Project plan goes out for review

Referral letter to the FSK members May 7th 2023 regarding project plan/application outcross project

”Information from the Field Spaniel klubben

We can all agree that the Field Spaniel is a fantastic breed, but it also struggles with serious problems - problems that threaten the breed's existence. We have a gene pool that is too narrow. This means that there is too little genetic variation within the breed, there are too few gene variants to choose from.
Although the vast majority of Field Spaniels are healthy, we are affected by this narrow genetic breeding base in ways that make the survival of the breed uncertain unless we act now.

It's about the Field Spaniel's ability to reproduce. Our males have poor semen quality and often become sterile at a very young age. The males have also become ignorant of mating and lack sex drive – a necessity to be able to mate! Our females allow themselves to be mated at the wrong time so there are only a few puppies, or are very difficult to breed so a tie does not occur.

The breed has had health programs in which reproduction has been included since 2013. The breeders in Sweden have worked hard to broaden the gene pool here, both by carefully selecting unrelated breeding partners, but also by often trying to use males from abroad and by importing many dogs (several all the way from the USA and Canada) to try to add new blood to the Swedish population. We have talented and responsible breeders who do their best, as everyone wants to keep the Field Spaniel breed for many years to come.

Despite this, reproduction has become increasingly worse (also internationally) and if the breed is to survive, there is only one way out: outcross to another breed, a so-called outcross project. Such an outcross project will probably start in the summer, and we are currently in the final stages of designing the project plan before it is sent to the Swedish Kennel Club (SKK) for final approval. It will be a collaboration between the Field Spaniel Club, SKK, the Swedish Spaniel and Retriever Club (SSRK) and geneticists. Outcrossing projects are made from time to time and have been done successfully in a number of other breeds, such as the Clumber Spaniel in Sweden and the Norwegian Puffindog in Norway (ongoing).

Roughly speaking, a number of Field Spaniels will be bred to another breed/s, and then the offspring is bred back with Field Spaniel again. The breeds that may be relevant should preferably be as far from Field Spaniels genetically, have a broad genetic breeding base in their own breed and they should also match reasonably in size and not differ too much in mentality. The puppies from the first crossing are registered as Field Spaniels but in SKK's X-registry, as well as the following two generations. They get pedigrees and can participate in tests and competitions and obtain Swedish championships like any Field Spaniel, but not international ones. In the fourth generation, they are registered as regular Field Spaniels in SKK's regular S-registry and are also internationally counted as Field Spaniels. Ultimately, it is hoped that these Field Spaniels will spread their new healthy genes to the rest of the population.

This is, as has already been said, a project with all that it entails. All offspring will be followed up meticulously and there will be a great responsibility laid on the breeders, but also on the people who buy these puppies.

The next step in the project is a meeting with SKK's geneticists to get answers to the final questions and input to the project plan.

We therefore appreciate all members' opinions and thoughts about the outcross project! We therefore encourage anyone who wishes to read and comment on the project plan to do so by May 15, 2023.
This is done via the link: https://forms.gle/KdEsSLbcjZG8TD2E9

You can give input on different parts of the project plan, leaving the parts you don't have opinions on blank.

Input from the meeting with SKK's geneticists as well as input from all members will be the basis for the final revision of the project plan before it is submitted to SSRK and SKK for final approval.” (translation from the Field Spaniel Klubben members fb-group 2023-06-21: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1697874747337529/permalink/1727211397737197)