Some History . . .
We touched on this story earlier, but let’s elaborate a little more.
In 1954, a Leonberger bitch called Alma Vom Rossbach was born. Only she wasn’t a Leonberger, not really, because her dam was called Grisette v. Bruckberg and she herself was a Newfoundland. This was a sanctioned outcross intended to introduce genetic diversity into the lines following the devastation wrought by the Second World War. Alma’s singleton daughter was then mated to her own half-brother, Carlo v. Glemstal, and this resulted in the E v. Rossbach litter, which is behind a large portion of modern Leonbergers.
So, there is in fact a well-documented historic precedent of outcrossing to enhance genetic diversity in the Leonberger breed. And as many have suspected over the years, there have likely also been several other similar events done off the books as well. In fact, the genomic data makes this clear.
So . . . outcrossing is not new but it does lead us to the question; “Is it the right thing to do?”
According to the science, the answer is unequivocally YES.
According to the early pioneers who re-built the breed from the ashes of the war, the answer was yes.
And according to an ever growing number of owners and breeders of Leonbergers all around the world today, the answer is yes.
When we see the mounting evidence of genetic deterioration, surely it is less and less a question of IF? but more a question of: WHEN – as a breed community – will we need to act, to slow, stop or ideally, reverse the slide of genetic erosion and to re-infuse some diversity back into the breed?
Currently there are other projects in other breeds with small gene pools.
The Lundehund project in Norway and Khromforlander project in Finland are now both generations down from the first outcrosses, both projects have had successful outcomes when it comes to the goal of widening the genetic diversity of these breeds and bringing the type of the breeds back to those of the pure bred dogs of the breed.
In 1954, a Leonberger bitch called Alma Vom Rossbach was born. Only she wasn’t a Leonberger, not really, because her dam was called Grisette v. Bruckberg and she herself was a Newfoundland. This was a sanctioned outcross intended to introduce genetic diversity into the lines following the devastation wrought by the Second World War. Alma’s singleton daughter was then mated to her own half-brother, Carlo v. Glemstal, and this resulted in the E v. Rossbach litter, which is behind a large portion of modern Leonbergers.
So, there is in fact a well-documented historic precedent of outcrossing to enhance genetic diversity in the Leonberger breed. And as many have suspected over the years, there have likely also been several other similar events done off the books as well. In fact, the genomic data makes this clear.
So . . . outcrossing is not new but it does lead us to the question; “Is it the right thing to do?”
According to the science, the answer is unequivocally YES.
According to the early pioneers who re-built the breed from the ashes of the war, the answer was yes.
And according to an ever growing number of owners and breeders of Leonbergers all around the world today, the answer is yes.
When we see the mounting evidence of genetic deterioration, surely it is less and less a question of IF? but more a question of: WHEN – as a breed community – will we need to act, to slow, stop or ideally, reverse the slide of genetic erosion and to re-infuse some diversity back into the breed?
Currently there are other projects in other breeds with small gene pools.
The Lundehund project in Norway and Khromforlander project in Finland are now both generations down from the first outcrosses, both projects have had successful outcomes when it comes to the goal of widening the genetic diversity of these breeds and bringing the type of the breeds back to those of the pure bred dogs of the breed.