Decisively involved with the success of the battle in Germany are the SV – certified HD radiologists and HD veterinarians. Nearly 3,000 veterinarians have become authorized by the SV as “acknowledged HD Veterinarians”. Contrast this with the must well – known American system, where any vet can take a picture and send it to OFA or just give his own reading. And with the PennHIP one, in which only P-H- certified and trained vets may participate in the former, there is a statistical bias if not all films are sent in; in the latter, the vet would lose privileges if he were to withhold any from the database. In this respect, and in the amount of useful information gathered, the SVws total system is intermediate in value or usefulness between OFA and pennHIP. Toward the end of this article, I condense the instructions the SV gives to their listed vets.

Dr. Beuing, the administrator of the ZW project for the SV, answers the following most frequent questions on the SV website and mailings to certain members. However, he does not really answer satisfactorily, partly because geneticists use such complicated formulas for BV. My (Fred’s) comments in brackets.

1. How is the breed value HD worked out for my dog? What is the formula for it?

There is no precise formula in these calculations. The ZW of every animal [whose perents were not already calculated] was considered “unknown” at the beginning of the calculations. Then an equation is put up for every animal, with the formula:

(ZW for HD) = the breed average + Breed Value of this animal + variation of sex + other influences.

In this equation the breed average, breed value and the effect of the sex are formulated as the “cause” of HD. In the SV, 450,000 equations were formulated for 450000 animals, with the 450,000 animals, with the 450,000 unknown Breed Values. Then some supplementary conditions (stipulations or prerequisites) of the laws of inheritance and heredity are mathematically formulated. Following this, the computer has to solve the 450, 000 equations with the 450000 unknown factors. The answers are the assessed (estimated) Breed Values. This means that there is no formula, in which a dog’s breed value is worked out on its own.

2. What role does its own HD Score play in my dog’s HD Breed Value?

The dog’s own HD grade modifies that which was already known about the sire and dam. Siblings may differ because of their own HD status. If an animal has progeny, its own HD status [“a” stamp grade] recedes more and more into the consequence. [we see here that the ZW program uses that old reliable “Progeny testing” approach, which makes it far better than what we use in the U.S. Hinted in Beuing’s answer here is the tacit acknowledgement that the “a” stamp for hips is not all that reliable, something he dares not say unequivocally. Even though the is not all that reliable, something he dares not say unequivocally. Even though the “Normal” is given more weight than “fast normal or Noch Zugelassen, the unreliability of these assessments casts some doubt on the reliability of the ZW itself. The greater the number of rediographed dogs that contribute to a parent’s ZW, of course, the more these discrepancies are minimized.

3. How is a foreign “a” [or equivalent] evaluated for the ZW Breed Value assessment?

At this time, dogs from abroad with the “a” OFA, etc. are evaluated in the formulations as though they were not X-rayed. Their ZW is gained only through their X – rayed relatives. As these foreign animals cannot be clearly termed as “HD-free “or “still acceptable” [noch zugelassen], an assumption in this case, would be unfair.

4. How can a dog that was not X – rayed have a ZW for HD?

In the system of equation (see Answer 1), there is a lateral clause, that the father and the mother each contribute half of their genes to the progeny. Therefore the Breed Value of the progeny can be assessed or estimated, if nothing is known about the animal (not X-rayed), as well as if the breed value of the sire and dam are known. In the same way, a parent can be assessed if the progeny is known, because progeny have one half of their genes from each parent. Siblings on the one hand help to characterize the parents, the knowledge about the breed value of the parents helps on the other hand, to assess the breed value of the untested siblings.

5. How accurate can the Breed Value Assessment be, if no HD information is available for more than half of the whelps?

In the ZW Estimate, the percentage of the pups does not matter, but the total number. The last Sieger has his heritage well demonstrated by 71 X-rayed progeny as of early 1999. [Each month I get from the SVB the news of breeding by German dogs, and can watch the ZW numbers change. Sieger Rikkor, mentioned here, has as high as 118, meaning that he has produced on uncomfortably high number of dysplasitc dogs. As his owner requires (or is limited to) lower ZW numbers on prospective partners, his own Zw slowly comes down a little. This has been seen in the past year and more, with a ZW of about 110 as of “requirement” now is that his average must not exceed 100 (the breed “average”); that such a mating will not be allowed/registered. However, even though the SV says that, they allow plenty of exceptions, as the monthly stud service / litter announcement publication shows.

6. My bitch has passed on [the ability to get] the “a”-stamp well up to now. What happens in I mate her to a dog that her to a dog that has a HD Breed value over 100?

If the bitch has produced well, this must be seen in her ZW, Good progeny, however, can also be the result of good matings. If the bitch, for instance, is mated to a dog with a value 100 [or higher], then the risk for the puppies is higher. The bitch is only “accredited negatively’ if the pups are worse than could be expected with that stud dog. Generally it might well be that the stud dog owner would want to accept ‘poor’ bitches, because that way his dog can show plainly that he “improves”. [(in regard to hips) Unfortunately, this is not the best way to improve the breed as a whole, and can be considered a very selfish and deceptive tactic, as well as very risky, because more people will look at his ZW than calculate how much better the progency’s hips are than their dams’ were]. With HD, where is no better rating than ”HD-free”, it is difficult to prove a positive heritability of the top bitches.

7. How dogs that have no HD findings flow into the HD ZW calculations?

At this stage, non-radiographed animals are “neutral” for the ZW; they are not taken into consideration.

8. What does the mean Breed Value of 100, and the stated deviation of the standard of ten points mentioned in the breeding plan mean?

The ZW of 100 means that the animal’s hip heredity is typical or average for the breed. At this time the breed mean is 1.71 (that is, between HD-free and mild Hd). What is passed on can be better or worse than 100. The average deviation above or below this mean will be set at 10 points.

9. What does a hip Breed Value higher than 100 mean for my dog?
This ZW for such a dog means that he passes on poorly [in regard to sound be striven for that bring the average itself is still unsatisfactory, matings should be striven for that bring the average under 100. still, “you must not throw out the baby with the bath water. “The first priorities are working ability, temperament, and so on. If one finds a stud dog who bring the expectations for the pups (the average of father and mother) below the 100 value, that is sufficient.

10. Conversely, what dose a breed value below 100 mean for my dog?

A ZW below 100 means that there is a greater freedom in the choice of dogs [to breed with] who are firm in character, strong in performance, and of good body construction, even accept breeding to a 117 ?

11. Can a Breed Value be worked out for criteria other than HD and, if so, for which ones?

A ZW estimate can be obtained for other characteristics. For this it is important that the particular characteristic is accurately defined.

Dr. Reiner, Beuing, institute for Breeding Animals and Animal Genetics, university of Gieben, Germany.

Some Recommendations for Breeders: The Next Step in Progess

Dr. Beuing says: the most important aspect is that we care for the health ofg the dog. If is also a question of humane animal protection: the animal protection law in Germany, section 11-b, forbids breeding animals if, in the procedure, pain or grief is expected because of a faulty part or organ. [Dr. Beuing, with the official blessing of the SV, ha admitted what his colleagues have complained about, which is the need for better orthopedic soundness.] Breeders have invested 30+ years in the HD fight, with an annual cost to the breeder communities between one and two million Deutsche marks (up to about a million dollars). Of course, although some long –term improvement can be shown, the amount of success is nevertheless unsatisfactory. In addition, in the last several years the progress has stagnated, so that more effective methods of breeding are long overdue. [That is the plateau I mentioned earlier.]First, each of our breeders should select more strictly. One should exclude not only the animals with medium and severe HD, but also stay away from breeding the dogs with mild and borderline cases of HD. Oh, yes, objections will immediately come up here? we should not base out selection only on what the individuals themselves are like but, since it deals with the selection of breeding animals, we must pay attention to how the animals produce. Therefore it must also be possible to weed out from the breed some supposedly “HD-free” individuals if they produce badly, and we must perhaps given good-producers from good lines a chance, even if their own radiographic evaluations have shown HD in a borderline or mild case. [Remember, there are inaccuracies in the standard view of hips. Using the combination of low ZW numbers and the best diagnostic method, this weeding and improving can be accomplished most rapidly.] The concept that is really new and lacking from previous educations in SV thinking is that now the inherited traits, that is to say, the concentrated on the individual breeding animal, but on the pairing, the combination? Both partners in the breeding pair determine the hereditary factors (genes) in the puppies. [It is interesting to note, as I did earlier. that the SV is trailing by many years the cattle industry and the seeing eye, inc., both of which have long been relying on breed value numbers for guidance in such pairings].