title: [Genetic analysis of the outcome of behavioural tests in puppies of the Hovawart breed].
abstract: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the importance of genetic and environmental sources of variation for results of puppy behavioural tests in the Hovawart dog. For these analyses test results of 5,608 puppies born in 1995 to 2000 have been used. Variance component estimation was performed for the traits contact, optical and acoustical influences, hunting affinity, appearance and temperament using multivariate linear animal models and Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML). The models included test-year-season, sex, litter size, region of kennel, inbreeding coefficient of the animal and the test inspector as fixed effects. Additive genetic effects of the animal, permanent environmental effect of the litter and the effect of the kennel were considered as random factors. An extended model included the additive genetic maternal effect. The region of the kennel was significant for all traits and the most important factor among the fixed effects. The sex of the puppy was significant for the temperament. Test-year-season was significant for hunting affinity, whereas the test inspector was significant for optical and acoustical influences. The effects litter size and inbreeding coefficient of the animal did not influence any of the traits significantly. The estimated heritabilities for the traits of puppy behaviour tests ranged from h2 = 0.02 to h2 = 0.13 with standard errors of up to 0.03. Common environment of the puppies significantly influenced all behaviour tests and the estimates were between c2 = 0.13 and 0.22. The maternal heritabilities amounted up to h2 = 0.04. The additive genetic correlations between the traits were always highly positive (r(g) = 0.6 bis 1).
authors.affiliation: Institut für Tierzucht und Vererbungsforschung, Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Boenigk
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamann
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Distl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D001947:Breeding; D004285:Dogs / Q000235:genetics*; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D012621:Seasons; D012641:Selection, Genetic