The Plan . . .
This project is designed to be undertaken by three participating breeder teams, who will work together with a panel of advisors, and with the support of registry bodies, breed clubs and a strong proportion of the breeder/owner community.
It is important to note here that this is a private co-operative effort of breeders rather than a specific Club project.
One breeder team will be UK based, the two other breeding teams will hopefully be based in Finland and Switzerland where the respective Leonberger breed clubs have already given their full support behind the LEOGEN project. Both the Finnish Kennel Club and the Swiss Kennel Club, have a pre-existing history of supporting similar genetic diversity efforts for other pedigree breeds and our representatives are currently in the process of submitting the LEOGEN proposal.
In the UK, the British breeder team has presented the proposal in several stages to various sub-committees at the UK Kennel Club and at their meeting in July, the full Board of Directors of the Kennel Club gave their approval for the venture to go ahead.
The LEOGEN project will span several generations of breeding. The aim is to accomplish our goal through a sequence of careful outcrossing, rotational crossing between participating breeder teams, and back crossing again to strong typical Leonberger lines.
The project will of course liaise closely with its supporting breed clubs, especially in the identification and placement of project puppies into Guardianship Homes as the process unfolds across several generations.
As mentioned earlier, the LEOGEN group will benefit from the input of an external advisory panel made up of leading professionals from the worlds of science, breed conservation, pedigree dog judging and breeding.
Dr Anna Letko, who has a long history of collaboration in genetic research relating to our breed, is involved as our core genetic advisor.
The Leogen team is also currently in discussion with a leading international genetic profiling company and we hope to soon be able to make an announcement about an exciting future partnership.
It is important to note here that this is a private co-operative effort of breeders rather than a specific Club project.
One breeder team will be UK based, the two other breeding teams will hopefully be based in Finland and Switzerland where the respective Leonberger breed clubs have already given their full support behind the LEOGEN project. Both the Finnish Kennel Club and the Swiss Kennel Club, have a pre-existing history of supporting similar genetic diversity efforts for other pedigree breeds and our representatives are currently in the process of submitting the LEOGEN proposal.
In the UK, the British breeder team has presented the proposal in several stages to various sub-committees at the UK Kennel Club and at their meeting in July, the full Board of Directors of the Kennel Club gave their approval for the venture to go ahead.
The LEOGEN project will span several generations of breeding. The aim is to accomplish our goal through a sequence of careful outcrossing, rotational crossing between participating breeder teams, and back crossing again to strong typical Leonberger lines.
The project will of course liaise closely with its supporting breed clubs, especially in the identification and placement of project puppies into Guardianship Homes as the process unfolds across several generations.
As mentioned earlier, the LEOGEN group will benefit from the input of an external advisory panel made up of leading professionals from the worlds of science, breed conservation, pedigree dog judging and breeding.
Dr Anna Letko, who has a long history of collaboration in genetic research relating to our breed, is involved as our core genetic advisor.
The Leogen team is also currently in discussion with a leading international genetic profiling company and we hope to soon be able to make an announcement about an exciting future partnership.
