Risks of Breeding Half Sibling Dogs
The closer the relationship of the dogs, the more terrible the risks are. The reason inbreeding in dogs is not advised is because it reduces the genetic diversity within the breeds.
Half-sibling breedings also mean that the diseases and flaws that run in the gene pool will continue to be passed on, through the shared genetic material. You’re simply passing on the defects of the breed, fixing them into the lineage. It inevitably gives rise to more diseases and health complications.
Inbreeding depression concerns the fact that the more inbred your dogs are, the lower their fertility will be. By getting half-siblings to mate with another, you’re mixing their gene pool and in turn, naturally reducing their ability to reproduce.
Inbreeding affects fertility the most. This will cause a slow but gradual decline in the population of this breed, which is why it is called depression.
A lot of studies have revealed that cross-breeding and outbreeding are both very important to maintain the evolutionary process. But the lack of a new genetic pool could contribute to lowered fitness and immunity in dogs.
Another factor that contributes to this depression in breeds is that inbreeding also reduces the lifespan of the breed. With each mating session, the lifespan of the breed declines.
To understand how this happens, first, you need to know how alleles work. Alleles are alternative forms of genes which are found with the gene mutates. When animals mate with their half-siblings or anyone who shares the same DNA, they experience something called homozygosis—it means that they possess identical alleles.
Homozygous genes are what create all these medical issues in the puppies. Inbreeding increases the chances of the litter developing seriously problematic traits over the years.
Dogs who are subjected to inbreeding don’t get a chance to fight any defects in their gene pool. This simply means that if the particular family of the dog breed has an unwanted gene in their gene pool. The sired litter from this mating will have twice the chance of getting diabetes.
e.g. one that causes diabetes, by mating them with each other, a breeder is only strengthening the chance of diabetes in the offspring.
When breeds are outbred—the inherited health risks reduce to half, and that gene pool is diluted over a span of generations. Eventually, in the larger picture, there is a chance that the particular defective gene will be so diluted that disease won’t exist anymore. This is why we say that mixed-breeds are healthier than purebred dogs – their gene pool is vast and unrestrained!
Dystocia refers to abnormal or difficult labor in female dogs. This happens when the female in labor has a small birth canal or does not have uterine contractions that are strong enough to push the puppies out.
Dystocia also takes place when the puppies in utero are larger than regular-sized puppies or are born with physical birth defects. These situations severely complicate dog pregnancy.
All the above situations are more likely to happen when half-siblings are mated to get a litter. Especially, producing a litter with physical birth defects.
Another problem with breeding half sibling dogs is that it usually shrinks the size of the litter by up to half. So instead of a usual litter of six to eight puppies, you can expect a litter of three to four.
Can you breed dogs with different dads but the same mom?
Dogs with different dads but the same mother are half siblings. Interbreeding is actually the cornerstone of purebred lines of any animal.
In today’s culture, we wouldn’t dream of marrying or mating with anyone closely related to us. However, in ancient times, it was quite common.
As our understanding of genetics has increased, we have a clearer picture of the consequences of interbreeding. This includes both risks and benefits.
Half Brother and Sister Breeding
A half brother and sister mating will produce puppies with an inbreeding coefficient of 12.5%, assuming there was no interbreeding in previous generations. If the line was inbred in recent generations, the coefficient will be higher.
This coefficient is higher than recommended under most circumstances. In short, it would be preferable to breed dogs that are not so closely related. If there is no other interbreeding in recent generations, you may choose to breed them. However, their offspring should be bred with an unrelated line to increase gene variation.
It can be difficult to register half sibling offspring with the Kennel Club. However, the largest US registry, the AKC, has no prohibition on inbreeding.
Line Breeding Dogs – a recipe for mutants? – Dog Health Vet Advice
The mating instinct for dogs is just that â an instinct. They are wired by their body chemistry to want to mate and also to mate when the time is right for female dogs to be receptive, which doesnt happen all the time. When it does happen, an intact male dog will mate with any intact female, even if they happen to be from the same litter.
Inbreeding, which is also sometimes called linebreeding, is the term used when animals who share close genetic traits mate, such mother and offspring or siblings. Closely related animals, such as dog siblings, share many similar genes because they have the same parents. Mating two closely related animals can reinforce some good qualities, which is why breeders do it, or it can bring out dog inbreeding effects such as physical defects or disease.
Breeders do sometimes breed closely related animals such as brother and sister dogs when they want to be more likely to ensure that the offspring will have certain physical qualities, like a certain coat color or ear shape. However, even responsibly managed brother and sister breeding can cause problems.
Linebreeding two closely related animals is much more likely to produce the desired genetic traits than breeding animals that are not closely related. However, inbreeding reduces genetic diversity, which is what can lead to negative traits occurring. In fact, it was believed that King Tutankhamen suffered physical deformities and illness as the result of his parents being siblings.
Sexual maturity in dogs occurs between the ages of six and nine months, although the timing of it depends on the size (large dogs mature later) and the breed. Waiting too long to get dogs spayed or neutered can lead to accidental inbred puppies.
To avoid inbred puppies and the problems related to it, get your veterinarians advice on when to get your dogs spayed or neutered so they cant reproduce. If you cant or dont want to get them fixed, then keep them separate.
Breeders who have bred siblings together have witnessed dog inbreeding effects, such as weakened immune systems and more autoimmune diseases. Inbred dogs seem to get sicker from common causes more often than other dogs, such as catching colds. Other negative effects of brother and sister breeding are that the offspring are more aggressive and less intelligent.
When breeders want to keep the traits of a dog “true,” meaning that they want all Great Danes to continue to look like Great Danes, they have to provide more genetic diversity by mating dogs who are of the same breed but do not share the same parents.
If dogs who have a genetic defect are bred with other dogs who have the same genetic defect, the offspring will continue to have this problem as well because there is not enough good genetic material to prevent the defect in each generation. For instance, Great Danes are genetically prone to a condition called bloat, which reduces their life expectancy. If you do want to breed any dogs, whether they are related or not, it is best to have their genetics examined so you can prevent a negative recessive trait from becoming a dominant one in the next generation.