Genetic correlations of hip dysplasia scores for Golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers in France, Sweden and the UK

The estimated heritabilities of Golden retrievers (Labrador retrievers) for HD scores were 0.28 (0.15), 0.28 (0.29) and 0.41 (0.34) in France, Sweden and the UK, respectively. The feasibility of performing a genetic evaluation of HD across countries was indicated by the favourable genetic correlations estimated between score modes (ranged from 0.48 to 0.99). The accuracy of selection for the most recent birth year cohorts of male dogs was not improved by international evaluation compared to national evaluation. Improvement in genetic progress can however be achieved by selection across populations in different countries, particularly for small populations, which were indicated by the large difference between selection differentials based on the national and international evaluations.