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genetics and training

Dr. Jeff

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Hi again everyone-

I have another addition to the thoughts I started recording in the prior thread.

It is another way, in addition to the rescue dog's past experiences and current behavior, to have proper expectations for their training.

That is by understanding your non-purebreed dog's "wolfiness" (an Embark DNA test term) and other genetic markers that help determine your dog's characteristics.

For example, I've observed Archie to have many characteristics of a herding dog including a highly developed protective instinct.

However, he may or may not have herding dog genes, but we'll find out when his results come back from Embark:dna embark smaller.jpg

Alternatively, he might have a gene for a specific trait or tendency to a certain dis-ease. Yet this gene is not turned on or fully expressed (in genetics this is called "penetrance").

It is the sciences of epigenetics and Vitality and Balance that help determine whether a gene is on or off).

Drs. Kate and Erin from Embark will be joining us for an upcoming Empower Hour! webinar.

We'll talk further about genetics, "breed" characteristics and epigenetic modifications then.

Dr. Jeff
 
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