Windmill Farms Golden Retrievers

04/22/2025

In my spare time, I've been adding goldens into Retriever Database from my new future puppies' line I put a deposit on. Almost the entire pedigree needs built. (14% complete on the mothers side)

Today during lunch I was adding goldens on the grandmother's side. For 6 generations I added names of goldens that barely had a b-date and AKC #. Then I bumped into

AFC Gunnerman's Coin of Copper OS FDHF
(Pictured Below)

10 generations back on the mothers side. He's in retriever data.

I added his birth, death date and owner. He's inbreed with low ancestral loss. Here's the kicker and what I was gambling on by buying this pup before I had the pedigree built. I did a pedigree analysis on him. There's not a single Holway golden in his pedigree. YES! I finally found a AFC golden in a pedigree without any Holway goldens or other common ancestry in the pedigree. My hope/goal is founder balancing. If I can find "GOOD" genetic variants directly from founder genes, we have an amazing opportunity to preserve and reintroduce them in the future into a female that has not yet been born. Only conceived through my UK, CAN, US and genetic plans I have now. If this works, in 6-7 years I hope to have the most genetically diverse field golden while retraining traits, longevity and conformation. I have all the genetics except a no-name gun dog pedigree from no-where USA. Perhaps this new pup will help?

https://retriever.pedigreedatabaseonline.com/en/Gunnerman-s-Coin-of-Copper/analysis/18751/i

COI and AVK 10 generations:
Coefficient Of Inbreeding (COI): 18.04%
Ancestor Loss Coefficient (AVK): 15.04%

Jefferey Bragg - https://seppalasleddogs.com/seppalakennels/jeffreys-articles.htm

Consider Outcross Matings - Essay

"The great majority of dog breeds have been bred within a completely closed studbook for sixty to a hundred years or longer, with little or no fresh genetic input throughout the entire period from breed foundation to the present. In most cases the stud book was opened for a year or two, a small number of founders, often closely related to one another, were registered, and the stud book was then closed. Thereafter, only dogs descended from the founders could be registered. And for those sixty to a hundred or more years, artificial selection, random drift, bottlenecking and other forms of attrition took their toll of whatever genetic diversity was present in the founder group. It is exactly as though a bank account had been established with a single initial deposit (the genetic diversity of the founders), with no further deposits permitted; meanwhile bank fees and direct debits (diversity losses from drift, selection, etc.) chiselled away at the balance. It is a sure and certain recipe for bankruptcy.

Similarly, many individual bloodlines have been treated in exactly the same way, bred in relative genetic isolation from other bloodlines -- except that in this case additional deposits are at least allowed, in the form of bloodline outcrosses. Therefore each breeder probably ought to consider the desirability of locating and using a true outcross within his or her own breed (unrelated to one's own stock for at least ten to fifteen generations) at least once and to integrate the resulting progeny into one's kennel bloodline.

This cannot be done uncritically, outcrossing just for the sake of outcrossing. Some bloodlines might be an outcross to your own line, yet be worthless for the purpose. Generally, lines that come from the same ultimate foundation, but contain less diversity because they have been bred in a closed stud book for more generations, or have been heavily selected for cosmetic traits, will tend not to yield useful results."

04/18/2025

Thanks to another breeder, who shared a golden pedigree that I have never seen. (Thank YOU!) The last couple of weeks I've been adding over 100 goldens into the retriever database. Most of which are not in the retriever database. Once I get back between the 1940-60's I start to find their pedigrees in the database. Connecting the pedigrees is arduous but has been extremely informative. I've worked several pedigrees back to the 40's. I'm only 11.12% complete on the mothers side. I've found old pictures, titles and kennels I never new existed. I found some OFA records from dates I didn't think where available.

The biggest surprise? There was far more shared genetics between the US and the UK between 1930-1960's than I ever imaged. Several goldens have UK origin and USA residence status. For instance as near as I can tell Am./Can. CH. Speedwell Pluto SDHF OS (6/26/1929-1939) was born in the UK and imported to the US where he earned CAN and US show honors. He has 8 registered litters in the USA. Over 50% carry a title. He is one of many goldens that were imported to the USA earning both FC & CH honors. I can only image the time and expense it took to get him here in the 1930's. I shipped Tay, Ailsa and Eden from Scotland in just over 16 hours.

This exercise has been very informative and interesting. I plan to finish the mother, then start on the father. Who's pedigree seems to be even less common than the mother. The pup from this fascinating pedigree should be here in May. At which time, I will complete a VGL genetics assessment on her to see what we have. I'm looking and hoping for genetics in what Jeffery Bragg calls "Original Founder Loss". Due to line breeding.

Its a pedigree 99% of field golden breeders wouldn't give any attention to. Its not laden with titles and line breeding. I know I can fix needed field traits because of what's in her genetics. So far, her pedigree has by passed the heavy line breeding of the 1970's - 1980's. This is a genetic quest that I hope results in founder genetics.

"At least the breeder can pay attention to the most recent founder set that is clearly identifiable, attempt to prevent the loss of individual bloodlines that are seriously under-represented, and seek to balance the relative contributions." Jeffery Bragg

My hope after completing the pedigree inputs is that her AVK will be ~ 70%. At present, her 10 gen COI is 0% as she has no shared heritage in any line for 10 generations.

04/18/2025

I receive several calls each week about pups or available goldens.

This morning I received a call from a professor and researcher from a university in NY that shared with me that his 4 year old field golden has lymphoma. They asked me what I was doing to mitigate the high prevalence of cancer in goldens.

Ironically his research is focused on the mitigation of pain caused from cancer. He understood all too well the vernacular of genetic research. So, we discussed variants, haplotypes locus type heterozygousy and recessive mutations.

I mentioned the importation of UK genetics, their cancer occurrence statistics and sent him results from the VGL. I mentioned my course study through the ICB, breed preservation, COI and AVK predictions.

I really enjoyed the person and our discussion. He's a professor who knows far more than I do. Yet was not at all condescending but rather appreciated my meager attempt to include genetics into my daily training routines. At the end of the discussion he was more than satisfied. He sent in a deposit for a future golden.

What a far cry from the early days of breeding goldens.

04/18/2025

Late spring snow storm.

04/18/2025

Cache Valley

04/17/2025

I had Cora take Clancy out into The cattails tonight.

I'm giving him a variety every day. He's getting stronger and continues to gain confidence.

04/17/2025

Working Neesa with distance, obstacles and a new canvas bumper.

04/17/2025

Working Neesa with distance, obstacles, and a new canvas bumper. She's killing it.

04/17/2025

Happy 4th birthday to the Reya litter.

Thank you for sharing Dan, Jeff, Brian and Mary.

04/17/2025

A good gun dog learns to hunt in all types of weather. This morning we had a late winter storm, which provided a great opportunity for Clancy to work through a hedge. We found a few Huns and flushed a pheasant.

04/16/2025

Last week Clancy was introduced to the irrigation flume. This week he's jumping over it. Confidence continues to grow. Always after his favorite duck.

04/16/2025

Starting to work Clancy around the cattails.

04/15/2025

Through my posts and other introductions I've met ~ five other breeders intent on breed preservation, trait retention and genetic diversity. We share UC Davis diversity results and discuss pedigrees and dogs.

As we share the vision, we share the goal. Thankfully, I was able to procure frozen from another GRCA Dual Dog Hall of Fame and other like options. In time, we will use it judiciously along with the other procurements.

As I review my foundation females' pedigree, founder breeding and records before the 70's, I have often wondered or considered if there are any gun dog like pedigrees out there today that by-pass the heavy inbreeding of the 70's & 80's +. A majority of the US field dogs come from these breedings. After seeing what haplotypes we are getting from the US x UK crosses, I also wondered if I could find gun dog lines that capture golden field lines from the 40's - 60's field champions including GRCA Dual Dog Hall of Fame goldens.

Not long ago, I was introduced to a field line that I have not seen. A couple of us have scrubbed through the lines and found some very interesting stuff. I'm grateful for the collaboration. Its even more fun than ever!

NIH
The "founder effect" in genetics refers to a decrease in genetic variation that occurs when a small group of individuals establishes a new population or colony, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This new population may have less genetic diversity than the original population, and over time, the new colony may develop unique allele frequencies, potentially leading to the increased prevalence of certain rare genetic disorders.

Egglestone (2000)
When a popular sire appears in so many pedigrees that it causes the gene pool of a breed to drift in the direction of that sire, the gene pool loses genetic diversity and the phenomena is called the "Founders Effect". The underlying fear from this phenomenon is that one dog will have an extraordinary effect on his breed through his genetic influence. This includes not only his qualities but whatever detrimental recessives he carriers. The excessive use of inbreeding and line breeding on such a dog will further reduce genetic diversity.

https://seppalasleddogs.com
Jeffery Bragg

Attempt Founder Balancing
"It may be valuable to attempt to balance the relative contributions of founders (where possible and appropriate), particularly subsequent to founder events or genetic bottlenecks. This is routine practice in zoological park captive-breeding programmes, yet virtually unheard of in a canine context. "Founder" is a not an absolute, but rather a relative term. If a breed has a long pedigree history with original breed foundation stock at thirty or more generations remove from current stock, it may well prove impossible to balance the contributions of the original breed founders, whose relative contributions may already be set in stone for all practical purposes. But founder events tend to occur repeatedly within the history of a breed, not only when the stud book is first opened. Bottlenecks occur with dismal regularity. At least the breeder can pay attention to the most recent founder set that is clearly identifiable, attempt to prevent the loss of individual bloodlines that are seriously under-represented, and seek to balance the relative contributions. Clearly this is no simple matter and to suggest that it be applied consistently may be a counsel of perfection. At least it is one more possible tool in the breeder's armoury against diversity losses. "

04/15/2025

Neesa, as soon as her mouth is big enough to carry Clancy's teal, I will start working her out on the grounds. Advancing nicely.

Once a young golden starts to mark well, I introduce an obstacle. A good gun dog needs to learn early and often how to navigate varied topography.

04/14/2025

While Dallon is focused on Ruby, Tay, Eden and Cora. I'm focused on Neesa and Clancy. I decided to take Clancy out into the corn stubble and work around the pivot. We work on distance and tracking. Ironically, we bumped into about 20 pheasants. Each experience adds a level of confidence.

When I work my pups on a narrow strip such as this one, you can see how they develop a natural quarter. Clancy is doing it without knowing. He went from edge to edge the entire way without going into the plowed field. Then he checks back.

Good gun dogs are developed.

04/14/2025

Clancy US x UK Shipped frozen TCI

Lowest IR
Heterozygous low occurrence haplotypes
27 heterozygous locust sites

He's retrieving well, in the water and growing stronger every week.

04/13/2025

Studies on purebred dogs.

The Seppala Husky, also known as the Seppala Sled Dog, typically falls within the higher end of the purebred COI range. So, reading about how Jeffery Bragg took a limited gene pool and produced sled dogs that can be prone to health issues such as eye problems (cataracts, corneal dystrophy, progressive retinal atrophy), hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, and certain cancers, then has them generally living 12-16 years, and often working well in harness until 10-11 years old is of great interest to me.

Limited gene pool, purebred and healthier than goldens? You have my attention. Bragg has preserved the legacy of the Seppala sled dog and successfully implemented sound breeding practices which is evidenced by the dogs he produces. I've published several GR health problems and potentially harmful breeding practices. Six years ago, I set out to get as many mixed genetics as possible. Importing UK goldens, locating isolated genetic field populations, US and UK frozen. My first initiative was to breed 50:50 working & field goldens who had strong field traits, low COI and high AVK. I tested all of them through UC Davis for IR, Haplotypes and 33 locus sites for heterozygousy. The results are encouraging. Since that time, I've met others in the USA working on the same preservation methods. We've found isolated lines, frozen, a duel champ who's frozen will be here in May and last week I found a field pup that doesn't have a single pedigree contributor in any data base, back at least 8 generations. I've never seen a feild pedigree like it anywhere. I put down a deposit. She'll be here in May. She's another Sheila of sorts.

I've gone all in on trying to employ the principles of field breed genetic preservation.

Jeffery Bragg Essay 1990

Maintain Balance of Sires and Dams

"Breeders should make a great effort to maintain a reasonably equal numerical balance of sires and dams; it is unwise consistently to use fewer individual sires than dams. The so-called "popular sires" syndrome, in which a small number of elite show or trial winners sire grossly disproportionate numbers of progeny in a breed population, has received much discussion and attention. What may not be so well realised is that this selfsame syndrome is repeated in miniature in most kennels, where one or two of the "best" males cover all the bi***es, sire all the litters. (How often has one heard it put forth, and not only by novices, that "the best males should sire all the litters!") Any significant imbalance between the number of sires and dams automatically restricts the effective breeding population. In order to avoid such needless reduction, just as many individual males as bi***es should contribute to the population; this holds true whether we speak of the breed population as a whole, or of the population within a single kennel."

04/11/2025

This weeks study.....

www.seppalasleddogs.com

Population Genetics in Practice:
​Principles for the Breeder
J. Jeffrey Bragg 2009

Dr. Beuchat summarizes Bragg's writings to these 10 points. I started to read and re-read these principles outlined by J. Jeffery Bragg regarding his work with the Seppala Sled Dog. There is much I stand to learn from his limited gene pool.

Maintain balance of sires and dams
Eschew incestuous matings (means to avoid or refrain from mating with close relatives.)
Understand and monitor coefficient of inbreeding
Pay attention to the trend in COI
Calculate number of unique ancestors
Know the genetic load but don't obsess about it
Use pedigree analysis
Conserve sire and dam-line diversity
Practise assortative mating
Maintain high generation time
Avoid repeat breedings
Ensure sibling contribution
Monitor fitness indicators
Attempt founder balancing
Consider outcross matings
Monitor population growth
Seek balanced traits
Avoid unfit breeding stock
Avoid reproductive technology
Restrict artificial selection
(Carol Beuchat PhD Summary)

When I first seriously started reading more about the genetics and breeding of today's field golden retriever, there where a couple of things that stood out to me. One was the health status of todays GR and the other was the target. What to produce and how? Field, show, family, temperament. conformation, hunt, on & on........... My process started the day I started importing new genetics from the UK. Thank you again to those who have helped me get started. Most recently, another US breeder found and shared a field line I had never seen. Today I'm looking more at the breed as a whole.

Over the last 20 years the prevailing theories have been:

"Breed only the best to the best".
"Let the sire of the sire become the grand sire on the dam's side".
"Inbreeding is necessary to expose deleterious mutations".
"DNA tests are necessary to produce healthy dogs".
"The coefficient of inbreeding is just theoretical".
"The goal is to remove all mutations from the gene pool".
"Outcrossing will ruin your line."

My online course and study with the ICB and a host of other research articles I've read and posted, have provided the mentorship that I was looking for to help me visualize and hopefully produce the optimal field golden retriever.

"ALTHOUGH THE SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE of population genetics has existed for the better part of a century, its pe*******on into the world of the dog breeder is only just beginning, despite its importance and relevance to that world. Often I have heard dog breeders wish for an understandable guide to practical dog breeding, drawn from the principles of population genetics -- a set of guidelines for dog breeders that would show the way to a healthier way of breeding than the harmful methods of inbreeding and selection now practised by the vast majority. As things stand with traditional dog breeding, the competitive struggle for individual excellence has harmful consequences for breed populations. What is needed is for breeders to think in population terms, to look at each breed genetically as a population and each breeder involved with that particular population as a conservator of that breed in partnership with others." J. Jeffery Bragg

J. Jeffrey Bragg -- just three people, me, myself and I; usually we agree but occasionally we have three-way knock-down, drag-out arguments. Unblushingly I claim total responsibility for everything...