More than 200 working dogs from 13 Pāmu farms have provided their DNA via blood samples and cheek swabs for use in a Massey University project.
Seven dogs from Pāmu property Mt Hamilton Station near Te Anau were among the first to contribute to the study.
Massey University AL Rae Centre for Genetics and Breeding co-director Matt Littlejohn was leading the project seeking to link working dogs’ DNA to their health and performance.
The aim was to protect the future of the New Zealand working dog breeds.
While genetic work had been carried out on many pet breeds around the world, it was the first time New Zealand’s working dogs had been mapped, he said.
Massey University senior research officer Melissa Stephen said there were already known medical conditions showing up in some huntaway and heading dogs.
Many shepherds had expressed an interest in conditions such as twisted gut in huntaways, and if animals genetically susceptible to such problems could be identified, this information could help breeding decisions.
The project had two parts. The first used genome sequencing and required blood sampling.
"This approach gives a very high resolution of DNA which means every single rung on the DNA ladder can be analysed for hidden problems.
"This means that breeders of working dogs can have the information they need on a dog that looks healthy but carries a recessive gene, to make sure they aren’t bred with another dog that carries the same recessive gene that will then cause problems in their offspring."
DNA sequencing results showed how much inbreeding had been going on and quantified the risks associated with it.
Over the next couple of years, the programme aimed to get more than 2000 cheek swabs from more working dogs.
Massey was partnering with Ancestry.com to provide the genotypes.
This information would be used to look for genetic links with working performance, the incidence of known genetic disease variants, and to better understand heritage.
The project was co-funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries through the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Fund and supported by Pāmu, Focus Genetics, and other industry partners.
