Many GSD fanciers (yes, unfortunately even breeders) have either not heard of the Zuchtwert program or have almost no idea of what it is. For nearly four decades, the world of dogs has known about canine hip dysphasia (HD) and has followed protocois laid down in the 19540s and 60s for diagnosis and control. In the U.S. pedigree registration has been taken over by AKC, UKC, and other organizations while the primary focus on dysplasia has been on and by the OFA; in Europe and elsewhere, the breed clubs have the responsibility for both registration and disease control. In both, the methodology of diagnosis had been basically the same; a ventrodorsal radiographic view with the dog’s legs stretched out straight. This has proven to be of great value in detecting DJD, degenerative joint disease, but only of limited usefulness in discovering joint laxity (the primary precursor to DJD, and another definition for HD). Since dog breeders and buyers have become dissatisfied with the lack of suitable progress, we have looked for some advance that would enable us to rise above this plateau we have reached with the old methods.
In North America, where HD control is in the hands of the indiviudal, the great advance to help us climb to the next level is the improved diagnostic and predictive technique known as the PennHIP distraction method. (See my articles on Real GSD, previous issues of Schutzhund – USA, and other places.) in Germany, the new and (almost as) great leap forward is the adoption of the Value (BV)”. The SV leadership in recent years realized that something had to be done, because the incidence of HD was stagnating at an still uncomfortably high percentage. They hired Prof. Dr. Reiner Beuing of the University of Gie?en. Much o the information in this article is a result of my personal correspondence with him and my translation of his articles in 1998 and 1999 issues of the SV Zeitung, 1998 bulletins, plus the special HD and other news that I, will be paraphrasing Dr. Beuing.
In its general meeting in May 1998 in Leipzig, the SV unanimously agreed upon the introduction of the Zuchtwert evaluatino and the publication of this knowledge to support a breading program for the fight against hip dysplasia. The delegates at the SV National Meeting in 1999 again unanimously confirmed the implementation of this “Breed value Assessment (ZW). Thereby, the SV took the first step on what was incorrectly called an untrodden path. It actually is an old cattle – breeders’ approach, and some organizations had been using it for a long, long time. But it is like the Vikings or Columbus telling the Indians that they (the Europeans) had just “discovered” the new world, when it was no new discovery at all to those already living here. The seeking Eye, Inc. ® has long using BV in their selection of good hips and other qualities desirable for guide dogs. Even in Germany, the ZW concept had already been adopted by other breed clubs, but it took the deliberation and then the determination of the sleeping giant (SV) to make a statistically significant impact in changing hip joint quality and genetic improvement. The path has been planned and mapped conscientiously and thoroughly by the committees of the breed control and the technical sections of the headquarters; nevertheless it is still up to the practical breeder to go along this path and to trust it. The SV has made ZW a component of the breeding rules (Zuchtordnung).
Individual animals do not always reproduce themselves as we often hope. It is common experience in the breed scene, that some show winner, performance stat, or other champion or type dog produces disappointingly, while on the other hand, an almost dreamlike ideal, normal, ‘to-the-standard” dog often result from an accidental breeding. Similarly, one must understand the a healthy dog gives no guarantee that his progeny will be healthy. HD, elbow dysplasia, epilasia, epilepsy, eye disorders, etc. unexpectedly arise from apparently normal parents, and catch most breeders unawares. Then if characteristics can be different in the breeding animal that in its progeny, one must wonder why have ll these breed surveys and breeding requirements? And how can we set it up so that the phenotypes of those animals can tell us how they will probably produce?
Each breeder tries to include already – available information concerning siblings and his own experience with other progeny. Not breeder can put forward a really objective picture, however. Additionally, there is the tremendous aboundance of dogs in the breed, and no one is in the position of getting and cataloging their achievement taste or health control data, not with well over 30,000 puppies born breeding bitches themselves. Today, however, the time is ripe for more. Computer technology and the information revolution have matured so that the club (SV) can document not only all members, but also can give clues regarding how good the dogs themselves should be, and how they will probably produce.

Definition of the bread value

Breed Value Assessment (Zuchtwert) is the attempt to describe how an animal will pass characteristics to its progeny. Hereditary transmission (whether improving or weakening) is described to breeders as “value or breed bequeathing an “average” value (neither improving nor worsening) has a value of 100. Animals that improve upon this average in the breeding scheme (in HD that would be lowering the incidence in progeny) are given value number under 100; animals that magnify or increase the feature will have values over 100. With this system, the breeder need no longer focus [as much?] on whether a particular dog is free of HD, or what degree of laxity/tightness it has; in the future he can expect a reduced risk of HD (smaller ZW number) or an increased risk (high number).
We thus have number that tell us what the animals’ phenotypes or performances are like. For instance, the score earned in tracking work tells us whether the dog was good or bad. We have numbers about the size (shoulder height), and points on gait or type. In many features there is a numerical value, which tells us how pronounced the characteristic is. As breeders, however, we need a number that tells us how pronounced the feature in the progeny will likely be. In other words, use phenotype and progeny testing to give a better clue as to genotype. This number, to be applied to the breed, is called Zuchtwert (breed value). There is therefore, for each feature, one phenotypic measurement and one genetic breed value. As concerns HD, (unquestionably the most urgent ZW trait considered by the SV) a breed value is to be published from now on for each dog. The fight against hip dysplasia is of great concern in the German Shepherd Dog. As the world’s most populous breed, its name is brought up again and again in connection with hereditary diseases and breed faults. One may lament that as being unjust, because in other, smaller – population breeds there are much higher percentages though the absolute numbers are less conspicuous. However, whining complaints and rationalizations are of little use. There is an old maxim: the largter and more stiriking a picture of oneself that one presents to the public, so much better must be actually be!
With this explanation, the definition of the breed value becomes understandable: it is a numerical value to be applied to the breed to describe that effects have on a trait, compared to the genes of the rest of the population and the effects of normal environments. We must emphasize first of all that the breed value has nothing to do with how valuable or worthless an individual dog is, but is only a numerical value describing if the genes working on this trait strengthen (improve) or weaken it for the next generation. For diseases, that means that high bread value numbers indicate a worsening of what the breeders see as undesirable re the disease or anatomical construction. The goal must be to introduce breeding animals that reduce the disease risk in the breed. Low numbers are therefore more valuable in such cases! With other traits, such as outstanding predisposition for his drives, we would take high ZW numbers as being prized or desirable. With height at withers, it is not that simple. A high breed value for a dog in this instance means that his genes increase the size. That can be valuable and important for a small bitch. For a bitch already over the limit, such a dog is not recommended. It is up to the breeder to use his best judgement to select the suitable dogs for his bitch, and it is best if he first knows what the breed values are.
The Relative Breed Value
If one is to advertise or publish breed values, they must be easily understood. An HD breed value of + 0.14 means for example, that with an equivalently – rated partner, the offspring probably will be 0.14 (HD degrees or points) higher. This is unwieldy; therefore, breed values are not expressed as absolute numbers, but as relative to the breed cross – section. Therefore we take 100 (points) for the breed level (as typical or average). Dogs with ZW over 100 increase (worsen), while those under 100 reduce, the characteristic. A technical point, but to be stated despite my recommendation to forget about it right away, is that a reported ZW of 90 should be read as a range of 80 to 100. thus, if a bitch has a breed value of 95 for HD, one knows that she can improve the breed, but a dog with ZW of 115 exacerbates the HD problems. By referring to breed averages, the classifications regarding different characteristics also become comparable. If we get, for example, a dog with HD 92 and shoulder height 108, this makes it clear that he is a breeding partner that can be used for improving the HD scores and increasing the inherited size trait.