15/04/2023
An open letter from Guido Perosino
Leonberger crossbreeding project: why I am totally against it
It was a few months ago that a group of so-called 'admirers' of the Leonberger breed, supported (alas!) by some breed clubs and with the probable silence-assent of other clubs, decided to put into practice a project to cross the Leonberger with other breeds.
I must point out that this idea, precisely because it was never discussed within the International Leonberger Union, was the basis for my resignation at the end of last year, which out of simple fair play I had resigned "for personal reasons".
A few days ago it became known that the project started with the first cross, made using a male CÃO DA SERRA DA ESTRELA (Estrela Mountain Dog) with a female LEONBERGER.
Having ascertained, therefore, that this was not just an idea, I take the liberty of intervening publicly to bring my contribution to a discussion that I hope will develop and determine a vision compatible with the actual needs of the breed.
I want to describe this project from the outset as vague and even superficial. In fact, it is a programme that starts from erroneous and unscientific foundations. Although I have read hundreds of pages and articles on the subject (not only as a breeder but also out of my specific doctorate), I think it is sufficient to rely on the excellent and above all recent work: "Genomic diversity and population structure in the Leonberger breed" a study carried out by Anna Letko, Katie M. Minor, Vidhya Jagannathan , Franz R. Seefried , James R. Mickelson , Pieter Oliehoek and Cord Drögemüller and published in 2020 in Genetics Selection Evolution (https://gsejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12711-020-00590-2).
This research certainly shows a situation of low genetic variability in the Leonberger (already known) but it dates back as far as the 1940s, indicating its permanence in an increase in the population that is not proportional to a breeding activity that sees in the use of more numerous bloodlines and differentiation in the use of studs and bi***es the solution to the problem. This is common to many other breeds and is clearly more risky in breeds whose population is numerically smaller (such as the Leonberger).
From this to using another breed to artificially increase the genetic variability of the Leonberger "there is a long way to go" but above all the future of the breed and in particular the maintenance of type and character is at stake.
It is not for nothing, I repeat, that it is the researchers themselves who point out the way forward, namely that of responsible breeding, which means training, education of breeders, guidance to mature breeding, which is what the breed clubs in the various countries should largely carry out, coordinated by the International Union and the German Club, which is the sole holder of the standard.
Let's see why, in a nutshell, cross-breeding is a wrong, irresponsible, radical choice that does not take into account the potential for better breeding management; cross-breeding is a sort of shortcut that some people have championed, claiming to be saviours of the breed, but which entails enormous risks.
Morphologically and functionally, the Serra da Estrela Mountain Dog is as far removed from the Leonberger as one can get. It is not enough to be carbonated fawn in order to be similar. The Serra da Estrela Mountain Dog (of which I am FCI judge) has as merits all those which are considered type faults in the Leonberger. What we are going to screw up, therefore, is precisely the special breed feature and type of the dog: Estrela are beautiful with ears turned backwards and possibly "rose-shaped", they are beautiful with oval and much less prominent heads than in the Leonberger, they are beautiful if the muzzle narrows towards the truffle, they are beautiful if they do not have much bone, they are beautiful if they have a not very developed chest (less than 50% of the height at the withers) and little circled ribs, they are beautiful if the males weigh 45 kilos and are a maximum of 72 cm at withers, they are beautiful if they have short hair, they are beautiful if they have a short and sloping croup, they are beautiful if their feet are not too round, they are beautiful if their hair resembles that of goats, they are beautiful even when they are grey or brindle coloured. I must remember that the heritability of some of these traits is very high.
Functionally, the Estrela Mountain Dog is a typical herd guarding and defence dog and for this reason very territorial and sometimes even aggressive. Its original natural environment is certainly not the family, the backyard, the house... exactly the opposite of what all of us (who really love the Leonberger) consider the most precious and inalienable thing. What will this dog transmit to the Leonberger?
Although the character and temperament are genetically not very transmissible ( h2=< 0.2-0.3) over time, by repeating this mechanism, that little transmissibility will work its way into the breed and become fixed. It will not be easy but it will be even more difficult to go back precisely because it is little but still heritable.
What will then become of those negative genes, not present in the Leonberger today, which could be introduced through the use of another breed? Are we prepared for this possible eventuality?
Finally, do we really want to be accomplices to this abomination rather than all working together for responsible breeding? Do we really want to be accomplices to the annihilation of our breed in the name of a variability and health of the population that would instead be absolutely compatible with a better use of the zootechnical tools at our disposal?
Lastly, I believe it must be emphasised that the use of such an 'experiment' fully violates the principles of pure breeding of breeds recognised by FCI and the National Kennel Clubs as its members.
And I wonder, where is the German Leonberger club that is the primary drafter of the standard? I have not read a word, not a comment. How will it deal with this cross-breeding in a formal way? Will it change the breed standard? Will we all be satisfied that there is more genetic variability without first burdening our breeders and members with the responsibility of improving the Leonberger breed through the tools of breeding? And that means structurally?
If we want a healthy breed, we know that we will have to continue to remove many subjects from the breeding population (due to dysplasia, LEMP, LPN, eye diseases, etc.) and this represents a cost for maintaining variability, but alongside this commitment we must include another, equally important commitment, that of responsibly using studs and bi***es so that a satisfactory genetic balance can be maintained.
It is too easy to go crossbreeding, too easy to take credit today for saving a breed that will be lost tomorrow.
Guido Perosino, Leonberger breeder
former President of the International Leonberger Union
April 14th, 2023
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