{"id":21873,"date":"2025-02-09T09:00:14","date_gmt":"2025-02-09T10:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=21873"},"modified":"2025-02-09T10:26:16","modified_gmt":"2025-02-09T10:26:16","slug":"how-much-does-a-dogs-breed-affect-its-health-and-behavior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=21873","title":{"rendered":"How Much does a Dog\u2019s Breed Affect Its Health and Behavior?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\n<h2 class=\"css-tosae5 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-3f47a871\">At the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show this week, thousands of canine contestants will try to measure up to a set of exacting breed standards.<\/h2>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-small css-dtmmiv e1g7ppur0\" aria-label=\"media\" role=\"group\">\n<div class=\"css-zgakxe erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\">\n<div class=\"css-nwd8t8\" data-testid=\"lazy-image\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\" style=\"height:386.02222222222224px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\" class=\"css-13ytnnu ewdxa0s0\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\n<h2 class=\"css-tosae5 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-f2f5b77\">The perfect pug?<br \/>Look for a deeply wrinkled face with a distinct black mask and a tightly curled tail.<\/h2>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-small css-dtmmiv e1g7ppur0\" aria-label=\"media\" role=\"group\">\n<div class=\"css-zgakxe erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\">\n<div class=\"css-nwd8t8\" data-testid=\"lazy-image\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\" style=\"height:267.44444444444446px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\" class=\"css-13ytnnu ewdxa0s0\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\n<h2 class=\"css-tosae5 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-3b6f792f\">The ideal Afghan hound has the silky hair of a pageant queen set off by \u201clong and punishing\u201d jaws.<\/h2>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-small css-lt5b41 e1g7ppur0\" aria-label=\"media\" role=\"group\">\n<div class=\"css-zgakxe erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\">\n<div class=\"css-nwd8t8\" data-testid=\"lazy-image\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\" style=\"height:499.4444444444445px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\" class=\"css-13ytnnu ewdxa0s0\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\n<h2 class=\"css-tosae5 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-1fbaf2c9\">An exemplary Dalmatian should have spots between a dime and a half dollar in size.<\/h2>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-small css-dtmmiv e1g7ppur0\" aria-label=\"media\" role=\"group\">\n<div class=\"css-zgakxe erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\">\n<div class=\"css-nwd8t8\" data-testid=\"lazy-image\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\" style=\"height:367.9777777777778px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\" class=\"css-13ytnnu ewdxa0s0\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\n<h2 class=\"css-tosae5 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-453926b3\">A top-ranked basset hound is heavy-boned, with velvety, hang-low ears.<\/h2>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-small css-lt5b41 e1g7ppur0\" aria-label=\"media\" role=\"group\">\n<div class=\"css-zgakxe erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\">\n<div class=\"css-nwd8t8\" data-testid=\"lazy-image\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\" style=\"height:386.6666666666667px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\" class=\"css-13ytnnu ewdxa0s0\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\n<h2 class=\"css-tosae5 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-7df669c3\">A blue-ribbon Bichon fris\u00e9 should have a soft, springy coat reminiscent of clouds or cotton candy.<\/h2>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-small css-dtmmiv e1g7ppur0\" aria-label=\"media\" role=\"group\">\n<div class=\"css-zgakxe erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\">\n<div class=\"css-nwd8t8\" data-testid=\"lazy-image\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\" style=\"height:286.77777777777777px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\" class=\"css-13ytnnu ewdxa0s0\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\n<div class=\"css-1vkm6nb ehdk2mb0\">\n<h1 id=\"link-741d8cf9\" class=\"css-vt1tsv e1h9rw200\" data-testid=\"headline\">But how much does breed shape a dog\u2019s health and behavior?<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-zera2v\">\n<div class=\"css-p6m5rf\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Feb. 9, 2025<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Humans have a long history of reshaping their canine companions, which evolved from ancient wolves. At least 10,000 years ago, Arctic peoples were using selective breeding <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/25\/science\/arctic-sled-dogs-genetics.html\" title>to create sled dogs<\/a>, cold-tolerant animals with the stamina to pull heavy loads over long distances. Over time, people bred dogs for a diverse and increasingly specialized array of roles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cHunting things underground, hunting things overground, hunting things flying, hunting things in the water, running around in little wheels to turn your spit,\u201d said Kathryn Lord, an evolutionary biologist at the UMass Chan Medical School and the Broad Institute. (The now-extinct turnspit dog was once a mainstay of European kitchens, where it was used to power fireplace meat-roasting spits.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Still, historically, the priority was performance \u2014 breeding dogs that were good at their jobs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That changed in the 19th century with the rise of Victorian dog fanciers, who began to codify existing breeds and to invent new ones. Rather than creating skilled working dogs, they aimed to engineer \u201cthe perfect physical specimen,\u201d said James A. Serpell, an emeritus professor of ethics and animal welfare at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Breed clubs created prescriptive standards that specified exactly how the perfect pointer (or bulldog or foxhound) should look. They identified dogs that fit the bill and registered them as official members of those breeds. Then, they used those dogs \u2014 and only those dogs \u2014 to breed more just like them. As a result, each breed became a distinct, reproductively isolated population.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-small css-dtmmiv e1g7ppur0\" aria-label=\"media\" role=\"group\">\n<div class=\"css-zgakxe erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\">\n<div class=\"css-nwd8t8\" data-testid=\"lazy-image\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\" style=\"height:293.8666666666666px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\" class=\"css-13ytnnu ewdxa0s0\"><span class=\"css-14fe1uy e1z0qqy90\"><span><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Alexey Kuznetsov\/Alamy<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"css-1u37br4 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-23d71c2b\">A few genetic tweaks can yield very different dogs.<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In humans, physical appearance is the product of many different genes, each of which typically has a small impact. For example, hundreds of genetic variants are known to affect height; many of these variants make less than a millimeter of difference.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"InteractiveBlock-1\">\n<section data-testid=\"inline-interactive\" id=\"00SCI-top-ad\" data-id=\"100000009330739\" data-source-id=\"100000009330739\" class=\"interactive-content interactive-size-scoop css-1ewe15d\">\n<div class=\"css-17ih8de interactive-body\" data-sourceid=\"100000009330739\" id=\"embed-id-100000009330739\">\n<p>section div:first-of-type div p:first-of-type {<br \/>\n    font-weight: bold;<br \/>\n    padding-bottom: 10px;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>figcaption[data-testid=&#8221;photoviewer-children-caption&#8221;] {<br \/>\n    margin: 12px auto 0 auto;<br \/>\n    padding-right: 13px;<br \/>\n    padding-left: 13px;<br \/>\n    text-align: center;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>\/* TOP AD CODE BELOW *\/<br \/>\n#top-wrapper, sponsor-wrapper {<br \/>\n     display: none;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"Optimistic-2\">\n<div class=\"css-1336jj\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171quhb\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F09%2Fscience%2Fdog-breed-health-behavior-westminster.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F09%2Fscience%2Fdog-breed-health-behavior-westminster.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F09%2Fscience%2Fdog-breed-health-behavior-westminster.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F09%2Fscience%2Fdog-breed-health-behavior-westminster.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show this week, thousands of canine contestants will try to measure up to a set of exacting breed standards.The perfect pug?Look for a deeply wrinkled face with a distinct black mask and a tightly curled tail.The ideal Afghan hound has the silky hair of a pageant queen set off by \u201clong and punishing\u201d jaws.An exemplary Dalmatian should have spots between a dime and a half dollar in size.A top-ranked basset hound is heavy-boned, with velvety, hang-low ears.A blue-ribbon Bichon fris\u00e9 should have a soft, springy coat reminiscent of clouds or cotton candy.But how much does breed shape a dog\u2019s health and behavior?Feb. 9, 2025Humans have a long history of reshaping their canine companions, which evolved from ancient wolves. At least 10,000 years ago, Arctic peoples were using selective breeding to create sled dogs, cold-tolerant animals with the stamina to pull heavy loads over long distances. Over time, people bred dogs for a diverse and increasingly specialized array of roles.\u201cHunting things underground, hunting things overground, hunting things flying, hunting things in the water, running around in little wheels to turn your spit,\u201d said Kathryn Lord, an evolutionary biologist at the UMass Chan Medical School and the Broad Institute. (The now-extinct turnspit dog was once a mainstay of European kitchens, where it was used to power fireplace meat-roasting spits.)Still, historically, the priority was performance \u2014 breeding dogs that were good at their jobs.That changed in the 19th century with the rise of Victorian dog fanciers, who began to codify existing breeds and to invent new ones. Rather than creating skilled working dogs, they aimed to engineer \u201cthe perfect physical specimen,\u201d said James A. Serpell, an emeritus professor of ethics and animal welfare at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.Breed clubs created prescriptive standards that specified exactly how the perfect pointer (or bulldog or foxhound) should look. They identified dogs that fit the bill and registered them as official members of those breeds. Then, they used those dogs \u2014 and only those dogs \u2014 to breed more just like them. As a result, each breed became a distinct, reproductively isolated population.Alexey Kuznetsov\/AlamyA few genetic tweaks can yield very different dogs.In humans, physical appearance is the product of many different genes, each of which typically has a small impact. For example, hundreds of genetic variants are known to affect height; many of these variants make less than a millimeter of difference.<\/p>\n<p>section div:first-of-type div p:first-of-type {<br \/>\n  font-weight: bold;<br \/>\n  padding-bottom: 10px;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>figcaption[data-testid=&#8221;photoviewer-children-caption&#8221;] {<br \/>\n  margin: 12px auto 0 auto;<br \/>\n  padding-right: 13px;<br \/>\n  padding-left: 13px;<br \/>\n  text-align: center;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>\/* TOP AD CODE BELOW *\/<br \/>\n#top-wrapper, sponsor-wrapper {<br \/>\n   display: none;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21875,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21873"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21876,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21873\/revisions\/21876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}