Pure Dog Talk

Breeding for type, consistency while keeping a low COI Dr. Victor Stora, veterinary medical geneticist, with some of his Shetland Sheepdogs. Victor Stora, Shetland Sheepdog breeder, AKC/CHF Residency Recipient and Veterinary Geneticist at University of Pennsylvania, shares concrete information on breeding for type and consistency of style while keeping a low COI (Coefficient of Inbreeding). Stora observed that many breeders fall in to one of two categories. "People might fall in to health testing too much and losing type, or you have people ignoring health because they’re getting the type they want. The happy medium is where people should be," Stora said. Health test all you want, Stora noted, but keep in mind it doesn’t mean the dogs are free of disease… just all the ones you can test for. What are the really bad diseases that affect a breed, he queried, adding that the more “lethal” diseases get higher priority. Health testing and COI are tools "Once you get to the point that you have the animals that you