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Traits from dogs are passed on through genetics but when people want certain kinds of genes in dogs, they genetically modify the dogs. Dog breeding relies on the science of genetics and the breeder's knowledge of the canine genetics and health but breeding the dogs is also is causing dogs to have many health problems.! ! ! Genetics is the process of trait inheritance from parents to o"spring(2). The importance with genetics and dog breeding is that a dog breeder should know the background/history of the dog before breeding it to have certain traits and such. For example, while genes play a role in determining human height, an individual's nutrition and health during childhood also have a large e"ect(2). Also an example for dogs, genes play a role in determining things like weight, but the e"ect of the owner and how they teach/train their dog e"ects them. Genes from the mother and father of the dog e"ect how it acts but that can be changed if you get a trainer to train the dog to act di"erent than what the traits "say". ! ! Dog breeding refers specically to the articial selection of dogs, in which dogs are intentionally bred by their owners(1). If the owner wants certain genes in a dog, they have the breeder breed the traits into the dog. The traits can be things like having the dog be able to run fast, or the color of their skin, or how they behave (see g. 1) If the owner wants to breed a dog to be a show dog, they can look for show dog breeders who can breed traits to make sure the dog can win. The negatives of dog breeding for "looks" are intrinsic. Dog breeders respond to money and the characteristics that lead to sales usually have no positive relation to health or behavior(1). ! ! ! There is a problem with dog breeding, if something goes wrong with breeding it may have various health problems. This happens a lot with show dogs and the way they are bred is Figure 1 normally the problem. The looks of a dog are high quality for owners especially show dog owners. Dog breeders respond to money and the characteristics that lead to sales usually have no positive relation to health or behavior. This can be seen in many breeds,

for instance German Shepherds. Show breed standards emphasize specic traits such as very long backs, small hind legs, and a high front end and shoulders. German Shepherds now often have genetically inherited health issues such as spinal problems, lack of coordination of limbs, severe pelvic and hind leg problems, hip dysplasia and epilepsy. Not all Shepherds have su"ered this selective breeding of negatives(1). Knowing this information is interesting because I have a dog who was born by two show dogs and she was bred to be a show dog as well with her brothers and sisters. My dog has some issues now from being bred the way she was. She has spinal problems,and hind leg problems. She also didn't get the same trait as her brothers and sisters and she is actually biggest out of them all, and it's bigger than she's supposed to be. ! ! In summary, dog breeding relies on the science of genetics and the breeder's knowledge of the canine genetics and health but breeding the dogs is also is causing dogs to have many health problems. Dog breeding is an interesting thing but it also can be bad for dogs for later on in their life. There should be some way of getting a solution to stop dogs from getting health problems and maybe even inheriting them. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Citations:! Article 1:! "Dog Breeding." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Aug. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2014! ! ! Article 2: ! Citation: "Genetics." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Sept. 2014. Web. 09 Apr. 2014. ! ! ! Article 3:! "A Closer Look at All Dogs Are Individuals [INFOGRAPHIC] | Animal Farm

Foundation." Animal Farm Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.!