ARTICLES
- New Articles

- A Herding Breed, Past and Present (Herding Article)
- Link to New MEOE MMK Character Test

- Gazette Article

- The Mudi, Hungary's Rare Breed

- Coefficient Of Inbreeding

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NEW ARTICLES!!
(Please click on the article's title to see a PDF version of the article!)

A Few Thoughts About the Future of the Mudi Breeding in Hungary
Written by: Csaba Örkény

Csaba with his sons and with his Mudis
An interview with Csaba by Celeste Pongrácz is included!
(Csaba has worked and competed with Mudi's and Kuvasz for more than 20 years in Hungary!!  He is also a member of the MEOE MMK Officers and developed the
MEOE MMK Character Test.)

Dancing With Mudi
Written by: Piroska Hanga
(Piroska is a Dog Dancing Competitor with Mudi's as her dancing partners!! Pictures included!)

Herding Breeds, Purposefully Different
Written by Celeste Pongrácz
(What makes a herding breed a herding breed?
Is it important in today's "modern" world to keep them different?)


COMING SOON!!!

Judge Interviews
Interviews with some of Hungary's Mudi breed
conformation judges by Celeste Pongrácz

Breeder Interviews
Interviews with some of Hungary's Mudi breeders by Celeste Pongrácz
Sacaházi Kennel, Edina Lakatos

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The Mudi, Hungary's "Driver Dog"
A Herding Breed, Past and Present
Written by: Dr. Péter Pongrácz and Celeste (Spadavecchia) Pongrácz
(Pictures are provided by the authors)

(Please click on the above title to see a PDF version of this article)

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To see a copy of the new Character Test from the MEOE MMK, please click here!!

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The Mudi Article from the December 2004 AKC Gazette!  

To order a copy of the AKC Gazette, 
please see the details on the 
                     AMA Latest News webpage.                         

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<>The Mudi, Hungary's Rare Breed

The Original 100 Word Essay for the AKC Gazette
written by Celeste Spadavecchia, with Dr. Péter Pongrácz, September, 2004

<>The Mudi is a Hungarian herding dog.  It is hard working, a competitive performance dog, but is not over active and will happily rest at your feet when not needed for duty.  It is an intelligent, adaptable, athletic and human centric breed that requires intensive socialization during its first year with people, dogs and activities.  The Mudi's beauty lies mostly in its alert and expressive face and its variety of colors.  The breed is odorless and does not require extensive grooming.  The Mudi is the true "Can Do" breed that still works in Hungary and now in America too.
<>

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COEFFICIENT OF INBREEDING (COI) CALCULATION
written by Celeste (Spadavecchia) Pongrácz

COI is the calculation of the level of inbreeding in a dog or litter. 

High COI percentages increase the probability that genetic defects will be carried from common ancestors on both sides of the pedigree and will match up to cause the actual genetic disease or defect in the animal.

Many other problems of a high COI also affect dogs, such as Autoimmune disease and inbreeding depression symptoms, which result in reproductive and longevity issues.

A COI of 12.5% is equivalent to a half brother to half sister mating or a grandparent to grandchild mating.

A COI of 25% is equivalent to a parent-child or brother to sister mating.

Ideally, the COI of a litter should not exceed the average COI of the two parents.  It is highly recommended to avoid COI percentages in excess of 12.5% and a COI in excess of 20% should be totally avoided.

Some genetically inherited diseases and faults in herding breeds are:

Hip and elbow dysplasia
Patella Luxation
Epilepsy
Eye disease such as: cataracts, Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA) and
     Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) 
Cancer
Allergies and skin problems
Retained testicles
Autoimmune diseases
Bad bites and missing teeth
Unacceptable colors
Temperament problems such as shyness and aggressiveness
 

Inbreeding depression symptoms are seen as the loss of viability or function resulting from excess inbreeding.   Sometimes these syptoms are very subtle and gradual and are often blamed on diet, pollution and other environmental factors.  While these factors may also contribute,  it is the dogs genes that make it more susceptible.   The most frequently seen inbreeding depression signs are: 

Chronic poor health/poor keepers
Higher incidence of disease in a line (or breed) of one or more diseases
     than is seen in the breed or canines as a whole
Higher incidence of immune system diseases
Unusually small litter size 
Difficulty in getting and keeping bitches pregnant
Bitches that abandon a litter or are poor mothers
Bitches that kill or damage puppies intentionally or by lack of care
Studs that are indifferent to a bitch in standing heat
Studs that cannot breed without help
Low sperm count
Earlier average age of death in a line or in the general breed population
 

All of these factors make it incredibly important that you do the COI calculation on any planned litter.  Keeping the breed healthy is easier than cleaning it up after the fact.  Once the gene pool is closed and the genetic base remains the same, the genetic situation can either remain stable or deteriorate, it cannot improve without new genetic material brought in via outcrossing to another breed or the use of non-registered stock.

Inbreeding, linebreeding and the usage of popular sires are methods of the past ages of dog breeding, their time is over.   Nature goes to great lengths to avoid inbreeding, so should todays breeder.  COI calculation can give the breeder an indication of how inbred a dog or litter will be.  Knowing this percentage will enable you to make the best choices towards reducing inbreeding in your dogs.

Today the emphasis should be put on health, temperament and working ability if purebred dogs are going to survive into the next hundred years.   Active concern for health should be your number one breeding goal, because without health, you have no dog.

"Inbreeding was once a valuable tool in shaping today's breeds.  As these have now reached a high degree of homogeneity, it has lost its importance and turned into a fatal and disastrous habit."         Hellmuth Wachtel, Ph.D.

"The breeding of purebred dogs is akin to (breeding laboratory mice)...(most breeds) are becoming progressively more inbred.  My observation is that most are on the road to extinction, but most breeders do not even realize they are part of an experiment."       John B. Armstrong, Ph.D.

"However, we ignore the biological impacts of the practice (inbreeding) at our peril - or more accurately, the peril for our dogs."         C.A. Sharp

My sincerest thanks to C.A. Sharp for all of her efforts to help us breed healthier dogs and to all of the researchers that work towards providing us the knowledge and tools to accomplish this.