Benefits of Mating a Brother to its Sister Dog
Most people associate inbreeding with incest in humans which is both illegal and medically wrong. However, completely different standards apply in the canine species. Inbreeding in canines is often seen as beneficial and is still perfectly legal. Dogs lack emotional maturity, so a male dog will still naturally attempt to mate with his sister, without giving any thought to morals or repercussions. The copulatory tie will not require any additional assistance than it would usually. In fact, it might even be easier because the dogs are already known to one another; they should already be comfortable around each other and familiar with one another’s smell.
Brother and sister dogs are most commonly bred together to help produce puppies with predictable traits related to temperament and appearance. The general idea is that — in theory — if you have two dogs with exceptional health and aesthetics and you breed them together, they will produce one or more equally superb specimens.[pullquote-right]Breeding dog siblings is rarely, if ever, recommended.[/pullquote-right]
A brother and sister dog will share far more genetic material than two unrelated or distantly-related canines because they share the same parents. Therefore, breeding a brother and sister dog together can fix or homogenise certain superior traits in dogs by increasing the likelihood that they will be passed onto the next generation. Some believe that this is the most efficient way to strengthen a breed of dog because dogs within this bloodline will share more and more of the same superior genetic material.
This is how an official dog breed comes about in the first place — dogs with very similar traits repeatedly breed until a group of dogs have a certain look about them, then a breed standard is officialized, and the actual dog breed exists. Therefore, Labradors look like Labradors and Pomeranians look like Pomeranians.
This process of breeding a brother and sister dog together can be considered a lot simpler logistically. A dam owner can spend months seeking out a stud that complements their dam. They will then have to pay fees and sign a stud service contract to have access to the stud for breeding. If the dam can instead be mated with one of her brothers, the time taken to locate and secure a stud is significantly reduced.
Additionally, canine incest (if done by an experienced breeder) can sometimes provide some peace of mind. You will have more of an idea about what to expect from a litter. However, siblings or not, both dogs should still undergo genetic screening, so you can learn about all their genetic material, both good and bad. It is important not to become complacent or irresponsible or you may end up exacerbating any negative traits in future pup(s).
Risks of Breeding Siblings in Dogs
Unfortunately, it is not correct to assume that two dogs who share strong genetics will always produce the perfect litter; free from disease, disability or illness. Two dogs who do not outwardly display certain negative traits or characteristics, may still be a genetic carrier and carry recessive alleles which, when combined at a later breeding, cause negative traits to manifest in their offspring. Consequently, it is not uncommon for inbred dogs to experience problems such as hip dysplasia and heart and liver conditions at some time in their lives. Therefore, you must always carry out a full genetic risk assessment before attempting to breed a brother and sister dog together — even if (on the surface) they seem perfect.
How long until puppies forget their siblings?
Most puppies will go home and be separated from their siblings at 6 weeks of age.