What You Should Know About Our Genetic Testing

Genetic testing is important for responsible breeding. At Little Teton Doodles, we are passionate about ensuring your new pups are as healthy as possible. By using genetic testing, we can get an idea regarding the health of our dams and sires and strategically breed the healthiest pups. Here are a few beneficial things to know about our genetic testing. 

The Purpose of Genetic Testing

A responsible breeder often uses genetic testing to reduce the risk of puppies being affected by inherited conditions. Our genetic testing helps us to provide great, healthy furbabies for you to take home. Understanding the ins and outs of this testing will help you understand our precautions to provide you with healthy puppies. 

Get Important Information

With the use of genetic testing, we can get an accurate idea of potential health risks to watch out for. It is also important to note different health risks that impact different breeds. Our experts are knowledgeable about breed-specific health conditions your puppies may face, allowing you to monitor their health. 

Autosomal-Recessive Conditions

Genetic testing is often used to detect the presence of autosomal recessive conditions. An autosomal-recessive condition will require the dog to inherit 2 copies of the abnormal gene before its health is affected. However, a dog can carry the gene without affecting their health. When you test for autosomal-recessive conditions, there are generally three outcomes. The dog may test as clear, which means it does not have the gene at all. 

If the dog is a carrier but isn’t displaying the condition, it only has 1 copy of the abnormal gene. This means there is a 50% chance that that dog will pass the gene on to the puppies. When bred with another carrier, there is even a chance that the puppies will be affected. The final result is an affected pet, meaning the gene affects the pet’s health. This generally only occurs when they have 2 copies of the gene, from both the mother and the father. 

Autosomal-Dominant Conditions

Autosomal-dominant conditions are other important factors to learn about when genetically testing your dogs. A dog only needs a single copy of this gene to be affected, because it will be a dominant gene. When a dog is affected by this gene, it will have at least a 50% chance of passing it on to its descendants. 

Factors Considered for Superior Breeding

Responsible breeders keep the health of their dogs in mind to help breed the best pups possible. However, they also consider additional factors. The temperament of each parent will be considered when deciding on the best pairing for the breeding. Genetic testing aids both in determining health factors and genetic diversity to provide superior breeding practices. 

At Little Teton Doodles, we are passionate about providing you with friendly, healthy pups to add to your family. We use genetic testing to improve our practices and safeguard the puppies' health. For more information about our practices, contact us at Little Teton Doodles today!