A colony of dog guides: analysis of the genetic variability assessed by pedigree data

The study presents the analysis of the genetic variability in a colony of dog guides. Three breeds, Labrador (L), Golden Retriever (GR), and German Shepherd (GS), were evaluated. Pedigrees data on 370 L, 260 GR, and 85 GS dogs bred for guide by the National Guide Dog School (SNCG) of Scandicci (Florence, Italy) were used. Data were available beginning from 1994. The average coefficient of coancestry and the mean F were 0.8% and 0.45% in GR, 0.7% and 0.38% in L, 1.0% and 0.49% in GS, respectively. The rate of increase in inbreeding was lower in L population (0.17) than in GR population (0.54), while in GS only the dogs with 5 e 7 traced generations resulted inbred. The results of this research point out that the genetic management of the dogs seems to be carefully and rationally monitored. Nevertheless, the population that may require a greater attention seems to be the GR, where a higher increase of the coefficient of inbreeding per generation is observed; therefore, the importation of germplasm from other working dogs is desirable in order to avoid in future an excessive increase of the inbreeding that could lead to adverse consequences for dogs health and fertility.