Dogs In Review Magazine March 2017 | Page 100

Lundehund Crosses to Date
Right : The Lundehund is agile and can easily negotiate rocky terrain . This was a key requirement for its historical function , hunting puffins in mountainous landscapes . Photo by Arild Espelien . Far Right : Kunna is a pup from the first litter of crossbred dogs from the genetic rescue project . Her mother is a Norwegian Buhund , her father a Lundehund Photo by Ingvild Svorkmo Espelien
Outcrossing is done by breeding females from the candidate breeds with Lundehund males because the other breeds are considerably larger . The first generation of crossbred pups are expected to be mated with purebred Lundehunds , followed by further back-crossing into the Lundehund breed . The crossbred dogs will be evaluated phenotypically as the project develops . The stud book will be opened and the crossbred dogs included in the breed when the desired characteristics have been achieved .
Why cross with three different breeds ? All three breeds have important similarities with the Lundehund , but they also have differences in temperament and morphology . The three candidate breeds will therefore provide more varied material for selection ( see “ Lundehund Crosses to Date ” sidebar ). At the moment , we do not know which genes contribute to development of IL , and there are no reliable clinical tests to show which individuals may be at particular risk for developing the illness . If the relevant genes were known or reliable tests were available , it would be possible to investigate the prevalence and risk of IL and use this information to select breeding individuals . Until this information becomes available , breeding individuals will be selected based on their health records and IL status at the time they are considered for inclusion in the breeding program . If crossing with purebred Lundehund results in future crossbred generations developing IL , it will be possible to use breeding dogs with different crossbred ancestry and careful selection to avoid IL .
Evaluating the First Litter
A key Lundehund trait , polydactyly , has been examined in dogs and other species because of possible negative consequences for health and development . Because it is difficult to separate the potential influence of factors such as inbreeding and other physical characteristics , the Lundehund outcrossing project may help shed some light on this question . Dog breeders have been curious to see the number of toes in crossbred pups . None have four toes ; all have extra toes on two or more paws . This suggests that the trait is determined by multiple genes and that polydactyly can be preserved in the breed .
IL is a much more difficult trait to evaluate , as deciding whether a crossbred pup is predisposed to the illness cannot be done in the straightforward manner of examining the number of toes or evaluating joint flexibility . It is impossible to know if dogs are IL-free before they are older and have shown good health throughout their entire life . Yet dogs should join the breeding program before they get old . To balance these competing objectives , it will be necessary to establish criteria for judging whether an adult dog is considered healthy . If future comparison of sick and healthy dogs permits identification of the gene ( s ) causing IL , this would be an important step toward early and improved identification of healthy dogs well-suited for breeding .
Using This Project to Help Others
The Lundehund crossbreeding project has been designed for this particular breed , but it is nonetheless helpful in highlighting concerns relevant across all dog breeds . Some questions are :
1 . When should genetic rescue be initiated in a threatened breed ?

Lundehund Crosses to Date

Rase
Norwegian Buhund Icelandic Sheepdog Norrbottenspets
* as of June 2016
Crossbreeding Attempted
x
x
x
Crossbreeding That Produced Pups
x
x
Number of Crossbred Pups Born
6 ( 4 females , 2 males )
2 ( both males )
PHOTOS COURTESY INGVILD SVORKMO ESPELIEN
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