Description of breed ancestry and genetic health traits in arctic sled dog breeds.

ABSTRACT:

Background

This study describes the presence and frequency of health traits among three populations of dogs traditionally used for sledding and explores their ancestry and breed composition as provided by the commercially available Embark dog DNA test. The three populations include the purebred Siberian Husky and the admixed populations of Alaskan sled dogs and Polar Huskies. While the Siberian Husky represents a well-established breed with extensive historical and health data, the Alaskan sled dog is less studied but has been the subject of nutritional, physiological, and genetic studies related to ancestry and performance. In contrast, the Polar Husky is a relatively obscure and rare group of dogs used for arctic exploration with very little-known information. The three populatio

SUBMITTER: Thorsrud JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8454093 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature