We're Working with Breeders to make a Difference.
Breeding is applied or "real life" genetics. The Doberman Diversity Project is a non-profit, Doberman-ONLY project working to either confirm or disprove (in "real life") a basic tenet of genetic science -- that dogs with more genetic diversity suffer fewer genetic health problems and live longer lives.
We believe that we can DNA test dogs until the cows come home, but it ultimately does not matter unless these test results are used to make informed breeding decisions and put to use to research Doberman genetic health and longevity. That is why we rely on breeders making a commitment to DNA test their breeding stock and litters, helping us track health and longevity data across their dogs' lives and helping us to assess what really works to improve the genetic health and longevity of all Dobermans.
We believe that we can DNA test dogs until the cows come home, but it ultimately does not matter unless these test results are used to make informed breeding decisions and put to use to research Doberman genetic health and longevity. That is why we rely on breeders making a commitment to DNA test their breeding stock and litters, helping us track health and longevity data across their dogs' lives and helping us to assess what really works to improve the genetic health and longevity of all Dobermans.
There is a role for everyone. Breeders play a significant role in testing their breeding stock. And so do puppy buyers. Buyers support our shared effort to improve our breed. Breeders and buyers keep us updated about their dogs' health over their lifetimes, and ultimately, the cause of their dog's death and date of death. That data helps our genetic team to assess the impact of different breeding approaches and combinations on the genetic health and longevity in our breed.
What you should know. There is no known line of Dobermans free of genetic health problems. Buying a puppy from a participating breeder doesn't change that. We hope that breeding for diversity, while keeping an eye on disease-associated genetic mutations, will improve genetic health and longevity. There's generalized science to support that proposition. But since this project is about hard science, we're working to find hard evidence. The truth is we don't yet know if breeding to maximize genetic diversity makes a difference in the Doberman. In short, this is a real-life, citizen science experiment in which everyone plays a part. We'd never claim that our participating breeders are perfect. They are, however, leading the way in our breed by testing their breeding dogs and supporting this research project. That means parent dogs in our program have the highest-resolution DNA report available on the market today and breeders can freely share that information with potential puppy buyers.
What you should know. There is no known line of Dobermans free of genetic health problems. Buying a puppy from a participating breeder doesn't change that. We hope that breeding for diversity, while keeping an eye on disease-associated genetic mutations, will improve genetic health and longevity. There's generalized science to support that proposition. But since this project is about hard science, we're working to find hard evidence. The truth is we don't yet know if breeding to maximize genetic diversity makes a difference in the Doberman. In short, this is a real-life, citizen science experiment in which everyone plays a part. We'd never claim that our participating breeders are perfect. They are, however, leading the way in our breed by testing their breeding dogs and supporting this research project. That means parent dogs in our program have the highest-resolution DNA report available on the market today and breeders can freely share that information with potential puppy buyers.