Mudi Breed Census 2020

The 2020 Mudi breed census is underway and the first group to have their data compiled is the United Kingdom and Ireland region. I will be asking for Mudi data from breeders and owners region by region as each one is completed.  Thank you in advance for sharing your data!

United Kingdom/Ireland Region

The UK Mudi owners were a highly responsive and cooperative group, it was truly impressive! The three current, and one future, Mudi breeders all willingly shared their litter data/plans with me. Many individual owners contacted me with their Mudis data as well.

Thank you all!

These are the statistics that I have compiled for the Mudis living in this region of the world, as of August 31, 2020.

 

MUDI BREED STATISTICS FOR UNITED KINGDOM / IRELAND

The Mudi is not currently an accepted breed in The Kennel Club (KC), the United Kingdom’s official purebred dog registry organization.  Puppies born in the UK use the Irish Kennel Club for FCI litter registration.  The United Kennel Club (UKC) in the USA is also available for Mudi litter registration, however the UKC registration papers are not accepted for registration by most other purebred dog organizations such as the KC, FCI or AKC.

A Mudi breed club was created in 2019: Hungarian Mudi Club UK

POPULATION STATISTICS

26 Mudis in the United Kingdom (1 in Scotland, 0 in Ireland)

2015-2020 Year of Birth Range for these 26 Mudis

Mudis Born per Year:

          2015 = 3

          2016 = 2

          2017 = 4

          2018 = 2

          2019 = 8

          2020 = 7

9 Males / 17 Females

Colors:       Black                     14

                   Black Merle           7

                   Yellow Merle         1

                   Brown                    2

                   Ash Merle              2

15 Mudis were imported from 11 different kennels in Hungary between 2015 and 2020 (August)

(Please note: There may be more Mudis living in the UK/Ireland region, these are the Mudis I am aware of.)

 

INBREEDING/PEDIGREE STATISTICS

COI % data (Coefficient of Inbreeding percentages) for all 26 UK Mudis (based on the full length of their known pedigree):

          Highest COI:                                    21.40

          Lowest COI:                                            0

          Average COI for all 26:                      8.42

Longest pedigree generation length = 28 (9 Mudis)

Shortest pedigree generation length = 24 (1 Mudi)

Highest number of full generations = 5 (7 Mudis)

Lowest number of full generations = 1 (1 Mudi)

Most Mudis had 4 full generations = 10 (2 gens = 3; 3 gens = 5)

(Foundation research can be done later when the population is larger)

 

HEALTH STATISTICS

3 DNA tested with Embark or MyDog

          1 Mudi carries a gene associated with DM

4 Hip Checked / 2 Patella Checked (all passing scores)

Health Issues: Microphthalmia = 1; Allergies = 1; DM Carrier = 1

(Please note: I may not be aware of all the health tests or health issues in the UK Mudi population, I can only give statistics for what has been shared with me.)

 

BREEDING STATISTICS (data is listed in numerical order, not litter birth order)

3 Litters in 3 separate kennels were born in the UK:

        2 – 2019; 1 – 2020 = 17 puppies (2019 - 11 puppies born /

                                                              2020 -   6 puppies born)

The litter average COI is: 7.81% (based on litter COI’s of: 8.91 / 8.21 / 6.32)

1 Litter is planned for 2020-2021 with a 4^th breeder

Generation Time per Litter: 2; 3.5; 6.5

 

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE MUDI IN THE UK

-Importation from as many different kennel lines as possible is going to be required until a sustainable breeding population is achieved.

-A higher percentage of imported males should be the current focus in order to offer a wider mate selection and to balance the current population as the females currently outnumber the males almost 2 to 1; it is suggested that males not be automatically neutered, rather keep them available for possible future breeding as much as possible; importing semen is also something to consider.

-The Mudi should become a recognized breed with The Kennel Club to make registration easier, provide sport opportunities, breed promotion, etc.; if the current group of Mudi owners in the UK does not wish to do this, a future group of owners will, you have the unique opportunity to decide the future of the Mudi in the UK now, or let another group do it later.

-The COI percentages for the UK born litters are very nice; please keep it in mind to ask for the COI when planning future litters.

 

GENERAL BREEDING RECOMMENDATIONS

(which apply to every country’s Mudi breeding program)

-Breeding with many different dogs is highly beneficial for the breeds gene pool and repeated (same parent) litters should be discouraged; for example if there are 4 puppies in a litter, it is better to breed with 2 or more of them than just 1, more foundation genes are preserved with this method.

-COI’s for planned litters are best kept below 10% and as close to 6% as much as possible to avoid inbreeding depression issues; avoiding COI’s over 12.5% is highly recommended.

-Breeding should only be done with parents that are minimum 2 years old and only after completion of breed appropriate health testing which includes: Orthopedic screening of hips, elbows and patellas, (spine is optional at this time); Eye examination by an ophthalmologist veterinarian, not a general practitioner, preferably annually; Embark or MyDog DNA testing is recommended; Optional tests include: cardiac, thyroid; Correct number of teeth (none missing), correct bite (scissors) and correct number of descended testicles (2) should also be confirmed before breeding.

-Herding instinct testing and temperament testing are also highly recommended prior to breeding.

-Generation time is also recommended to be as high as possible to reduce genetic loss (age of mother at time of breeding + age of father at time of breeding divided by 2 = generation time).

-Honest and open reporting of health and temperament issues in breeding and non-breeding Mudis is critical to low risk litter planning.

-It would be very insightful for even companion (not planned to be used for breeding) Mudis to have hips, patellas and eyes checked after the age of 2 so that a broader representation of what is being produced can be known and problems more rapidly addressed before they affect a larger segment of the breeding population.

-Use the services of a proper database to calculate the correct COI’s based on the full number of known generations for litter planning; as well as to track and assess the risks of epilepsy and other known health issues that are known to appear in the Mudi breed when planning litters. Use the services of Embark DNA testing to do genetic COI calculations for litter planning, genetic screening and puppy color possibilities.

-The epilepsy risk in litters should be kept to the low risk level as much as possible and avoid producing high epilepsy risk litters. Also waiting to breed any Mudi until it is 4 years of age will help to avoid epilepsy genes being spread deeper into the population because most cases of epilepsy should appear by 4 years of age.

-Quality over quantity should be the goal of any breeding program, but more so for a rare breed. Waiting two years between litters, so the previous litter can be properly evaluated, is recommended. 

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If there are other statistics you would like to know or have a question about the statistics I have given here, please ask!

I have calculated the epilepsy risk for the 3 litters born in the UK and the breeders and owners can ask me for their litters score privately.

The future of the Mudi in the UK is in your hands, if your enthusiasm to share your Mudi’s data with me is indicative of your dedication to the breed, the Mudi’s future in the UK will be very good indeed. 

Once again thank you all, it was a pleasure working with you!