This may be a hard question or easy for the experienced folks here. When you breed a male that has excellent hip results with a female with fair hip results. Would it influence the puppies result later in life, meaning they could be excellent, or does it matter what the results are from both dogs and the puppies results would have nothing to do with these results.
It depends on not just the hips scores..I am presuming here you are intending to test for elbows and the full range of health tests including When it comes to hips, I like to go back a number of generations to see what the trend in hip scores are on both sides (dam and sire). Check for any offspring/siblings. In the UK you can get a lot of information through the Kennel Club https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/mateselect/test/Default.aspx You also need to look at the breeding coefficents, and be aiming lower than the breed average, info in the link below. https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/health/for-breeders/inbreeding/ https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/mateselect/test/Default.aspx Other factors to consider, what will your dog bring to the gene pool? A good working dog,(evidence is usually expected especially in the sire) great temperament? A good temperament I would consider essential. All these are important considerations for both the dam and sire.
Thanks, actually I am not breeding but my puppy will be from that litter, was suppose to pick her up last week but will wait for a full 8 weeks of age.
Our Angus was born of a Dam and Sire with "Excellent" hip scores (OFA in the USA). At 10 months of age, he was diagnosed with mild dysplasia in one hip and moderate in the other. At 18 months, he was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia - both parents were "normal" for elbows (OFA). Researching his ancestry and the OFA results there indicated ancestors mostly in the Excellent Good range of Hips and all normal elbows. The reality is that Labs are genetically predisposed to hip and elbow issues due to their rapid growth. Studies show that dysplasia is anywhere from 50% genetic/50% environmental to 30% genetic/70% environmental. The environment part begins at birth and not once you take them home with you. BUT, you take over at 8 weeks with food choice and amount and exercise and environment to continue to increase the odds of healthy hips and elbows as much as possible. A "fair" rating is within the normal range and the breeders chose a "excellent" to breed the "fair" parent to. They have done their duty for the genetic part and lowered the odds that your puppy will have dysplasia. Hopefully, they also limited their exposure to slippery surfaces (other than to introduce them as part of socialization), limited their stair exposure, and avoided "fat" puppies. From that point on, it is up to you and to nature. OFA certifications are somewhat subjective in nature - the X-rays are read by three different people who give their own rating and then the outcome is reported. 2 excellent and a good = excellent; 2 goods and an excellent = good, and so on. The very fact that each person viewing the x-ray can come up with a different verdict shows the subjective nature of the evaluation. My personal opinion is that IF this disease were "genetic" generations of testing breeding adults would have eliminated it from the lines of responsible breeders - it has not, as evidenced with our Angus and many others.
