We test all our breeding dogs with a Full Breed Profile to screen for breed-specific diseases, conduct Pennhip and OFA assessments for hips and elbows, and perform annual health exams.
We also calculate the coefficient of inbreeding (COI) for each mating to ensure genetic diversity and healthier puppies.
This comprehensive testing helps us make informed breeding choices and produce healthy, well-adjusted puppies.
In order to ensure our puppies are as healthy as can be, we test all of our Australian Cobberdog breeding dogs with a Full Breed Profile through Orivet to scan for diseases that are of a risk to their breed.
This allows us to determine appropriate pairings and ensure no puppies will be affected by the testable diseases within the breed, including:
We also conduct Pennhip and OFA assessment for hips and OFAs for elbows in all of our breeding dogs. Pennhip is the most sensitive radiograph option for detecting hip dysplasia in dogs and measures hip laxity in each hip joint.
Pennhip is valid from 16 weeks of age and can allow us to make early decisions on breeding dogs when required. Studies are now showing that selective breeding for lower Pennhip scores shows a reduced rate of hip dysplasia over time and generations.
OFA hip assessment gives a visual assessment of the hip joint give us further information about our breeding choices.
Our breeding dogs also get annual health exams including heart and eye checks and receive an annual veterinary clearance as breeding dogs.
We also do coefficient of inbreeding (COI) calculations on every mating. COI is a measure of genetic diversity (or more specifically, the probability of inheriting two copies of the same gene from an ancestor that appears on both sides of a pedigree) and it gives us an idea on the relationship between two dogs across their entire pedigree (minimum of four generations). A low COI results in healthier puppies with greater genetic diversity.