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Canine Genetics for Puppy Shoppers
🧬🐾Making Science Simple🐾🧬
Supporting the Most Responsible Puppy Shoppers: Take the Mini Course on Canine Genetics
If you’re adding a dog to your family, you’re already making one of the most important decisions of your life. So why not make it an informed one?
Most puppy shoppers focus on cuteness, coat colour, size or romanticising their favourite breed…But, the most responsible dog owners look behind the scenes to understand the science that protects their dog’s long-term health.
In less than 20 minutes, you’ll understand the basics that every dog owner should know before choosing a reputable breeder for your new family member.
Mini Course Outline
1. Background
Genetics: The Basics
Before watching the video featuring a PhD in genetics, it helps to understand what "genetics" actually means in simple terms. In short, every living thing, including dogs and humans, has genes, which are tiny pieces of DNA.
Your body produces proteins from instructions in the DNA that are the building blocks of your body and ultimately influence things like appearance, behavior, and health.
You can think of DNA as a recipe book, where each gene is a specific "recipe" that gives the body instructions on how to grow and function. Sometimes, small changes in these genes, called genetic mutations, can lead to inherited health conditions. For example, a dog may carry a gene that increases the risk of developing a certain disease later in life. If both parents carry that same gene, their puppies have a higher chance of inheriting the condition.
Genetics: Role in Dog Breeding
So, how does genetics play a role in getting a dog? Unlike reproduction in nature, dog breeding is intentional, meaning that people choose which dogs become parents and pass on genes to a litter of puppies.
Over many generations, humans have bred dogs for specific purposes such as herding, guarding, companionship, or hunting. That focus is how we developed the distinct breeds that we recognize today.
However, this selective breeding has also drastically narrowed genetic diversity within each breed. As a result, certain inherited health conditions have become more common in some breeds. Just like families can pass down specific traits or health risks, dog breeds can too — for example, heart conditions, eye disorders, epilepsy, or other breed-associated conditions.
2. Video
In this episode of Making Science Simple, Paction Co-Founder Brooke Acton sits down with Dr. Samantha Van Buren. She is the Senior Geneticist at Orivet Genetic Pet Care (now merged with Paw Print Genetics), and she unpacks the world of canine DNA testing in clear, everyday language.
You’ll learn:
🐕 Why genetic testing is essential for responsible breeding
📘 The difference between "health testing" and "genetic screening"
💡 How dog breeds were shaped through selective breeding
🧬 What the dog genome is and how modern DNA tests work
🔍 What questions puppy shoppers should ask breeders
⚖️ Why testing doesn't predict everything — but is still a powerful tool
Dr. Van Buren explains how DNA science has evolved since the first dog genome was sequenced in 2005 (yes, with a Boxer named Tasha!) and why every responsible breeder should use genetic testing to protect the future of their breed.
This short webinar is perfect for new dog owners, breeders, and anyone curious about canine science — no biology background required.
3. Quiz
Making Science Simple: Canine Genetics Quiz
Quiz Yourself
Are You a Breeder?
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