Is my dog inbred?
Embark DNA can show us:
1. How inbred is my dog?
2. How inbred offspring can be with their “Matchmaker” tool. This resource is insightful! Long gone are the days of pedigree research. Now we can DNA code our dogs and know what we are working with.
Embark’s COI rating system
Green 0%-19% COI
Yellow 20-29% COI
Red 30+% COI
COI = coefficient of inbreeding
The lower the score = genetic diversity of the genes.
The higher the score = genetic similarity of the genes.
Embark’s color code system shows if a breeding gets a Green (great), Yellow (caution) or Red (bad) score.
Can two dogs, of the same breed, with COI in the 20%-30% be bred and get a Green score?
Yes!
In the example, “Pat Joy” stud is 29% COI. The pairing shows him matched with “River Song” at 19%. Their offspring would rank a Green with a low 14% COI. This is due to Golden Retrievers having a diverse makeup of genes. These parents only share 14% of genetic heritage and puppies have a great chance of good health.
Can two dogs, of the same breed, with COI in the 10%-30% be bred and get a Red score?
Yes!
In the example, “Pat Joy” stud is 29% COI. The pairing shows him matched with “Miranda” at 14%. Their offspring would score a Red with a very high 39% COI. These two dogs are closely related and many genetic problems can be produced in this type of dangerous pairing.
What about Cavaliers?
In our example pairing we used two male Cavaliers. American bred Oliver is 29% COI. European bred Jasper is 33% COI. Jasper and Oliver have no relationship to each other in well over 6 generations of our pedigree research.
As of February 3, 2024, there are 1921 female Cavaliers in the Embark database. The lowest COI pairing among 1921 ladies for either stud is 25% COI. The highest COI for puppies out both studs’ pairing options are 39% COI. This means out of nearly 2000 female Cavaliers in the whole Embark database, not one pairing can produce a Green of 20% or less COI. Embark’s range of COI for all Cavaliers is 25%-50%, with the majority landing at 35%.
Aren’t all purebreds a high COI because all dogs, per breed, are closely related?
No
Many purebreds have low COI due to a great genetic breed diversity. The higher the diversity, the lower the genetic problems. Embark’s DNA testing proves that the majority of all purebred are between 10%-20% COI. In this next picture the small poodle’s chart shows a great diversity in the breed.
Genetic Diversity
Lady the Border Collie can be matched to 899 Border Collie studs on Embark. Many stud options put the potential puppies at 6% COI. The highest COI pairing is 30% (one of Lady’s close relatives). Lady herself is 18% COI, a high score for a Border Collie. Due to the vast array of genetics of Border Collies, it is easy to produce low-inbred dogs.
