One of the key concepts in dog breeding is Health, which for us at WGI Lab is a fundamental point. We are aware that there is confusion on this topic and we want to clarify. Over the last two centuries, Health has become increasingly important, as dogs are seen primarily as companion animals and no longer just as utility animals. However, despite the aspiration for Health, the results are not satisfactory and there is scientific evidence of problems in breeding. Health can be seen both at an individual and general level, and the two aspects are connected, but do not always coincide. A dog can have health problems even if its breed is generally healthy and vice versa. Furthermore, there is a temporal aspect to consider, which concerns the future evolution of health compared to the current situation.

There is a great lack of understanding on how individual Health and that of the population are interconnected, mainly due to the kinship between members of the same breed and random factors that influence biology. This connection is fundamental to understanding Health in the canine field. However, many breeders focus only on the individual, ignoring the population and causing a distortion in the results. There are also incorrect practices that hide negative results, damaging reality and creating a false image. No one wants to breed sick dogs, but managing the Health of a closed breed is complex. Human evolution has led to improvements in health in the human species, while in dogs many breeds show a regression. Random reproduction in humans contrasts with controlled reproduction in breeding, creating risks for Health.

Inbreeding is a crucial factor in the concept of breed, but it can represent a risk for Health. While for individuals the effects are not always visible, they can be observed at the breed level. When we talk about Health, we refer to the breed in general, which can be studied through biotechnology, using mathematical methods. We are not inventing anything new, but adapting existing tools. There is often distrust towards mathematics in dog breeding, but it is important to know that many biological phenomena have been understood through it. Genetics uses statistical methods and Mendel’s discovery on pea plants shows how mathematics can reveal hereditary mechanisms.

In dog breeding, phenomena such as inbreeding depression and complex inheritance are often ignored, because the individual does not show immediate tangible effects, unlike the general vision. To understand dog breeds, it is necessary to move from subjective observation to a scientific analysis of populations. Applying a statistical system that relates individuals and populations could improve Health. The goal is to determine general conditions useful for genetic improvements in the collective. As in nature, where favorable conditions in a forest lead to overall luxuriant growth (but not all plants will grow with the same luxuriance), so in an animal population these favorable factors are found overall (but not all animals will be equally healthy).

The problem in breeding is a deterministic expectation on the results of mating choices, while reality requires a probabilistic approach, which considers complex characteristics. Statistical tools in animal husbandry can help obtain predetermined trajectories. These tools are generic and not specific to certain characteristics of the species to which they are normally associated (cattle, pigs). It is not correct to see the use of these tools on pets as negative, since they do not have an intrinsically negative connotation, but are at the service of the objectives that we set ourselves. The mission of the WGI Lab is to use these tools to select breeds with a focus on Health in a general sense, collaborating with other breeders to address the issues.

The individual breeder cannot address these critical issues alone. It is necessary to work collaboratively, since the current approach is based on competition, reducing genetic variability. The goal of the WGI Lab is to generate favorable conditions in populations to improve Health over time. In short, we refer to scientific biological concepts, against the false guarantees of health that circulate in the dog world, and we aim for a selection that considers Health in a broader context.