How Does Genetics Influence a Dog's Health and Behavior?

Recently, Emily Anthes from the New York Times reported that the genetic influences on dogs' health and behavior based on their breed. For a long time, through selective breeding, humans have been responsible for handcrafting the characteristics that give dachshunds their short legs, Great Danes their immense size, and pugs flat faces. Breeders face the challenge of distinguishing dogs to make them unique but are limited to a few genes. Choosing and inbreeding dogs with recognizable characteristics makes them susceptible to mutations due to exaggerating their attributes to increase rarity. For example, the gene that codes for dog size is insulin-like growth factor-1, which varies in small and large breeds; similarly, only three genes are responsible for a dog’s coat type. A dog’s breed is directly related to its health; since most breeds are homogeneous, they are susceptible to the same diseases, like degenerative eye disease, which is common in Labrador retrievers.

On the other hand, mutts and mixed-breed dogs may have a lesser chance of contracting some of these diseases, but due to how highly inbred they are, they are likely not much less vulnerable. Aside from the hazy connection between dog breeds and health, the connection between dog breeds and behavior is even more unclear. Due to humans prioritizing appearance over behavior when breeding dogs, the main distinction in breeds is how the dogs look more so than how they behave. While some dogs lean towards one behavior over another, like a terrier, which is more predacious than a border collie, behavior alone is not enough to distinguish the dog breed. Conclusively, only 80% of dogs in the world live free and unconfined from humans, a small percentage of which are purebred or have no known ancestry.

Dog breeders wield too much authority over the lives of these powerless animals. Dogs should not have to suffer from inefficient characteristics like the flat face of a pug because it'll make the breeder more money. Dog breeders don't consider the genetic factors regarding health or behavior that significantly affect the dog's ability to find a loving home after being bred. This careless act turns dogs from loving beings needing love and care into commodities sold without regard.