Genetic analysis of the modern Australian labradoodle dog breed reveals an excess of the poodle genome

Abstract

The genomic diversity of the domestic dog is an invaluable resource for advancing understanding of mammalian biology, evolutionary biology, morphologic variation, and behavior. There are approximately 350 recognized breeds in the world today, many established through hybridization and selection followed by intense breeding programs aimed at retaining or enhancing specific traits. As a result, many breeds suffer from an excess of particular diseases, one of many factors leading to the recent trend of "designer breed" development, i.e. crossing purebred dogs from existing breeds in the hope that offspring will be enriched for desired traits and characteristics of the parental breeds. We used a dense panel of 150,106 SNPs to analyze the population structure of the Australian labradoodle (ALBD), to understand how such breeds are developed. Haplotype and admixture analyses show that breeds other than the poodle (POOD) and Labrador retriever (LAB) contributed to ALBD formation, but that the breed is, at the genetic level, predominantly POOD, with all small and large varieties contributing to its construction. Allele frequency analysis reveals that the breed is enhanced for variants associated with a poodle-like coat, which is perceived by breeders to have an association with hypoallergenicity. We observed little enhancement for LAB-specific alleles. This study provides a blueprint for understanding how dog breeds are formed, highlighting the limited scope of desired traits in defining new breeds.

Breed and conformational predispositions for prolapsed nictitating membrane gland (PNMG) in dogs in the UK: A VetCompass study

“…Designer breeds (or types) represent specified crosses between differing parental purebred breeds [ 44 ]. Although designer breeds as an overall group had reduced odds of PNMG overall (OR 0.65) compared to the general crossbred group, not all individual designer breeds were protected to PNMG.…”

Best practices for analyzing imputed genotypes from low-pass sequencing in dogs

“…The price per marker for a genotyping assay can have a large influence on the success of genetic association studies. In dogs, DNA genotyping arrays, which provide hundreds of thousands of genotypes at relatively low costs, are highly beneficial for mapping loci (Awano et al 2009 ; Hayward et al 2016 ), characterizing genetic architecture (Boyko et al 2010 ; Friedrich et al 2019 ), and defining breed and population structure (Ali et al 2020 ; Shannon et al 2015 ). However, DNA genotyping arrays are limited by various known and unknown biases that occur during marker selection and probe design that cannot be removed without redesigning a new DNA array, which is an expensive and time-consuming process.…”

Grooming-Related Concerns Among Companion Animals: Preliminary Data on an Overlooked Topic and Considerations for Animals' Access to Health-Related Services

“…This is of particular importance at the current time given that a recent nationally representative study suggests that one in five households acquired a new pet during the COVID-19 pandemic (13%). Moreover, "designer breeds" (e.g., Labradoodles), some of which require more intensive at-home and professional grooming for coat maintenance, are increasing in popularity (17)(18)(19)(20). To advance this understudied area of animal welfare research, the goal of this paper is 2-fold.…”