Bad Breeding and Inbreeding

A cause of unsocial or disruptive behaviour in dogs

Inbreeding is the breeding of genetically closely related individuals - Blood relatives.
In human terms we would regard inbreeding as incest.

In breeding increases the chances of pups being born with recessive genes and as such they are more likely to suffer from physical abnormalities, psychological disorders and pass on genetically related problems to any offspring they produce.

Closely related dogs share very similar genetic material and are identical by descent so by breeding closely related dogs the chances of getting identical offspring is much greater than breeding from dogs that are not in any way related other than by breed but inbreeding needs to be carefully done in order to avoid problems.
The greater the degree of inbreeding the greater the chances of producing pups with inherited issues.

In a program of inbreeding one would expect a proportion of negatively affected offspring so a certain amount of culling would be part of the process in order to prevent these negative traits being passed on.

Bad breeding can be simply summed up as the pairing of dogs for the production of puppies without any knowledge or understanding of genetics or hereditary disorders or without any form of screening of sire and dam to identify the presence (or absence) of genetic abnormalities that could manifest in pups or passed on to future generations further down the line.

To summarise the root of many of the Border Collie's behavioural problems we first need to consider these inherited t

Some consequences of Inbreeding and Bad breeding

Problems that can arise from inbreeding or bad breeding fit into two categories.
Physical abnormalities and behavioural abnormalities.

On this page we are most concerned with psychological abnormalities which result in abnormal behaviour but before looking at these it is worthwhile considering how some physical abnormalities can affect behaviour.

In bred dogs suffer from a lack of genetic variation - some time known as 'hybrid vigour'.
One result of this is a low immune system that opens the dog to all manner of infections and diseases that it finds difficult to shake off. Although most of these infections are not serious it makes life unpleasant for a dog suffering from constant illness and is likely to make it withdrawn and generally unhappy.
There is a greater risk of hip dysplasia and other bone conditions like Osteochondritis dissecans which can be a painful and sometimes fatal condition.
Some inbred or badly bred dogs suffer partial or complete deafness, blindness or both.
Skin conditions are more prevalent with inbred dogs.
There is thought to be higher risks of genetically related cancers developing because of inbreeding.
Occasional genetic mutation.
Reduced life span.

Behavioural problems caused or exaggerated by inbreeding can range from low IQ and difficulty in training to spontaneous aggression.
A short list would go like this -

Intelligence deficit.
Aggression.
Fearful and timid temperament.
OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or Abnormal Repetitive Behaviour.
Phobic responses.
Noise Aversion.
Separation anxiety.
Hyperactivity and excessive vigilance.

It pays to be aware of the problems related to inbreeding if you are looking at buying a puppy of an breed.
Professional breeders and breeders of unusual coat types are more likely to use inbreeding within their breeding program because they want all their pups to look as much like each other as possible.
These are most likely to be kennel club registered breeders. There will always be some casualties in breeding programs that rely on extensive inbreeding, but the survivors will look good even if they are not so smart.

Backyard and hobby breeders often have little or no understanding of genetics so the results are often pot luck.

Good breeders have a good knowledge of genetics and only produce a small number of litters a year. Their pups will show variation rather than uniformity of appearance. These breeders won't be so reliant on inbreeding so the chances of taking on a pup with physical or behavioural issue is lower. These are likely to also be Kennel Club registered.

You should always do some research before committing to a particular breeder or bloodline. Look beyond their website. Look at their records on their Kennel Club listings to see how many litters they register and search the internet to find out waht people are saying about them.

If you are interested in adopting a Border Collie from us,
please phone 07707 485813 during office hours. (2 pm to 5 pm Tuesdays to Thursdays)

Please do not write to us or email us about adoption - we want to speak to you before we start the process.