspring together and among other titled families. Many times popular sires like AM. CH Cambria's Cactus Cash and IDC SIEGER Fedor del Nasi. IPO1, ZTP V1B were bred to their own relatives and bred often. This severely crippled the gene pool; promoting the use of only a handful of studs and breeding among relatives was accepted and highly encouraged among breeders. This practice was, and still is today, seen as "responsible" breeding. Science shows that practice is detrimental to a species overall health and survival. While inbreeding can have a positive effect on a breed/species, it should not be the accepted norm and should only be used when there is no other option. Genetic diversity is the key to a stable breeding population and to the breed/species general well being.
The Current Hapoltypes & Haplogroups in Doberman
I reached out to Embark Vet and requested a complete list of the haplotypes and haplogroups in the Doberman. Embark kindly replied and provided the complete list:
Valeria Amato (embarkvet)
"Jun 4, 2020, 4:05:27 PM EDT
Hi Kalee:
I heard back from our Science team. Here is the full list:
Haplotypes found in Dobermans:
A11a/419_MT
A11a_MT
A16/17/99/100_MT
A18/19/20/21/27/36/94/109/361_MT
A18/19/20/21/27/36/94/109_MT
A226_MT
A228_MT
A22_MT
A247_MT
A29a_MT
A361/409/611_MT
A381_MT
A388_MT
A408_MT
A427_MT
B102_MT
B121_MT
B1c_MT
B28_MT
B45_MT
B47_MT
B57_MT
B58_MT
B6/8/67_MT
B95_MT
C1/2_MT
C16_MT
C25_MT
C34_MT
C38_MT
C42/54/55_MT
C59_MT
Haplogroups:
A1a_MT
A1b_MT
A1d_MT
A1e_MT
A2_MT
B1_MT
C1_MT
C2_MT
Best,
Valeria
Valeria Amato
Senior Customer Support Manager
Embark Vet"
What is a haplotype? A haplotype is the group of common genes inherited from one parent. Why is this important? Haplotypes help identify the origin of a species and track lineage. (https://help.embarkvet.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000241313-How-does-Embark-determine-haplotype-) Haplogroups are common genes inherited from a group (or family). Haplogroups help us understand and track lineage and how a group has come to be. Both haplotypes and haplogroups are means to identity a dogs genetic origin and background throughout time.
Valeria Amato (embarkvet)
"Jun 4, 2020, 4:05:27 PM EDT
Hi Kalee:
I heard back from our Science team. Here is the full list:
Haplotypes found in Dobermans:
A11a/419_MT
A11a_MT
A16/17/99/100_MT
A18/19/20/21/27/36/94/109/361_MT
A18/19/20/21/27/36/94/109_MT
A226_MT
A228_MT
A22_MT
A247_MT
A29a_MT
A361/409/611_MT
A381_MT
A388_MT
A408_MT
A427_MT
B102_MT
B121_MT
B1c_MT
B28_MT
B45_MT
B47_MT
B57_MT
B58_MT
B6/8/67_MT
B95_MT
C1/2_MT
C16_MT
C25_MT
C34_MT
C38_MT
C42/54/55_MT
C59_MT
Haplogroups:
A1a_MT
A1b_MT
A1d_MT
A1e_MT
A2_MT
B1_MT
C1_MT
C2_MT
Best,
Valeria
Valeria Amato
Senior Customer Support Manager
Embark Vet"
What is a haplotype? A haplotype is the group of common genes inherited from one parent. Why is this important? Haplotypes help identify the origin of a species and track lineage. (https://help.embarkvet.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000241313-How-does-Embark-determine-haplotype-) Haplogroups are common genes inherited from a group (or family). Haplogroups help us understand and track lineage and how a group has come to be. Both haplotypes and haplogroups are means to identity a dogs genetic origin and background throughout time.
Breeding for the Whole Dog
"New DNA testing doesn't only permit us to calculate the Genetic COI in a dog. It also provides critical information on DLA haplotype, mitochondrial DNA, and more insight into meaningful genetic diversity. Geneticists now understand how this information is just as important (and possibly MORE important) to the genetic health of a dog than are the individual disease test results. It may be that a dog with strong genetic diversity (revealed through new DNA testing) is more likely to enjoy not only better health but also longevity than a dog that may be weak in terms of genetic diversity yet "negative" for DNA mutations for single diseases. But we don't yet know. What we do know is that relying solely on DNA disease tests, especially those related to Dilated Cardiomyopathy (e.g., PDK4 or DCM1 and DCM2) or solely on diversity testing (especially if based on a smaller number of genetic markers which can inadvertently speed the loss of genetic diversity) is likely an ineffective and potentially dangerous way to approach breeding where longevity and genetic diversity is important.
As such, The Doberman Diversity Project strongly advises that buyers and breeders consider disease-specific DNA tests in light of a dog's overall genetic diversity, conformation, temperament and pedigree/ancestral longevity. Doing so, and working with a reputable breeder who is transparent and open about the breed's genetic challenges, increases the odds that an individual dog or litter are stronger genetic contenders and better serves the BREED's health in the years to come, in ways we previously did not understand was possible."
https://www.dobermandiversityproject.org/diseases.html
As such, The Doberman Diversity Project strongly advises that buyers and breeders consider disease-specific DNA tests in light of a dog's overall genetic diversity, conformation, temperament and pedigree/ancestral longevity. Doing so, and working with a reputable breeder who is transparent and open about the breed's genetic challenges, increases the odds that an individual dog or litter are stronger genetic contenders and better serves the BREED's health in the years to come, in ways we previously did not understand was possible."
https://www.dobermandiversityproject.org/diseases.html
The Doberman Diversity Project was created to assess and address the genetic diversity and poor health of the breed. The aim of the program is to test every Doberman possible searching for the rare dogs that may help revive the breed. Unfortunately, the breed as suffered extreme diversity loss and faces an uncertain future.
"Over time, the Doberman gene pool has continued to dwindle through the rampant use of popular sires, the cumulative effects of unchecked inbreeding (including linebreeding), and dramatic bottlenecks due to the World Wars and political upheaval. Modern Dobermans -- whether in America, Europe or Asia -- are remarkably genetically similar to one another. Their close genetic relationships further concentrate the genetic mutations behind life-threatening genetic disease -- disease that is very serious and often cannot be effectively treated or cured."
"Over time, the Doberman gene pool has continued to dwindle through the rampant use of popular sires, the cumulative effects of unchecked inbreeding (including linebreeding), and dramatic bottlenecks due to the World Wars and political upheaval. Modern Dobermans -- whether in America, Europe or Asia -- are remarkably genetically similar to one another. Their close genetic relationships further concentrate the genetic mutations behind life-threatening genetic disease -- disease that is very serious and often cannot be effectively treated or cured."
How to Use Genetic Testing and COI to Really Breed Better
COMING SOON!