This week I'm talking with Dr Micah Halpern, a geneticist who has worked with many species including zoo animal population health, and is currently the pricipal scientist and owner of GenSol Diagnostics. Micah and I got nerdy about genetic testing for canine health and other traits - what are some of the different technologies involved, and how do we think about what "accurate" means in terms of results?

I've had a long break from recording podcast episodes and I'm coming back gradually. My series of unfortunate injuries seem to be coalescing into chronic pain that makes working difficult. The Functional Dog Collaborative is a high priority for me but sometimes I do have to take a break from this podcast while I recover a bit, and this was one of those times. I hope to have episodes coming out more regularly, but also a bit more slowly than previously, for a while, while I improve and ramp them back up. I appreciate your patience.

Dr. Hille Fieten is veterinary researcher and clinician specializing in internal medicine. She is is the coordinator of the Center for Expertise in Genetics and Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University. I have received multiple requests to talk to her about her research into the genetics of copper toxicity in dogs. Some of her research has been used for new genetic tests, and the dog loving community is asking how to interpret these tests. Buckle up for a lot of information coming at you!

A new paper, "The prevalence of behavior problems in dogs in the United States," is getting people upset - is it true that 99.78% of owners think their dog has a behavior problem? That's not actually what the paper says, and I'm here with Sarah Stremming of Cog Dog Radio for a joint episode. We talk through the paper's findings and what it means for those of us trying to make the world a better place for dogs.

Beaver, Bonnie V. "The prevalence of behavior problems in dogs in the United States." Journal of Veterinary Behavior 76 (2024): 34-39.

Hsu, Yuying, and James A. Serpell. "Development and validation of a questionnaire for measuring behavior and temperament traits in pet dogs." Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 223.9 (2003): 1293-1300.