
The Consequences of Selective
Breeding on Dog Health
From Wild Wolf to Your Best Friend
While all dogs are descended from wild wolves, dogs of different breeds can look and act very differently from each other.
It may be surprising to remember that the Pomeranian sleeping in your purse has wolf ancestry!
Since humans domesticated our dogs' ancestors over 15,000 years ago, we’ve been breeding them for specific behaviors like guarding, herding, friendliness and aggression, and for appearances, like body size, fur type and coat color.
Over many generations, we’ve bred dozens of unique, loveable and useful types of dogs. But this severe inbreeding also compounded the likelihood that genetic mistakes would be passed on.
Compounding Effects
Selective breeding has unintentionally caused significant health issues in today's dogs.

Deafness
Dalmatians

Respiratory Diseases
English Bulldogs

Cancers
Golden Retrievers

Hip Displasia
German Shepherd
Another consequence: Big dogs live shorter lives.

Just like hip dysplasia in German Shepherds or deafness in Dalmatians, the abnormally short lifespan of large dogs is genetic.
Average Giant Breed Lifespan
7 - 9 years
Average Tiny Breed Lifespan
14 - 16 years
We can't change history, but we may be able to affect the future.
We are developing drugs intended to compensate for the consequences of past selective breeding on your dog's health today.
By doing this, we may be able to help dogs live longer, healthier lives.
Check out these articles for more on the unique evolutionary relationship between humans and dogs: