Website offers breeding values for dogs to improve hips, elbows

Cornell University has launched a website to provide estimated breeding values for purebred dogs based on their genetic potential to produce offspring with good hip and elbow conformation.

Cornell researchers derive the estimated breeding values from statistical models that combine a dog’s hip and elbow scores with the hip and elbow scores of its relatives. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals provides the scores and pedigree information in a public database.

The estimated breeding values can be beneficial to breeders, buyers, pet owners, veterinarians, and researchers who seek an accurate measurement of hip and elbow quality of a dog on the basis of its genetic value for the two traits. An additional tool allows website users to estimate the genetic quality of offspring resulting from a proposed mating.

The website, which requires users to register, is secure.vet.cornell.edu/bvhip.