Red-Dawn Golden Retrievers

06/27/2024

SHR Red-Dawn Resolute Rosie Cotton JH got mail today!

06/21/2024

06/17/2024

HR Red-Dawn Resolute RiverSong JH CCA got mail!!

She has one pass on her AKC SH title !

Wait until he fall.

Giddy UP!

06/12/2024

Jimmy Stewart loved dogs, and he and his wife Gloria had several throughout their long-time marriage. Stewart was especially fond of his golden retriever Beau, who would sleep in a corner of the bedroom at night, but would sometimes sneak onto the bed and lie between Stewart and Gloria. According to Stewart, "I know that I should have pushed him off the bed, but I didn't. He was up there because he wanted me to pat his head, so that's what I would do. Somehow, my touching his hair made him happier, and just the feeling of him laying against me helped me sleep better."

When Beau became terminally ill and had to be euthanized, Stewart sat in his car, following the procedure, for ten minutes to clear his eyes of tears. He later recalled, "After he died there were a lot of nights when I was certain that I could feel him get into bed beside me and I would reach out and pat his head. The feeling was so real that I wrote a poem about it and about how much it hurt to realize that he wasn't going to be there anymore."

The poem, titled Beau, was first recited on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1981. As you will hear in his poem, Beau (like all his dogs) was not good at things like 'sit', 'stay' and 'come'. Stewart said, "The difference between 'trained OK' and 'trained perfectly' doesn't really matter all that much to me.... I suppose the truth is that I'd rather have a happy dog than a trained one."

The poem starts out with humor and ends with sadness - with both Stewart and Carson trying their best to hold back tears.

06/08/2024

Ready for takeoff!!
Red-Dawn Resolute Golden Retrievers

06/04/2024

Look at the wild child that got “Dog of the Month”. Good job Kate!

06/02/2024

What I learned about inbreeding from DNA testing is mind blowing and heartbreaking. Check out my article where I lay out details of my dogs’ actual DNA COI vs their pedigrees.

Should I produce in**ed dogs? My recent Golden Retriever conundrum: “How do I breed my European line of Golden Retrievers now that I know they are all in**ed?” My research has shown that most (all) European genetics Golden Retrievers (“English Cream”) are 30% (or more) in**ed. The average Go...

06/01/2024

Should I produce in**ed dogs?

My recent Golden Retriever conundrum: “How do I breed European line of Golden Retrievers now that I know they are all in**ed?”

My research has shown that most European genetics Golden Retrievers (“English Cream”) are 30% (or more) in**ed. The average Golden is 21% in**ed. There are American lines of 10% (or less) in**ed.

As reference, the child of 2 full siblings from 4 unrelated grandparents = 25% in**ed / 25% COI

COI = coefficient of inbreeding.

DNA is now able to show us the actual COI of a dog. Historically we relied on pedigree research. We look 10-12 generations back and calculate what the COI prediction is for that dog. Often, we run this COI for a potential litter and get 3%-10% COI for many Golden Retrievers. From an ethical breeder mindset, those are nice low inbreeding numbers. We know all pure breeds are of course line-bred. That is why the dogs look and act like their respective breed. But we don’t want those 25% COI full sibling numbers! So for all of history, we have looked at pedigrees to decide what is safe.

Now DNA is proving our pedigree research is wrong!

DNA is showing a hundred years of line-breeding. And it also shows the truth of hidden inbreeding or outcrossing, meaning a pedigree can be false but the DNA tells the truth.

DNA testing companies to know your Golden Retriever’s COI are:
UC Davis
Embark
Laboklin

Back to my question. “Now that I’m informed with recent science, how can I continue to pair my European Goldens together and be an ethical breeder?”

I cannot do it ethically

I know that continued inbreeding brings out the best & worst traits. I know that one single time of doing a tight line breeding can produce the best or worst traits. I know how to set “type” by line breeding. I’ve been mentored on the “old ways” of breeding, and have seen it all since my first litter in 1985.

Here is what I’ve recently done and learned about my Euro line Goldens.

A few years ago I chose an “unrelated” stud (on paper) Luke, to breed to my Brady line. For ease of understanding, Brady is half Australian (Euro background) and Luke is imported direct from Europe. (pedigrees provided). DNA shows Luke 33% COI, Brady 29% COI. On paper in 12 generations: Luke 12.31%, Brady 11.29%. The DNA is correct, it is detecting inbreeding beyond 12 generations.

My Brady’s line is mostly great with an occasional issue. Overall I’m happy. Luke looked like a nice outcross on paper. I bred him to Brady daughters (my best girls) and to my Goldens from other lines, both Euro and outcrossing.

“Mostly” we had improvement the way I wanted. We improved fronts, stronger squared heads, happy outgoing personality, more boxy body and continued good health. We also kept many great Brady traits I love. Sounds like a win, right?

The problems we got out of this VERY outgoing stud dog, Luke, were extremely shy, skittish and tiny refined Goldens. These dogs are NOT what a Golden should be. Looking back, we had occasional small dogs with Brady kids, but not the weird temperament. Back then, before I knew the DNA truth, I thought “it is just an occasional Brady thing, don’t worry, most are not like this”. Unfortunately, with Luke, it became common to see extreme shy, skittish plus tiny pups with the Brady grandkids.

Now, on the other side of the coin, many Brady daughters were also very outcrossed. And Luke was also bred for outcrosses.
These outcross pups were never tiny and never weird. We got consistent normal, happy and great pups! These pups were all very consistent and no weird or tiny dogs.

Why?

Every breeding of all European “cream” litters I did were highly in**ed.
Brady 29% COI
x Xandra 38% COI
= Puppies 33% COI

I got some outstanding ladies from that Brady x Xandra cross, but looking back I got some horrid things too. One girl dropped dead one day at 4 years old, don’t know why. One girl had an extreme yeast skin issue and black greasy skin- I fixed it with a raw diet & anti fungal treatment.

What is my conclusion?
European Goldens are way too in**ed and need outcross infusions.
I’ve looked at DNA COI of Goldens from a lot of pedigrees, not just mine. The lowest all European line Golden I’ve seen is 25% and most are 29-33%. The only time the numbers drop, is in an outcross. Example, 33% Euro Golden, Luke bred to a 19% American Golden, River = 14% COI offspring.

On Embarks Pair Predictor I ran siblings together to see what happens.
Full sibling hunting Goldens that are 17% and 21% each, their offspring are 38%. But the European Goldens are already up there in the danger zone 30’s. That is sad!

Knowing better means doing better. I know how to avoid inbreeding due to DNA testing. If you are a breeder and just learned about DNA COI, you can utilize Embarks Matchmaker Tool to find low COI pairings.

https://embarkvet.com/resources/matchmaker-for-breeders-an-easier-way-to-evaluate-potential-mates-2/

My studs links:

Brady K9 Data https://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=544639

Embark https://my.embarkvet.com/dog/patjoysenglishlordbrady

Luke K9 Data https://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=782657

Embark https://my.embarkvet.com/dog/goldenromancelegendarylad

Written by
Alicia Dawn
RedDawnGoldens.com

06/01/2024

Adios to Pedigree research
Hello to DNA inbreeding testing

COI = coefficient of inbreeding.

DNA is now able to show us the actual COI of a dog. Historically we relied on pedigree research. We look 10-12 generations back and calculate what the COI prediction is for that dog. Often, we run this COI for a potential litter and get 3%-10% COI for many Golden Retrievers. From an ethical breeder mindset, those are nice low inbreeding numbers. We know all pure breeds are of course line-bred. That is why the dogs look and act like their respective breed. But we don’t want those 25% COI full sibling numbers! So for all of history, we have looked at pedigrees to decide what is safe.

Now DNA is proving our pedigree research is wrong!

DNA is showing a hundred years of line-breeding. And it also shows the truth of hidden inbreeding or outcrossing, meaning a pedigree can be false but the DNA tells the truth.

DNA testing companies to know your Golden Retriever’s COI are:
UC Davis
Embark
Laboklin

Learn more about the DNA Matchmaker Tool!

https://embarkvet.com/resources/matchmaker-for-breeders-an-easier-way-to-evaluate-potential-mates-2/

Juliet is NOT closely related on pedigree research to the dogs in red. It is due to European genetic Golden Retrievers being highly in**ed, from generations back.

05/31/2024

Diet is crucial to good health!
Many of us are brain washed by society, social media and “it’s been working just fine” thinking.

Let’s use common sense thinking. What is the diet that dogs eat if left to choose?
Salad or meat?
Spinach or beef?
Zucchini or lamb?
Pumpkin or Turkey?

What type of digestion system do dogs have? Is it designed for plants or meat? I’m talking about the actual layout of their digestion system. What design are dogs closer to: horse or lion?

It is clear to me that dogs are carnivores who CAN survive on eating a wide variety of foods, but it is NOT ideal. As opportunist scavengers they CAN eat Pop Tarts and survive. But is the Pop Tart eating dog as healthy as the meat eating dog?

I have 30+ years experience of feeding fresh meat to dogs.
I feed a wide variety of meat over the week. The vast majority of dogs do best earing the meat raw. But if the dog is old, sick or sensitive and can not handle it raw, I low temp cook or partial cook. For instance if I grill a steak, it is rare.
Meats I highly suggest:

Organ meats
Beef
Lamb
Goat
Pork
Sardines
Mackerel
Eggs- soft boil is best. You want the egg white cooked and the yoke raw.

Meats dogs can eat but are not as nutritionally helpful:
All birds
Rabbit
Lean not-fatty fish

Dogs need bone in their diet. This can be achieved with bone meal, ground fresh bone or RAW small bones like chicken necks/backs/wings/feet.

Bone gives both nutrition, needed calcium and firms up stool. Another option is 1 tablespoon of Calcium Carbonate per 1 lbs of meat, mixed in the ground meat. Many dogs are put off by Calcium Carbonate but love ground bone.

For articles on how I feed:
SafariDogs.com/blog

05/24/2024

It is health testing week. These 6 young dogs are visiting us for their OFA hips, elbows, eyes and heart testing. Saturday they see the cardiologist and ophthalmologist to finish up then go back to their co-owner homes. In back is Alicia’s favorite 9 year old mommy, Lux, who is also getting her eyes and heart tested… again. Jeffery on the left was purchased for new Australian genetics. The other 6 dogs are all Red-Dawn’s breeding of blending genetics of European show, American show/sport, Australian show and American hunting lines.

RedDawnGoldens.com

05/22/2024

Eye exam day in a huge storm

05/21/2024

Red-Dawn's Golden Vanity of Palo Duro ( ROCH) is in the news- doing great things in the agility world.

This is a Rory / Piper pup - littermate to HR Red-Dawn Resolute RiverSong JH CCA !!

Giddy UP!

05/17/2024

Science of dog aging

05/16/2024

This week is health testing for our young Goldens. We are doing OFA hip/elbow X-rays. CAER eye exams at the opthalomogist. And next week we see the cardiologist to get all their hearts tested. After this, all the certificates will get issued by OFA and all the dogs that pass will be CHIC certified. In addition all our dogs are DNA health tested for health issues. This guides us on knowing the best match for further pairings.

RedDawnGoldens.com

05/15/2024

🔺Proof of inbreeding 🔺
The Golden Retriever “Snowflake” has a DNA inbreeding score of 32% COI. On the main pedigree database for Retrievers it shows their prediction of COI and what specific ancestor dogs she is line bred on. If you research her pedigree, it appears she is “outcrossed” and not “linebred”. The average Golden has a 21% COI.

The facts are… this dog has a high COI. Two reasons for this:

1) Goldens have a fairly small gene pool of “original founding dogs”

2) the pedigree is a lie

https://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=997876

05/15/2024

33% + 19% = 14 %
How can a dog with COI of 33% make puppies with a dog who is COI of 19% and the offspring = 14% COI ???

Answer:
Outcross of genetics

COI = coefficient of inbreeding
The number shows how related a dog’s genelology is, genetically. Historically we had to calculate COI from pedigree research. But today DNA testing can accurately show a dog’s real COI.

Why is knowing COI important?
The more related a dog’s relatives are to each other, the more genetic traits duplicate. This is fantastic when we want a Golden Retriever who acts and looks like a Golden. But, too much inbreeding and we can see health and temperament problems show up that we do NOT like.

What is our goal at Red-Dawn?
Overall, we prefer genetic diversity. To achieve great health and longevity, we believe an outcross of genes can help achieve that goal.

The potential offspring example in the DNA COI pictures are both a cross of:
a) European genetic show dogs who are bred for light color coat, thick & short structure, and passive demeanor.
b) American genetic hunting dogs who are bred for dark color coats, lean athletic structure, desire to fetch.

🩷 The offspring often inherit:
Medium color coat
Medium body structure
Medium temperaments
Low inbreeding
Diverse genetics for great health

We are crossing two extremely different types of Goldens together. Occasionally a puppy is very much like only one parent. These traits can be seen early on when choosing the puppy.

We are planning to do a breeding or two of an outcross Golden Retriever litter, similar to what we showed here as an example. We are taking deposits for puppies.

💚All parents and dogs in the pedigree are:
💚 OFA hips, elbows, heart, eyes (many are CHIC)
💚 Fully DNA health + traits tested and paired correctly together for best health. 💚 In addition the majority of our dogs are titled /participate in hunting and some in conformation.

Red-Dawn has bred Goldens since the mid 1980’s and is an AKC BOM in 2 breeds since 2003.

RedDawnGoldens.com

05/14/2024

Our handsome young stud muffin. Red-Dawn Jeffery. He’s with us this week for his OFA testing. Jeffery is a majority Australian genetics pedigree.

05/06/2024

The party was really fun on Sunday. Join us for the June party (date not set yet)

At the party “Hot Spots” came up in conversation. Three of us with the cream color Goldens had current hot spots. Thought I’d share what I use that works and what Sean said works.

Sean is using Wondercide and really thinks it’s helping. It is filled with essential oils and its main use is to prevent fleas/ticks from being on the dog. Wondercide is a fab product!
Here is the Wondercide Amazon link. https://amzn.to/4a8Vd6x

I’m using the foam mouse Micona Hex + Triz. I buy it on Amazon but originally my vet suggested it. It is very soothing for any skin issue and I use it on myself for any skin irritations I get. It quickly reduces redness and long term it is great to stop yeast or bacteria. Here is the Amazon link:
https://amzn.to/3Ww0S3s

I’ve noticed things that contribute to hot spots:
🔺A regularly wet dog
🔺a thick coat that holds moisture
🔺Eating a kibble food
🔺 irritations like poky weeds, fleas, ants

What products, ideas or treatments have helped your dog with hot spots?

05/05/2024

Party this morning!
Yes your dog will be wet and possibly muddy. The front play yard doesn’t hold water but the ground is soft from the rain. Y’all bring the Goldens and let’s party at 10:00-12:00. We have hoses to rinse off. Bring your towels.

We have a parking lot behind the house. We will direct you for maximum parking. Once full, please park on the street in front of our ranch, all on the WEST side of the street. That’s the side connected to our ranch. Be sure to keep 2 wheels on one side of your car on the paved road when parking on the street. But don’t park with 4 wheels on the road, this is a country road and we don’t have enough space.