Let's talk genetics!

The OFA has lead research on dog genetics since 1966. Currently out of over 175,000 Goldens evaluated for hip dysplasia, 19.6% came back dysplastic. Ranked 48th for commonality of dysplasia out of 154 breeds, Goldens are not quite the worst! Yet without care, the incidence rate will keep growing. Out of 67,000 Goldens, 12% had elbow dysplasia and were ranked 39th out of 154 breeds for amount of cases. Less than half the amount of evaluation for elbow dysplasia over hip dysplasia, yet I own a dog that has both elbow and hip dysplasias, which caused early arthritis at less than 2 years of age. All of that hopefully denotes how important genetic testing is for purebred dogs. Bad breeding practices create problems, which is unfair to the dog and creates problems for the owners that could be avoided with proper care taken by the breeder.

Read about OFA's CHIC program here:
https://ofa.org/chic-programs/ 

All of our dogs are evaluated for hips, elbows, eyes and hearts, which gives them a CHIC number.  I have them linked below for ease of access.

Patti:

 https://ofa.org/advanced-search/?appnum=2204596

Dogs must be 2 years old to complete OFA so Winnie's will be completed in February 2024. Winnie will not be bred before she is 2 years old.

All our girls have an Embark panel done on them. 

This is a link to Patti's Embark report:

https://my.embarkvet.com/vet-report/QEPLZ-JVNGY-XJMK3-RMX5D

This is a link to Winnie's Embark report:

https://my.embarkvet.com/vet-report/83YXE-WKMRM-M57VG-PZ475

Since I only keep the girls, I do choose studs from other breeders and pay for the "service". I am picky about the studs and the stud owners. I want great hips and elbows, a CHIC number (see OFA) and a DNA panel. I also want to see that the stud is regularly tested for STD's and is kept as a pet, similar to my own dogs. Often the stud owner will want the female to come stay at their place for the breeding to happen, so this is actually very important to me as I need to trust that my dog is going to be cared for and treated well away from me. I also want some sort of titling on the dog; as I believe this shows investment in the dog and I want to support other breeders who hold similar values to my own.

Outside of the basics, I look for studs with physical and mental traits that complement my girls.  A great example of this was choosing a shorter bodied stud to breed to Patti, since Patti is very long. I also wanted a stud with a calmer temperament to go with Patti's very calm disposition. Cruise was the stud of choice and as a Pet Therapy dog, he worked out well for Patti's litters. I am scouting for studs constantly! There are many beautiful choices out there.