It is the policy of the IPDBA to NOT require DNA testing on Sires and Dams of litters prior to acceptance of a Litter Registration in any of its over 500 Breed Distinctions.

The National Llewellin Setter Association (NLSA) and the Field Setter Stud Book (FSSB) had taken the position of requiring DNA testing of Sires and Dams of all litters born on or after August 1, 2002, matching the requirement set out by the Field Dog Stud Book (FDSB).

When the IPDBA contacted the NLSA with an invitation to join their already established registry the decision to do so was made.

After much consideration the FSSB formed under the NLSA, will remain in existence for the purpose of assisting the IPDBA with the Llewellin pedigree database.The NLSA has agreed with the policy of the IPDBA relying on their boards decision and experience relating to DNA testing.

Listed are the determining factors behind NLSAâs decision.

1)No uniform format has been set for Canine DNA testing.To date only Cattle and Humans have a uniform set of guidelines.Any lab being currently used may or may not be using the Îformulaâ that is eventually chosen and may or may not be able to convert their data to the new format.In light of this fact alone testing at this time seems to be ill advised.

2)When the Llewellin DNA tests began May 2002, all involved were advised that an 8 of 10 loci match would be accepted as parentage determination.At the end of the testing process the Field Dog Stud Book (FDSB) changed this Îmatchâ requirement to a 10 of 10.This determination does NOT allow for mutation, which is entirely possible.

3)As the results on a litter tested by the FDSB it does become clear why that determination was made.There are several males who might be considered the father of the litter if the standard used by AKC and MMI Genomics were used on this litter of line bred dogs.

According to AKC:

AKC DNA profiles focus on 10 loci.In general, parentage is considered excluded when there are 2 or more mismatches out of 10 loci.Often times we have to take into account the quality of the mismatch, i.e., the pup have a "B" and the parent an "A" versus the pup having a "B" and the parent having an "E" -- the possibility of an A to B mutation is greater than an A to E mutation. 

The AKC utilizes the same guidelines as the American Association of Blood Banks for determining human paternity. Overall, parentage verification using AKC DNA profiles will determine with greater than 99% confidence whether a dog is from the tested sire and dam. The actual paternity index differs for each analysis based on variations in allele frequency for each marker in each breed.

IN RE LITTER TESTED:Of the 7 pups in the litter 6 were submitted for testing.The FSSB received the results of 5 of these (the remaining test was sent in by the owner who refuses to submit the information on his pup).

The amazing thing is that Bomber and Girard (sent in as possible sires) both match Princess (Dam of the litter) with no exclusion whatsoever, while Ashly (proposed sire) differed in only one loci exclusion.At the same time the combination of each of them with her in relation to her pupsâ loci exclude them on a basis 8 of 10 and 9 of 10, according to the revised ruling.Therefore, any of these sires could be the father of Princess OR Princess could be the mother of any and all of these sires!Kingâs Bondhu Princess was bred by Mr. Dick Biggs and could not have possible been sired by any these dogs.Furthermore each one is of totally different bloodlines and unrelated in any way.

Ashly matches Princess with one (1) exclusion.

Bomber matches Princess with NO exclusions.

Girard matches Princess with NO exclusions.

When FDSB instigated this requirement for testing they did not research the procedure sufficiently.

1)Because some of the swabs were sent in by the individuals the test results became the property of the party who sent them in and neither the property of the FDSB or the FSSB.Those sent in by the FDSB cannot be compared to those sent in by the FSSB!

2)The FDSB knew that they did not have information on the specific sires and dams to be tested against in order to make the comparisons they were requiring when they began the demand for DNA testing!

3)Furthermore, many of the sires and dam are no longer living, the FDSB did not attempt to determine if the sires and dams were living before requiring the individual owners to pay for the testing.

4)THE FDSB DID NOT REQUIRE A VETERINARIAN TAKE THE SWAB!

5)FURTHERMORE, THE FDSB HAS NOT INSURED THAT AN ID CHIP BE IMPLANTED IN THE DOG TESTED AT THE TIME THE SWAB WAS TAKEN.

6)The form accompanying the swab requires the name of the sire and dam to be tested against as well as the ID Chip and registration number of the dog presented for testing.

7)There is therefore absolutely no way to later prove that what dog was swabbed and presented on the application for DNA testing.

8)Lastly, even if a Vet had implanted an ID Chip during the same office visit in which the swab was taken, and the Vet not the owner had mailed the sample and paperwork to the Lab; there is no way to prove that the dog swabbed is the same dog purported to be from any given sire or dam or that it is the same dog as represented by the Registration Paper!The FDSB does not require photos, ID Chips or Tattoos of dogs presented for registration as a present or future proof or identification of the dog being registered.The FDSBâs only requirement for identification is the same as it was a century ago, a chart in which the owner draws the markings of the dog after the adult coloring manifests itself.

General Explanations and Examples on DNA Testing 

What DNA Testing Does or Does Not Do ·

SPECIFIED LAB:The question has been raised, ãThere are several labs that do DNA paternity testing.Do I have the right to choose the lab I want to use?äYes, you have that right, BUT· the problem is that you cannot compare the results you get from one lab to the results from another lab!Dogs have so much DNA to choose from that different labs with no overlap could choose from literally dozens of sets.

AT PRESENT, THERE IS NO STANDARDIZED MARKER SET FOR CANINE PATERNITY TESTING.

1)Each lab uses different markers, so comparing results from one to the other is comparing apples to oranges to bananas.

2)If your dog was tested at one lab and he is bred to a bitch tested at another lab, the pups would have to be tested at both labs to verify each parent separately.

3)If the owner of a pup wanted to use a different lab than either the stud or bitch owners, the results would be meaningless because there would be nothing to compare the puppiesâ results with.

Sometime in the future canine paternity testing may become standardized.There is an international committee of scientists who have been given the task of selecting standard sets of markers for different species of domestic animals.They have been meeting for several years and have already completed the one for cattle.From all indications, they plan to choose ãpublic domainä markers ö meaning nobody owns them and can therefore charge licensing fees for their use ö so any lab anywhere in the world could do a test compatible with one done anywhere else.

This could result in the lab we have chosen to use not being the lab that already uses the Îfuture standardized marker systemâ.We do run the risk of all prior data not being comparable to the new set of markers chosen.That is a chance all registries have to take at this time, since public demand and the actions of other registries are now forcing that DNA testing be done.

The standardization of canine DNA testing is not anticipated to become a reality any time in the near future.Each lab desires to already have been using the method that will be eventually chosen as the standard set of markers.

DOG DISEASE:DNA testing programs currently in operation are for paternity testing only.The test searches out a set of preselected Îmarkersâ, short segments of DNA.The entire set of markers makes up only a very tiny portion of the dogâs total DNA ö less than one hundredth of a percent.It provides no information at all about other DNA, including all physical traits that may be carried on.

As time goes by and as specific tests for various hereditary diseases are developed, these tests would be done by laboratories.The markers currently used arenât even genes.(Not every part of the DNA is.)No record is being made of anything but the markers, so they cannot be used in the search for disease genes.Procedures on this matter will be determined when and if the technology becomes available.It is unknown if this technology will differ in breeds.

BREED/STRAIN:While it is theoretically possible that every single breed might have a unique DNA sequence somewhere in its genome, it will be a very long time before genetic researchers have the time or the money to pursue that kind of information.At present it is difficult to distinguish pure wolf from wolf-hybrid from dog.Distinguishing one breed from another is a much more difficult matter.

DNA PATERNITY:The actual database is not in the sample; it is a computer record of the paternity markers chosen by the lab for paternity markers found in each sample.The registry receives hard copies of the test results (the markers that each dog has) but the lab maintains the computer database.It is used not only for record keeping, but also for running comparisons between a tested dog and its submitted parents.All samples sent in by a specific registry belong to that registry.No records may be compared without the authorization of the party who submitted the sample.

DNA certification allows owners to uniquely identify their dogs.Each dog tested is assigned a ãDNA profile numberä specific to each registered dog.Correlating directly to that number is a genetic constitution(called a genotype) that provides absolute identification of the dog using 10 pairs of genes or loci.

Understanding what markers are and why they are used is also important.Markers are not genes, but subsequent DNA that occur at specific places (loci) and ideally, have several different forms (alleles).Each locus is given designation (A, B, C, ect.), as will each allele (1, 2, 3, ect.).The designations are not detailed descriptions of the markers, those would look something like this:TCAGGGACCTCAGCAGCAG· only much longer.This is why a Îshorthand designationâ is used.

In the case of paternity testing, the sire and damâs markers are compared to the pupsâ markers.If the pup has markers in more than two, that could not have come from one (or both) of its parents, then itâs breeding is not as presented.The pup would then be excluded at three.

These 10 gene pairs, which have nothing to do with conformation or health, can be used to verify the parentage of a litter.All that is required is the genotype of the sire, dam and pup.Using capital letters to represent genotype and identifying the pairs from the left to right, the results can be examined.Again, DNA Certification is for parentage verification and genetic identification purposes only.It does not provide information regarding genetic health, conformation, performance ability, coat color or any other purpose.

At every gene pair (called a locus; the plural is loci and is pronounced ãlo-sighä), the pup, receives one member of each pair of the genes from the sire, and the other member from the dam.Each genotype is unique.Mathematically speaking no other has the same genotype, and no other combination of sire and dam could have produced a pup with its unique genotype.

Once a uniform format for Canine DNA Testing is established the first generation of the dogs will be the first of the line to be tested.These dogs will establish the beginning point of DNA testing in each of their lines. 

The FDSB requirement of a 10 of 10 match instead of the 8 of 10 as was originally set out makes this example provided by MMI Genomics obsolete and/or redundant.The second example excluded parentage after a 3^rd mismatch was determined, as we were told it would.

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