What are EBVs and how do they help?

Estimated Breeding values (EBVs) are a genetic selection tool we can use to identify which breeding dog has better genetic merit for certain desirable traits, compared to other dogs of its breed.  Dogs don’t always produce themselves (“breed true”) because what you see (phenotype) is a combination of the dog’s environment and genetics.

Most behavior and health traits are controlled by many genes (polygenic) and with each mating, the mix of genes is not exactly the same as either parent. Instead the mix of the two parents creates a unique combination of genes for that individual which changes the genetic potential for that individual. EBVs combine all of the data on all dogs and uses the pedigree relationships to predict the genetic merit much more accurately than what is observable.

The interesting thing about EBVs is that they incorporate data not just from the dog in question, but also its relatives and progeny. Nearly complete data on all or most dogs from multiple generations for a trait provides an accurate understanding of the real genetic merit of the dog and some idea about other related dogs (depending on the depth of data on the dogs and all close relatives). EBVs enable us to make more informed decisions that can result in real changes in the health and behavior of our dogs when used correctly over multiple generations, and produce puppies more ideal for your program (based on the traits you’re looking for – like improved hip health or certain temperamental traits). Here are some examples of how EBVs assist with this:

• Selecting your next generation of breeding dogs: Which young adult offspring from litters available to you are most likely to produce improvement in certain traits. Keep as breeders the offspring that are more highly ranked than your current breeders.
• Which breeding dogs to pair: Which mate maintains genetic diversity (e.g. limits the  rise of inbreeding) but also compliments the improved traits you are looking for.
• Help guide you so you don’t “throw the baby out with the bath water”.  No dog is perfect.  Start with what you have, store the data and use it to select genetically better dogs in the next generation.  Establish breeding goals with like-minded breeders and together make data driven decisions to breed dogs that are healthy and meet your other breeding objectives through improvement with each generation. 

Estimated Breeding Values have been used in cattle since the 1950’s with great success, and have been implemented by a few guide dog organizations since the 1980s, For most others, EBVs for working dogs are a comparatively new concept but one made available to working dog organizations thanks to the International Working Dog Registry, which combines EBV specific data behind the scenes to calculate EBVs while keeping user and organizational private data secure.

• What is the IWDR?

Throughout this website and article you will find many more resources on EBVs, genetics and breeding, targeted specifically to dog breeders to learn about EBVs and understand how to use EBVs effectively.

Concepts of using data to determine risk for a disease is very common in human medicine. The terms used in the below video (“Polygenic Score”) are different, but the it is still helpful in explaining how data can identify genetic risk (which in humans is used to help identify risk of developing a disease and implement preventative care and early screening).