LEOGEN
The Leonberger Genetic Diversity Project
Every good story should have a beginning, a middle and an end. Those were the three basic rules of thumb taught us at school when it came to writing a story. No matter how many characters are in the story, no matter the plot, the genre or the country in which the events take place, no matter the reason for the story, if one covered the basics - a beginning, a middle and an end - then the reader of that particular story would have begun the journey, travelled the distance and reached the destination with a sense of completion.The story of our beautiful breed, the Leonberger, runs along the same parallel. It has a beginning - albeit one of dubious and conflicting discussion. It has traversed a few hundred years of time and distance with truly wonderful story telling. Tales that embody the true character of our Leonberger, the breed we love. Years of dedication and good breeding ethics. Years of health research and study. Years of sharing knowledge and genetics. Joy and wonder balanced with sorrow and loss. Lives and experiences interwoven through time. All these elements have contributed to the middle of the Leonberger story - a truly epic tale - and still being written.
A small group of Leo enthusiasts are intent on adding to the next chapters of this story. Their hope is that the LEOGEN Genetic Diversity Project will be a worthwhile contribution and will help ensure this Leonberger tale will continue for many more years.
Because, the sad truth is if we don't give some serious thought to the genetic diversity of our breed now, this wonderful Leonberger story may just come to an abrupt and disastrous end.
Come, take a walk through these pages and consider the possibilities.
A small group of Leo enthusiasts are intent on adding to the next chapters of this story. Their hope is that the LEOGEN Genetic Diversity Project will be a worthwhile contribution and will help ensure this Leonberger tale will continue for many more years.
Because, the sad truth is if we don't give some serious thought to the genetic diversity of our breed now, this wonderful Leonberger story may just come to an abrupt and disastrous end.
Come, take a walk through these pages and consider the possibilities.
In a nutshell -
the LEOGEN project is about introducing more genetic diversity into our breed.
the LEOGEN project is about introducing more genetic diversity into our breed.
But we don't want to just give you a 'nutshell' explanation.
These pages have been put together to help give you a clear and concise map as it were of every step along this journey. We will try to keep it simple and will include links to more in depth reading for those of you who are keen.
Our intent is for full transparency. This project is being carefully planned with appropriately qualified professional input and we aim to have the informed support of important international Kennel Clubs. Most importantly all steps of this project are based on sound science and will be implemented with careful thought, mindfulness and caution, and with a strong emphasis on the traditional experience of pedigree dog breeding.
Outcrossing is not a new idea.
Even our own Leonberger history tells us that after the devastation of the Second World War there was a sanctioned outcross intended to introduce diversity into the lines.
A top Leonberger named Arko vom Leonberg, was mated with a Newfoundland bitch and the resulting bitch puppy, Alma vom Rossbach, was then mated to her own half-brother – also sired by Arko – which resulted in a singleton bitch puppy, Dorle v. Rossbach, and she is behind almost half of today’s modern Leonbergers.
To our early pioneers who rebuilt the breed after the war this was the obvious thing to do. Historically there have been many such cases where other breeds have used this same approach to strengthen their breed. There are enough successful outcomes to indicate the concept has merit.
So – NO - outcrossing is not a new idea.
These pages have been put together to help give you a clear and concise map as it were of every step along this journey. We will try to keep it simple and will include links to more in depth reading for those of you who are keen.
Our intent is for full transparency. This project is being carefully planned with appropriately qualified professional input and we aim to have the informed support of important international Kennel Clubs. Most importantly all steps of this project are based on sound science and will be implemented with careful thought, mindfulness and caution, and with a strong emphasis on the traditional experience of pedigree dog breeding.
Outcrossing is not a new idea.
Even our own Leonberger history tells us that after the devastation of the Second World War there was a sanctioned outcross intended to introduce diversity into the lines.
A top Leonberger named Arko vom Leonberg, was mated with a Newfoundland bitch and the resulting bitch puppy, Alma vom Rossbach, was then mated to her own half-brother – also sired by Arko – which resulted in a singleton bitch puppy, Dorle v. Rossbach, and she is behind almost half of today’s modern Leonbergers.
To our early pioneers who rebuilt the breed after the war this was the obvious thing to do. Historically there have been many such cases where other breeds have used this same approach to strengthen their breed. There are enough successful outcomes to indicate the concept has merit.
So – NO - outcrossing is not a new idea.
