French bulldogs are taking over America
economist.com
economist.com
The nose is so short that they have breathing problems, also their teeth don't fit into the shorter snout, and the ears are getting infected more often because of ... geometrical changes for lack of a better word. Also the genetics that makes the tail so cute and small messes up the other vertebrae and leads to a higher incidence of issues with the spinal column. Which are expensive to treat, more expensive than buying a new puppy, usually.
Well, to a certain extent all the AKC dogs have health problems. Even big dogs have stuff like hip dysplasia. Some breeds are healthier than others, but the most important bit is buying from an ethical breeder if you must get a pure bred. Sketchy breeding practices are what exacerbate the health issues in popular breeds.
But also in general, I'd like to caution about overinterpreting the "x percent genetic" figures. They are computed for a particular population of individuals at a particular time. If a breeder's association then changes their guidelines to screen, for example, for HD, and they actually do a good job at it, that figure will go down, because the following generations will have fewer variation in the genes responsible for it.
Also, OFA’s ratings are crap
We use PennHip, which measures the distraction in the joint, and uses it as a predictor of future health.
GSDs on average have a median rating (working from memory, numbers will be handwavy) of something like .5. Thd WSS is more like .4.
I’ve seen our kids come back with a pennhip rating of .28/.29, and a fair OFA rating.
We’ve stopped sending X-rays for Ofa hips as it doesn’t give us any actual information.
Genetically, people who breed by accident or intentionally without "proper breeding practice" at least don't breed their dogs to have health problems on purpose.
The argument is even stronger than stated here: Mutts are on average much healthier than breed dogs. The life span of e.g. village dogs is higher on average than pretty much all breed dogs.
Hard to say what the most healthy "breed" is, in general, even for me who actually studied this stuff. Even crossbreeds will inherit the problems from their ancestors, crossbreeding isn't inherently better. For most people I recommend going for a dog that is around the size of a Beagle, but even Beagles are bred to have shorter legs than "wild type".
Also beware of breeds who reportedly have fewer issues... sometimes it's just that there haven't been published studies to that effect and often because the sample sizes are too small.
I mean I don’t generally recommend either breed unless someone is really prepared for the dog they’re signing up for—frenchies mostly for health factors, bosties mostly for the enormous energy commitment. But they’re very different breeds in a very similar exterior physical package, enough to confuse people very enamored with one or both.
Not sure if Boston terriers are that much better though. Don't have evidence in front of me.
When you breed the head smaller, the same things still need to be in there, they'll just have less space.
Thus, breathing problems, brain literally not fitting in the skull, eyes bulging out...
Breeding dogs for looks and not for features is just plain stupid. It's like the dog world is stuck in the ye olde web times when we gave designers Flash and they went completely nuts with "user" "interfaces" which were neither usable nor could they be called interfaces.
In my opinion this breed should be abandoned. Too many problems to fix and the generations between now and the "fix" still have to live with them.
Of course it's possible. Ban (with heavy fines/jail time) breeding, selling and owning them and the vast majority won't risk it.
I see them constantly: labradoodles, goldendoodles, bernadoodles
Edit: I think "they don't shed" is the attraction of the -doodle. Well, my Lab doesn't shed, either, and he's never had a haircut.
They’re not going to count any of the “non breeds” like a doodle, or even breeds they don’t recognize that FCI does.
> Wally Conron says he created a ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ as unethical breeders now make hybrids with serious health problems
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/sep/26/labrado...
In Germany, people will usually go to a shelter first. But there are usually no dogs in a shelter suitable for the average dog owner (no extreme medical or behavioral problems, not too big, and "fighting" breeds can be a regulatory hassle). It's gotten so bad the shelters are screening applicants like job seekers. It's gotten so bad we import tens of thousands of "street dogs" from the mediterranean and Eastern Europe. Yes, also with plenty scammers. It got worse during the Covid years. And now all the "unsuitable" dogs get dumped in a shelter again.
If you're buying a dog from Amish people are you more or less likely to get a puppy-mill dog compared to buying from non-Amish?
For other people it's much less commercially interesting, because you need the space, neighbors that don't complain, and some seclusion and privacy from animal welfare activists probably doesn't hurt either.
.. by those "breed rescue" groups, which exist by fostering and adopting out shelter dogs which would get adopted anyway. They show up at the shelter first thing in the morning and take any of "their" breed.
I've heard a famous German dog expert recommend them for children, because they let children do virtually anything to them without getting pissed. Just make sure you get one that is socialized properly or when a puppy, that you socialize and train him properly and with enough effort.
And that's because they've been bred for use, not for looks for tens of generations. As is proven by the high variance on dogs you can call "Jack Russell". You get tiny ones with stubby-ish legs, you can tall ones with long legs, you have completely smooth haired ones and the ones that look like a ball of wire wool. =)
Source: have owned JR's and still do.
and for what types of data does it excel?
In a way, a subset of Sankey and alluvial diagrams
They're also easier to entertain, especially because many people don't know how to entertain/exhaust their dogs without getting exhausted themselves. No, you're not supposed to run marathons with your dogs. It's much easier to train them to fetch stuff like frisbees and you can sit in a chair all day for all they care.
There's other problems too: if you have a tiny dog in the city, you can put it in a carrier and bring it on the train/subway with you. You can't do that with a large dog, so you're barred from using trains, which means you have to drive when you want to go somewhere with your dog, or take a taxi ($$$$, assuming you can find one that allows the dog). A large portion of the population doesn't have a car, because it's very expensive to park it, and even if you do have one, where are you going to go? There's very little parking and it's expensive. So having a large dog is a huge restriction on your lifestyle.
Basically, a large dog in the city is a huge luxury and a status symbol, because it shows you're really rich. A small dog is also a luxury and status symbol, but it's much more affordable and doable for middle-class people.
In most western societies there is now a totally overblown standard of what you are supposed to provide to a child. Yes, it's good to talk about what children need or even to argue what is optimal. But the best you can do is all you can do.
My personal opinion: If you feel an honest need for children and have the opportunity, don't wait. Maybe there are some reasonable caveats or reasons to wait a few years, but not many. People with a desire to have children (some people like me don't have it) won't be much happier without having at least tried than in a "suboptimal" situation after becoming parents.
I have an 80lb greyhound in a not-very-large apartment and life is easy. Energy levels are more important than size (greyhounds sleep a lot) when it comes to apartment living for dogs.
But yes, greyhounds and similar breeds are easy to satisfy: Run a few hundred meters once or twice a day and they'll sleep off the rest.