Inbreeding is increasing alarmingly fast in Swedish dog breeds

Inbreeding has on average doubled in the Swedish dog breeds. This is shown by researchers at Stockholm University, who have analyzed the Swedish Kennel Club's stud book data.

Researchers at Stockholm University have analyzed the Swedish Kennel Club's stud book data from the middle of the 20th century until now and discovered that inbreeding has on average doubled in the Swedish dog breeds, despite the fact that within most of them there are enough individuals to avoid inbreeding.

The researchers conclude that the focus in the breeding work does not seem to have been on maintaining the genetic variation, despite the fact that the Swedish Agency for Agriculture has classified ten of the twelve dog breeds as important to preserve. Linda Laikre, who led the study, says that a positive exception is the Gotland støvaren.

If you want to read more about the article, it is available in English at PLOS ONE at this link https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0202849

Source : Swedish Agency for Agriculture