title: Population parameters to compare dog breeds: differences between five Dutch purebred populations.
abstract: Differences in five purebred dog populations born in 1994 in the Netherlands were evaluated using different parameters. Numerically, the Golden Retriever was the largest breed (840 litters of 234 sires) and the Kooiker Dog (101 litters of 41 sires) the smallest. The litter per sire ratio was largest in the Bernese Mountain Dog (4.59) and lowest in the Kooiker Dog (2.46). The mean relatedness and the actual mean level of inbreeding in the studied generations were 0.102 and 0.056 respectively for the Bernese Mountain Dog, 0.041 and 0.046 for the Bouvier des Flandres, 0.087 and 0.061 for the Boxer, 0.020 and 0.018 for the Golden Retriever, and 0.146 and 0.070 for the Kooiker Dog. Quantification and visualization of population parameters for purebred dogs will facilitate the comparison of breeds and the comparison of breeds in different periods or countries. It appears unlikely that the increase in inbreeding is a major determinant of the possible increase in the frequency of genetic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Nielen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van der Beek
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Ubbink
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Knol
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000662:veterinary; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D004285:Dogs / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D030342:Genetic Diseases, Inborn / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D014644:Genetic Variation; D007178:Inbreeding; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D010375:Pedigree; D012189:Retrospective Studies