Are Canaan Dogs a healthy breed?
In general, the Canaan Dog is one of the healthiest breeds around with no known hereditary problems. As guardians of the breed, breeders have a responsibility to ensure that the breed remains so, not just for today but for future generations. To help breeders achieve this there are various scientific tools available today, including testing dogs for hereditary problems such as Hip Dysplasia, Patella Luxation, PRA, etc., and looking at inbreeding coefficiencies. Of course this still doesn’t guarantee the perfect dog, but it does give the breeder much more information to base their decisions upon than just the phenotype (looks) of the dog. In his book “Control of Canine Genetic Diseases”, George Padgett lists the following diseases as having been seen at one time or another within the Canaan Dog in the USA. Hypothyroidism, Epilepsy, Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), Cryptorchidism, Hip Dysplasia (HD), Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD). The British Canaan Dog Society encourages breeders to
