People Of WFIT Sun January 22, 2012 Dog-Gone Genetics: A Few
Genes Control Fido's Looks Humans are complicated genetic jigsaw
puzzles. Hundreds of genes are involved in determining something
as basic as height. But man's best friend is a different story.
New research shows that almost every physical trait in dogs —
from a dachshund's stumpy legs to a shar-pei's wrinkles — is
controlled by just a few genes. Writer Evan Ratliff has been
looking into dog genetics for National Geographic Magazine. He
tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz that that
quirk makes it extremely easy for breeders to develop new,
custom-designed dogs — like the German hunters who bred the
original dachshunds a few hundred years ago. "These German
hunters wanted some sort of dog to hunt badgers and other sort
of small rodents that live in holes." So they crossed long, low
basset hounds with tenacious terriers, to produce a dog that
could chase badgers into their dens and then be yanked out again
by the tail if necessary. Th