S1 E35 The Genetics of a Performance Dog Part 1: Good Parents = Good Puppies

<p><strong>The Genetics of a Performance Dog — Part 1: Good Parents = Good Puppies?</strong></p><p>If you breed two phenomenal working dogs, you’re guaranteed phenomenal puppies… right?</p><p>Not exactly.</p><p>In Part 1 of my <strong>Wellness Wednesday series, The Genetics of a Performance Dog</strong>, we’re breaking down one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding breeding: that great parents automatically produce great puppies.</p><p>We’ll explore how genetics actually influence the dogs we see in the field, including <strong>genotype vs. phenotype, polygenic traits, heritability, genetic recombination, environmental influence, and why littermates from the exact same breeding can turn out remarkably different.</strong></p><p>We’ll also talk about what titles and pedigrees can—and can’t—tell us, why the dog standing in front of you represents much more than genetics alone, and why evaluating a breeding means looking beyond just the sire and dam to the larger family behind them.</p><p>Whether you’re a breeder, trainer, handler, or searching for your next performance prospect, understanding genetics can help you ask better questions and set more realistic expectations.</p><p>Because responsible breeding isn&#39;t about guaranteeing the outcome.</p><p><strong>It&#39;s about stacking the deck toward the traits we want while understanding that biology still deals in probabilities.</strong></p><p>🎙️ <strong>A pedigree is a probability—not a promise.</strong></p><p>This is Part 1 of <strong>The Genetics of a Performance Dog</strong>, a four-part Wellness Wednesday series from Dog Driven.</p><p></p>