- Shar Pei (folded skin)
- Basset Hound (short legs, long back, loose skin and long ears).
- Neapolitan Mastiff (size, loose, wrinkled skin on the head).
- German Shepherd (line of the back).
In the field of animal breeding and anatomy, a hypertype is the extreme accentuation of distinctive traits specific to a domesticated animal breed. This is particularly true of dogs, cattle and pigs, and more rarely of cats, rabbits and other species. In companion animals, hypertype is favored by breeders and breed associations in direct connection with beauty and show competitions. Hypertype poses a problem when it leads to the selection of animals on aesthetic criteria that cause them suffering.
The harmful consequences of hypertype particularly affect brachycephalic dogs suffering from respiratory problems, and therefore also dogs with a neotenic appearance such as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, with its reduced skull volume. Utility dogs are less affected. The German Shepherd is a well-known case in point, whose locomotor disorders are increased by the lowering of the topline, making it more susceptible to the effects of hip dysplasia. Hypertypes also affect Persian cats, Culard cattle and dairy cows. Many veterinarians and researchers have spoken out against hypertyping, believing that it produces "monsters", compromises animal welfare, and puts the breeds concerned at risk of extinction in the long term.
In zootechnics, "type" refers to the morphological attributes characteristic of a given animal population or breed. It is generally linked to a particular use or vocation, while the "model" expresses a particular expression of this type.
The hypertype can be considered as a particular model within a type. It is the result of a selection process that results in a strong, even excessive, accentuation of certain characteristics of the type, with a view to a particular zootechnical use, whether utilitarian (livestock) or aesthetic (companion animals). In livestock, the "culard" hypertype is found in particular in the Belgian Blue beef breed, and the dairy morphological hypertype in certain strains of Holstein cattle.
In pets, hypertype is associated with the quest for "conventional beauty". [2] It translates into the exaggeration of beauty criteria, with fashion effects.
In terms of genetic determinism, morphological hypertypes are governed by major genes (genes that play an important role in varying the expression of a quantitative trait), and have a high heritability, making it easy for selection to fix such traits. Inbreeding can contribute to this by increasing the homozygosity of major genes, but it is wrong to consider that consanguinity per se generates hypertypes.
The excessive accentuation of morphological or anatomical traits in hypertypes, and the physiological changes correlated with them, generally confer a very diminished adaptive value. Hypertype animals can therefore only be maintained in highly controlled breeding environments and with highly adapted breeding methods. For example, breeder intervention may be indispensable for reproduction when this cannot be achieved under natural conditions (insemination and delivery by caesarean section).
Because of this, the production of hypertypes is generally considered contrary to animal welfare. [3] From a zootechnical point of view, when environmental conditions are perfectly adapted to the anatomical and physiological requirements of the hypertype, its viability can be considered normal.
Hypertype is a recent concept in dog and cat breeding.
Dogs have always been selected for their ability to perform practical tasks (guarding, hunting...). In the 19th century, aesthetics gradually became the criterion for selecting dog breeds. [4] The quest for homogeneity led to a decline in genetic diversity. [5] Queen Victoria, in particular with her Pekingese, promoted canine aesthetics and dog breeding as a pastime and social marker. Breeders selected animals on the basis of size and abnormalities, such as shorter legs. [6] The rapid success of dog shows led to transformations in purebred dogs. [7] The United States and England are at the origin of most hypertyped dog breeds. [3] Breeding for this purpose was encouraged by the market, as hypertyped and miniaturized dogs were easier to sell. [8] The "cult of the hypertype" is particularly prevalent in dog breeding at the beginning of the 21st century, with an article in Le Figaro magazine citing the existence of this problem as early as 1996. [9] The damaging effects of hypertype are nowhere more apparent than in the case of the winner of the 2003 Crufts, a major English dog show. This Pekingese underwent palate-veil surgery and, suffering from hyperthermia, received his prize by being placed on ice cubes. [1]
The case for horses is similar. The Arabian thoroughbred, bred for utility until the middle of the 20th century, is now increasingly bred for beauty. In just 50 or 60 years, the profile of his head has deepened considerably. [10]
Awareness of these problems is recent, but the reactions of some of the breeding societies concerned (including the Société Centrale Canine) were immediate. [11] In 2004, the LOOF sounded the alarm on the hypertypes affecting several cat breeds, [12] and a few years later amended its rules to disqualify Persian cats with pinched nostrils. [13] In 2009, a vast study was carried out on the 50 most popular dog breeds in the UK, establishing that of the 396 heritable disorders detected, 84 were directly linked to hypertypes required or favored by the breed standards. [14]
The Swedish Kennel Club has placed 70 dog breeds under surveillance and banned inbreeding. The Kennel Club in England has reviewed the standards of around 100 breeds. [12] The Fédération Cynologique Internationale does not consider hypertypes to be a problem, since they are what distinguish dog breeds from one another. [15] However, it has issued instructions to its judges to facilitate the sanctioning of hypertypes that cause health problems during competitions. [1] Dog show judges are not always able to determine whether the dog presented to them is in good physical condition, [16] despite training efforts in this area. [12] In 2013, however, eugenic considerations in dog selection tended more and more towards the elimination of disease at the expense of aesthetics. [17] Breed standards can now be changed if there is evidence of suffering caused by a hypertype, [18] as in the case of the English Bulldog and Basset Hound. [1] [19] The president of the Société Centrale Canine believes that the revision of competition scoring criteria will enable hypertypes to disappear rapidly, as breeders will no longer be interested in producing this type of dog. [11]
Not all animal breeds are predisposed to or suffer from hypertypes. [11] Likewise, the associated pathologies vary with the hypertype in question. In dogs, short muzzles and concave heads in particular are known to cause breathing difficulties. [20]
In dogs, hypertype is more common among "fashionable" breeds. [11] The muzzle of brachycephalic breeds (particularly Pekingese, Bulldogs and Pugs) has become shorter in recent decades. [2] The English Bulldog standard has long called for the muzzle to be "as short as possible", leading to respiratory problems [21] as the slender, soft palate reduces air flow. This breed is plagued by many other problems, with reduced ability to explore the environment and to mate, and frequent recourse to artificial insemination and Caesarean section. [22] Carlins and Pekingese suffer from their prominent eyes, which predispose them to ulcers and eye dislocations. [1]
Dog breeds have been pushed towards dwarfism or gigantism, to the detriment of "average" size. [8] Giant breeds with heavy bones are predisposed to bone pathologies such as osteochondritis, hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia. [14] [23] In Newfoundland, hip dysplasia has become increasingly common, with the search for certain characteristics of dwarfism. The chow-chow suffers from locomotor difficulties due to the need for straight hind limbs. Dachshunds and Basset Hounds have very long backs and very short legs, leading not only to back pain, [1] but also to difficulties in expressing behavior, as these breeds are unable to adopt the "bowing" posture for play calling, which is important in dog behavior. [24] The German Shepherd's back has become increasingly plunging, with an increasing number of cases of hip dysplasia. The Shar Pei is sought after with as many folds as possible, leading to skin infections [1] such as dermatitis. [22] Companion and show dogs are particularly prone to health problems resulting from hypertypes, as aesthetic criteria are paramount in their selection, unlike utility dogs. [25]
The search for large eyes and a "puppy head" in the Cavalier King Charles has multiplied the number of cases of syringomyelia, due to the reduced volume of the cranium. [1] Similarly, in dogs with large heads or fragile dwarf breeds such as the Chihuahua, some births are carried out by Caesarean section. The pursuit of a corkscrew tail in breeds such as the Pug predisposes to scoliosis. The Rhodesian dog's dorsal crest seems to predispose it to dermoid sinus, which affects between 5 and 10% of the breed's subjects, [1] and to spinal malformations. [22] The dog's hypertype can take a variety of forms, such as a very abundant coat in the Bearded Collie, [11] or very long, hanging or folded ears. The Cocker Spaniel frequently suffers from ear infections. [22]
In 2018, the French Veterinary Academy issued an opinion on canine hypertypes, calling them programmed mistreatment. In it, it issued recommendations for industry players, asking dog show judges not to reward hypertyped individuals, breeding players not to choose the most hypertyped individuals for reproduction, and urging the cessation of advertising featuring hypertyped dogs. [26] Since 2019 in the Netherlands, it has been forbidden to breed crushed-face dogs whose muzzle is less than half the size of their skull. However, these dogs are bred illegally. [27] In 2022, a Norwegian court ruled that breeding Cavalier King Charles and English Bulldogs caused suffering incompatible with animal protection laws. [28] In 2023, a proposal was made in the Netherlands by the Minister of Agriculture to ban canine and feline hypertypes that cause permanent suffering. [27]
Campaigns are run in various countries to dissuade buyers from acquiring dogs with crushed faces. [27] [29]
Although hypertype is less well known in cats than in dogs, it has become widespread, particularly in American brachycephalic breeds such as the Persian, Exotic Shorthair and Burmese, accompanied by breathing difficulties and dental malocclusion. [20] The Persian's exaggeratedly squashed muzzle leads to obstruction of the tear duct, and is associated with a large, round head that strongly favors dystocia (same mechanism as in brachycephalic dogs). The gene responsible for folded ears in the Scottish Fold causes malformations in homozygotes. The Maine Coon, a brevilinear breed, is affected by arthrosis and various joint problems due to its mass. [12] [13]
The hypertype is less well known and less frequent in domestic rabbits, but is nevertheless present in certain breeds, selected for their floppy ears and brachycephalic skull, such as the Dutch rabbit and the lionhead rabbit. [30]
The morphology of certain cattle and pig breeds specialized for meat production means that they are generally considered to be muscular hypertypes. [31] This is the case with Charolais cows, which are so specialized in producing calves that are heavy at birth, that the incidence of dystocia, and therefore of Caesarean deliveries, is higher than in breeds without this hypertype. With the evolution of the Limousin breed, caesarean calvings are becoming increasingly frequent, reaching 5% of births in 2017. [32] In some extreme cases, breeds are selected for the presence of the culard gene (a hypermuscularity gene also present in Piétrain and Belgian Landrace pigs), with the incidence of caesarean deliveries reaching 69%, particularly in Belgian Blue cows. [33] The presence of the culard gene is also accompanied by skeletal deficiencies in relation to the animal's musculature, [34] leading to musculoskeletal pain and difficulty walking.
The same applies to dairy breeds selected excessively for milk production, [12] which are considered to be dairy hypertypes. [31] This is the case for Prim'Holsteins, the majority breed in dairy farming. Some dairy cows are capable of producing over 10,000 kg of milk per lactation, but this productivity is at the expense of their health (mastitis), longevity and reproductive function. [20] [35]
As early as 1999, a study established that selecting dogs and cats on physical criteria with no adaptive function creates suffering. [36] According to Jean-Pierre Digard (2008), "it is not in man's interest to mistreat animals, nor to impose on them breeding or selection conditions (hypertypes) that are contrary to their short-term well-being, and to the very survival of certain farms in the long term: this is harmful to both animal and human health, including psychological health". [37]
The BBC aired an investigation in 2009, Pedigree Dogs Exposed , in which several vets spoke out on dog hypertyping. They believe it produces "monsters", condemns affected animals to shorter, less pleasant lives, and jeopardizes the very survival of certain breeds. Veterinarian Dr. Irène Sommerfeldstur cites the "deadly sins of modern dog breeding" as extreme or abnormal exaggeration of features, and the quest for ever larger or ever smaller sizes. [38] In a 2014 article in La Dépêche vétérinaire, Maud Lafon considers that these aesthetic "improvements" "sometimes border on the grotesque". [1] Veterinarians are calling for a limit on the number of studs per sire to stem the loss of genetic diversity, the systematic removal of all sick or disabled individuals from breeding, and a change in the criteria for scoring in dog and cat shows. [39]
The German Shepherd, also known in Britain as an Alsatian, is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899.
The Shetland Sheepdog, also known as the Sheltie, is a breed of herding dog that originated in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. It was formally recognized by the Kennel Club in 1909. It was originally called the Shetland Collie, but this caused controversy amongst Rough Collie breeders of the time, so the name was changed. It is a small dog, clever, vocal, willing to please, and trustworthy.
The Bullmastiff is an English breed of dog of mastiff type and large size, with a solid build and a short muzzle. It was developed as a guard dog in the nineteenth century by cross-breeding the English Mastiff with the now-extinct Old English Bulldog. It was recognised as a breed by The Kennel Club in 1924.
The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is a medium-sized, muscular dog of around 40–55 lb (18–25 kg). They have large heads with thick folds of skin around the face and shoulders and a relatively flat face with a protruding lower jaw. The breed has significant health issues as a consequence of breeding for its distinctive appearance, including brachycephaly, hip dysplasia, heat sensitivity, and skin infections. Due to concerns about their quality of life, breeding Bulldogs is illegal in Norway and the Netherlands.
The Boxer is a medium to large, short-haired dog breed of mastiff-type, developed in Germany. The coat is smooth and tight-fitting; colors are fawn or brindled, with or without white markings. Boxers are brachycephalic, have a square muzzle, mandibular prognathism, very strong jaws, and a powerful bite ideal for hanging on to large prey. The Boxer was bred from the Old English Bulldog and the now extinct Bullenbeisser, which became extinct by crossbreeding rather than by a decadence of the breed. The Boxer is a member of both The Kennel Club and American Kennel Club (AKC) Working Group.
The Shih Tzu is a toy dog or pet dog breed originating from Tibet and believed to be bred from the Pekingese and the Lhasa Apso.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS) is a British breed of toy dog of spaniel type. Four colours are recognised: Blenheim, tricolour (black/white/tan), black and tan, and ruby; the coat is smooth and silky. The lifespan is usually between eight and twelve years.
The Pekingese is a breed of toy dog, originating in China. The breed was favored by royalty of the Chinese Imperial court as a companion dog, and its name refers to the city of Beijing (Peking) where the Forbidden City is located. The breed has several characteristics and health issues related to its unique appearance. Because of its desirable characteristics, the Pekingese has been part of the development of designer crossbreeds, such as the Peekapoo and Peke-a-tese.
Dog breeding is the practice of mating selected dogs with the intention of maintaining or producing specific qualities and characteristics. When dogs reproduce without such human intervention, their offspring's characteristics are determined by natural selection, while "dog breeding" refers specifically to the artificial selection of dogs, in which dogs are intentionally bred by their owners. Breeding relies on the science of genetics, hence a breeder who is knowledgeable on canine genetics, health, and the intended purpose of the dogs attempts to breed suitable dogs.
The Boston Terrier is a breed of dog originating in the United States of America. This "American Gentleman" was accepted in 1893 by the American Kennel Club as a non-sporting breed. Boston Terriers are small and compact with a short tail and erect ears.
The French Bulldog is a French breed of companion dog or toy dog. It appeared in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century, apparently the result of cross-breeding of Toy Bulldogs imported from England and local Parisian ratters. It is commonly kept as a pet and is among the most frequently registered dogs in a number of countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The breed is susceptible to various health problems as a consequence of being bred for a distinctive appearance, sporting a brachycephalic face and skin wrinkles.
A lap dog or lapdog is a dog that is both small enough to be held in the arms or lie comfortably on a person's lap and temperamentally predisposed to doing so. Lapdog is not a specific breed, but a generic term for a type of dog that is small in size and friendly toward humans.
The Havanese, a bichon-type dog, is the national dog of Cuba, developed from the now extinct Blanquito de la Habana. The Blanquito descended from the also now-extinct Bichón Tenerife. It is believed that the Blanquito was eventually cross-bred with other bichon types, including the poodle, to create what is now known as the Havanese. They are sometimes referred to as "Havana Silk Dogs", but this is a separate breed, which has been bred to meet the original Cuban standards.
The King Charles Spaniel is a small dog breed of the spaniel type. In 1903, The Kennel Club combined four separate toy spaniel breeds under this single title. The breed was originally created to hunt and kill bobcats, lynx and weasels. The other varieties merged into this breed were the Blenheim, Ruby and Prince Charles Spaniels, each of which contributed one of the four coat colours now seen in the breed.
The Dobermann is a German breed of medium-large working dog of pinscher type. It was originally bred in Thuringia in about 1890 by Louis Dobermann, a tax collector. It has a long muzzle and – ideally – an even and graceful gait. The ears were traditionally cropped and the tail docked, practices which are now illegal in many countries.
The Dogue de Bordeaux, also known as the Bordeaux Mastiff, French Mastiff or Bordeauxdog, is a large French mastiff breed. A typical brachycephalic mastiff breed, the Bordeaux is a very powerful dog, with a very muscular body.
The Pug is a breed of dog with the physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. An ancient breed, with roots dating back to 400 B.C., they have a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most often fawn or black, and a compact, square body with well developed and thick muscles all over the body.
Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS), also known as brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome (BAOS), brachycephalic airway syndrome (BAS), and brachycephalic syndrome (BS), is a pathological condition affecting short nosed dogs and cats which can lead to severe respiratory distress. There are four different anatomical abnormalities that contribute to the disease, all of which occur more commonly in brachycephalic breeds: an elongated soft palate, stenotic nares, a hypoplastic trachea, and everted laryngeal saccules. Because all of these components make it more difficult to breathe in situations of exercise, stress, or heat, an animal with these abnormalities may be unable to take deep or fast enough breaths to blow off carbon dioxide. This leads to distress and further increases respiratory rate and heart rate, creating a vicious cycle that can quickly lead to a life-threatening situation.
The Pumi is a medium-small breed of sheep dog from Hungary. They are capable herding dogs, able to gather and work close to farm stock, particularly sheep, to keep them under control. Pumik have an extended, tapered muzzle with prominent ears, and a tail curled over their back, and are sometimes described as having a whimsical expression. The double coat has a mix of wavy and curly hair.