Canine Behavioral Genetics Study...you can participate.

One of the members of my flyball team alerted us to this and I wanted to share. I would encourage you to participate in this study! It'll be very
interesting to see if they gain a greater understanding of genes and
behavioral traits. They feel specific traits may be linked to coat
characteristics. . . perhaps based on the 50+ year-old fox farm study.

Below is the information I was sent..it's very simple to participate. It's just a cheek swab and a short questionnaire.


Here's how to request a kit:

http://psych.ucsf.edu/K9BehavioralGenetics/kits.html

Here's info about the study from a post by Melanie:


Defined narrowly, the main goal of the Canine Behavioral Genetics
Project is to explore the biological basis of behavioral problems in
dogs, particularly those behaviors associated with panic and anxiety. We
hope that a better understanding of the genetic background behind
problem behaviors will help design better treatments and lead to better
outcomes for dogs. Broader goals include an understanding of the
relationship between genes and normal (including breed specific or
working behaviors) as well as pathological behavior, an assessment of
genetic diversity within domestic dogs as a whole.

We are currently collecting data to add to our sample (at last count,
around 1000 dogs of about 20 different breeds, and also mixes). In
particular, we are looking for are dogs who either appear or are known
to be (diagnosed as) behaviorally affected -- dogs who suffer from
panic, anxiety, and fear issues (i.e., but not limited to, separation
anxiety, noise phobias, fear aggression), and also (if available) dogs
related to affected dogs (relatives need not be fearful themselves).
Because it would be so valuable to have data from families as well as
individuals, the ideal subjects for the project are purebred dogs with
known pedigrees (mixed-breed dogs are also valuable if both parents are
of known breeding, or at least of known breed).

If you have a dog who might be a good candidate for this study, or know
dogs who might be good candidates for this study, please consider
participating -- the process is very simple. Sample kits can be
requested for free online, at the study website
(http://psych.ucsf.edu/K9BehavioralGenetics/kits.html). They consist of
cheek swabs for taking DNA samples (totally non-invasive) and a very
short questionnaire. If a pedigree is available, we also request a copy
of that. ALL DATA SUBMITTED TO THE STUDY ARE STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. And
if you know people who might be interested, spread the word. More data
is better than less data!

I have set up a Yahoo! email list dedicated to the project: at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9BehavioralGenetics/. On this list, we
will host discussions related to the project, post announcements, and
let interested folks keep up with the latest news. Questions, comments,
and suggestions regarding the project are very welcome. Unfortunately,
we will not be able to address questions about specific behaviors or
specific dogs, but luckily there are other resources for that purpose.
More resources can be found in the .links. section of the
K9BehavioralGenetics Yahoo! page.

A little bit about me, the list owner: I am a postdoctoral fellow
devoted to this project in Dr. Hamilton's lab at UCSF. I became
personally interested in canine behavior when I adopted a
behaviorally-challenged adolescent Border Collie in September 2000, and
got to know Dr. Overall rather well as a result. Solo forced me to
learn, fast, about behavior, and training, and management; he became my
soulmate, my greatest teacher, and the reason I got into agility,
flyball, and sheepdog trialing. This project is meaningful to me not
only in an academic, but also in a personal sense.

If you have questions you may email me directly at the address in my
.sig. Please feel free to forward this message to other folks or email
lists. Thanks very much!

Project website: http://psych.ucsf.edu/K9BehavioralGenetics
To join the Yahoo! list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9BehavioralGenetics/join

--------------------
Melanie, Solo the Red, and Superfly (oh, and Skeeter)
Canine Behavioral Genetics Project, University of California, San
Francisco
http://psych.ucsf.edu/K9BehavioralGenetics/

 

Thanks for posting this. It sounds very interesting. :y_the_best: