Yes ! HD is not progressive but arthritis and other degenerative hip/joint/bone problems are, therefore a hip score will only be affected because of another disease per se, not because of HD. This is why HD is only tested for once in a lifetime, because it does not change, but if a dog has an obvious problem in that area, it's more likely to be a degenerative issue or arthritis

Dawn, you have still understood
With CEA, mating a Carrier to Clear can not produce any affected pups, they will not have CEA therefore your worries are groundless.

The sort of breeders who don`t bother testing are the ones who will let the condition continue, not the breeders who have DNA testing done and then mate a carrier to a clear in order to utilise the attributes of both in the mating while ensuring zero risk of any CEA Affected pups because such a mating can`t produce any.

Yes, precisely
The interaction, the training, the opportunity for a dog to learn something and have fun doing it, instead of being a couch potato with an atrophied brain, anyone who cant see the benefits of HTM or other activities is sadly missing the point, its not for `spectacle`, its to show a dogs accomplishment of learning, [ and the handlers for putting in the work for their dog of course ].

I loved that one too, that level of skill is something most people can only dream of

Not going to quote it all purely space wise but cracking post, I wish I`d written it

ps tried to give you reppies for it but I have to spread some around first, the thought was there though

ARRGHHH!! I KNOW THAT! What you are not understanding is my point, that if ONLY clears are bred from the disease will be eradicated, NO carriers at all. I KNOW for the umpteenth time that a carrier is NOT affected, A-symptomatic if you like, BUT the disease is still present and the dog can still pass it on if mated to another carrier or affected dog. Now, if ONLY clears were ever bred from (ideal world) this disease would not be here at all, right? CEA is passed on in exactly the same way as VWD in Dobermanns.

Totally agree.

I know what you all are saying, and the point that a carrier can not pass it on unless bred to another carrier...

Someone said , the disease will be eradicated in future generations, but why not eradicate it now, it seems easy enough, by making it ethical only to breed clear to clear.

I can understand what you are saying. I can't see why there is a need to breed from a carrier if there is a big gene pool. Fair enough if It was from a small gene pool, but as for bc's I don't think there is a small gene pool, or am I wrong. The disease would never be eradicated as long as carriers are bred from surely. I don't know much about breeding this is just how I see it. Why is there the need to breed from a carrier at all? Don't shoot me would just like to know.

Because as has been said before, it would reduce gene pools to the detriment of the breed.

I think you have made an excellent point, the BC is not a numerically small bred...so why the need to breed form carriers??

No dog is that good ,to continue using a known carrier of any disease specailly from a breed with such a large gene pool.

And before you shoot me down, I would say that for any breed.

It happened in my breed, many yrs ago, OK, the disease was a killer, and the kennel who sadly had the most carriers , was almost wiped out, she had all her breeding stock spayed /neutered, it was a huge loss to the breed... but it recovered, she brought in new breeding stock from abroad, and built her kennel up again.

I know this is poles apart from CEA but the point I am making is...if you dont breed from carries , the breed will still go on. and for the better.

I think Quincy has so many AMAZING attributes .

Lots of BCs, yes, but theres more to this hes a obedience CH many times over & still going strong & winning & holding his own at the Top level at 11 years old,shows what a dog he is & how fit he is in ALL ways. When you are looking for a Sire for working ability & drive & Movement hes fabulous.

Who would want to throw all that away? For the sake that in Two generations his LINE would be completly clear. BCs there are TONS of problems with them, a carrier of CEA in this DNA testing age isnt actually a huge issue.

Just because a breed is numerically large doesn't mean that it has lots of different lines.
The test is new so therefore, at this time, to preserve genetic diversity, carriers can be used, quite legitimately, as long as they are mated to a clear. Then, from that generation you select a clear pup to keep, then, in just one generation, you will have clear stock without the need to remove any animals from the gene pool.
If the best pup isn't clear then that's fine because it'll never have the disease and hopefully better luck next generation.
Becky