Department of Genetics, Institut de l'Elevage, Lyon 69007, France.
Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, Maisons-Alfort 94704, France.
J Anim Sci. 2024 Jan 3;102. doi: 10.1093/jas/skae157.
Breeding for phenotype in herding dogs (HDs) mainly relies on their performance in national field trial competitions, which has been shown to be inadequate for identifying HDs suited for real livestock farming conditions. In this study, a different field trial with a new scoring system consisting of 28 items to consider was designed to assess young HDs, the results of which culminated in a statement of adequate phenotype (AP) or non-adequate phenotype (NAP). An AP HD was defined as being able: to control the direction of a flock, to keep it grouped close to a handler when needed, to confront animals it is dealing with in a respectful manner, and able to create movement of the flock without excessive disturbance, threatening or attacking it through chasing, or uncontrolled biting. This innovative trial is composed of a pre-test (PT) and a test (T) phase. To evaluate its efficiency in detecting AP/NAP, 460 French Border Collies aged between 8 and 24 mo, underwent the trial. Its average duration (PT + T) was 3 min and 16 s (SD = 26 s). According to experts' assessments (Gold Standard), 16.5% of tested HD reached an AP score, and the Idele scoring system correctly identified 93.3% of them (sensitivity). Specificity and accuracy values were of 96.1% and 95.7%, respectively (P value < 0.0004). Recursive feature elimination identified 25 of the 118 features (categories of items) from the scoring system as significant predictors of AP/NAP. An AP HD was statistically defined as a dog who completed the PT and T phases, showed keenness, correct position in relation to the handler, and absence of prey drive. Four environmental effects significantly influenced AP/NAP: the field trial session, the owner's experience with HDs, the conditions of the HD's first contact with livestock, and the type of livestock with which the HD is accustomed to working (P-values <0.0005, <0.05, <0.05, and <0.007, respectively). Inter-evaluator agreement was substantial (0.70). The field trial proved to be a short, easily implemented, standardized, reproducible method for detecting AP/NAP. Hence, the field trial and its scoring system could provide a basis for a breeding program based on phenotype pending additional testing of HDs and genetic analyses.
在牧羊犬（HDs）的表型选育中，主要依赖于它们在全国田间试验竞赛中的表现，但已证明这不足以识别适合实际畜牧业条件的 HDs。在这项研究中，设计了一种不同的田间试验，采用了一种新的评分系统，由 28 项考虑因素组成，用于评估年轻的 HDs，试验结果最终得出了充分表型（AP）或非充分表型（NAP）的陈述。一个具有充分表型的 HD 被定义为能够：控制羊群的方向，在需要时将羊群聚集在 handler 附近，以尊重的方式对待它正在处理的动物，并且能够在不引起过度干扰、威胁或攻击羊群的情况下，通过追逐或不受控制的咬伤来移动羊群。这项创新试验由预测试（PT）和测试（T）两个阶段组成。为了评估其在检测 AP/NAP 方面的效率，460 只年龄在 8 至 24 个月之间的法国边境牧羊犬参加了该试验。其平均持续时间（PT + T）为 3 分 16 秒（SD=26 秒）。根据专家评估（黄金标准），16.5%的测试 HD 达到了 AP 评分，Idele 评分系统正确识别了其中的 93.3%（敏感性）。特异性和准确性值分别为 96.1%和 95.7%（P 值<0.0004）。递归特征消除从评分系统中确定了 25 个 118 个特征（项目类别）为 AP/NAP 的显著预测因子。一个具有充分表型的 HD 被定义为完成了 PT 和 T 阶段的犬，表现出敏锐性、与 handler 正确的位置关系，以及没有猎物驱动力。四个环境因素显著影响 AP/NAP：田间试验场次、handler 对 HD 的经验、HD 第一次接触牲畜的条件以及 HD 习惯与之一起工作的牲畜类型（P 值<0.0005、<0.05、<0.05 和 <0.007）。评估者之间的一致性为中等（0.70）。田间试验被证明是一种简短、易于实施、标准化、可重复的方法，用于检测 AP/NAP。因此，田间试验及其评分系统可以为基于表型的繁殖计划提供基础，等待对 HD 进行更多的测试和遗传分析。
