We present the enormous potential that the canine model can offer in the study of the genotype/phenotype relationship and the analysis of the causes of many genetic diseases, with simple or complex inheritance, that affect dogs but also the human population.
This potentiality is essentially due to the natural history of dogs whose domestication from wolves dated back 15,000 years, at least. All modern dogs originated from a limited number of female wolves from Eastern Asia. By applying a combination of selections and strong inbreeding practices, humans have created over 350 breeds, each of them corresponding to a genetic isolate and altogether offering a unique panel of polymorphism never encountered in any other mammals.
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Genome Resources Development for the canine model 