Canine Genetics Centre - Research and DNA Testing

15/07/2026

11/07/2026

Just over a week to go before this webinar for International Canine Behaviourists - a dive into discussion all about canine 🐾

Very excited to be prepping this webinar and looking forward to discussing the topic.....

Can dogs be neurodivergent?

What might it mean for how we train, care and manage them?

What might it mean for neurodivergent caregivers?

And other points to ponder!

I definitely don't have all the answers but look forward to exploring this really important subject.... which tickles my own 🌶🧠😉

I'll pop the booking link in the comments 👇

10/07/2026

Thank you for your incredible response to our Bedlington Terrier research project. We've received nearly 50 submissions in the last week so we are halfway there.

Please continue sharing our post and news article to follow Bedlington owners so that we can reach our target of around 100 dogs!

Do you own a Royal Kennel Club registered Bedlington Terrier? If so, we need your help with research into a possible new genetic cause of copper storage disease in the breed.

We have funding to DNA test 95 Bedlingtons for the ATP7B and COMMD1 variants and are looking for a good set of samples that are representative of the breed.

At the same time, via funding from the Bedlington Terrier Health Group we will genotype the same cohort of dogs for the CDDY variant that causes IVDD.

Please check out our new article for more information and how you can get involved - https://www.canine-genetics.org.uk/do-you-own-a-rkc-registered-bedlington-terrier/

08/07/2026

Throughout July & August, some of our team will be taking a well-earned holiday, so CAGT will be operating with slightly reduced staffing levels.

This means that orders may take a few extra days to process. We’ll still be doing everything we can to meet our usual 10-day turnaround, and we really appreciate your patience and understanding if there’s a slight delay.

Thank you for your continued support, and we hope you have a wonderful summer!

02/07/2026

Do you own a Royal Kennel Club registered Bedlington Terrier? If so, we need your help with research into a possible new genetic cause of copper storage disease in the breed.

We have funding to DNA test 95 Bedlingtons for the ATP7B and COMMD1 variants and are looking for a good set of samples that are representative of the breed.

At the same time, via funding from the Bedlington Terrier Health Group we will genotype the same cohort of dogs for the CDDY variant that causes IVDD.

Please check out our new article for more information and how you can get involved - https://www.canine-genetics.org.uk/do-you-own-a-rkc-registered-bedlington-terrier/

24/06/2026

25/03/2026

Labrador Sudden Death research – please & thank you
First of all the Thank you.
We have posted before about the research we are doing to investigate the causes of Sudden Death in Labradors: https://www.canine-genetics.org.uk/research/labrador-sudden-death/.
We would like to say a huge, heartfelt thank you to all the owners who have told us when their beloved pets have died and have donated samples from them to help the research. We understand that this can be a very hard thing to do, and we wanted you all to know we are extremely grateful. Thank you too, to all the breeders who have donated DNA samples from the parents of dogs who have sadly died. We need these DNA samples to find the mutation that is causing this horrible condition, so thank you for providing them.
And now the Please.
We are about to sequence the whole genomes of dogs that have died, and their parents. We have heard about a number of new cases recently and have been lucky enough to collect DNA from many of them. And we would like to sequence the genomes of these dogs too – this will help the research considerably and will hopefully lead us to some answers more quickly.
But we need funds to sequence the genomes of these additional dogs. If you can donate anything, large or small, please help us raise an additional £3,000.
You can donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/labrador-health-breed-council
If we can reach £8,000 by the start of April we can sequence more dogs.
Thank you!!

16/03/2026

Thank you to all those that have joined us this afternoon to learn more about how to find or breed a healthy puppy.

Thank you to the West Hub for supporting this afternoon with one of their small grants.

06/03/2026

Help Us Name Our New DNA Bank!
A few weeks ago, we asked our followers what they thought about our idea to set up a new DNA bank that would store DNA specifically from male and female dogs that have been used for breeding.
The idea is to store high-quality DNA from each dog so it can be used in the future for whole genome sequencing, estimating heterozygosity or investigating newly emerging inherited diseases.
We were really encouraged by how many of you responded positively, so we’re now making plans to get this project off the ground!
But first… our new DNA bank needs a name.
We’re looking for something that reflects that it will contain DNA from breeding dogs and will act as a resource to benefit the health of future generations of dogs. Ideally, the name would be memorable — and even better if the initials spell a word themselves.
Some words that you might use: sire, dam, DNA, bank, archive, future, research, health — but this isn’t an exhaustive list by any means.
Be creative!
If we choose your suggestion, you’ll be able to bank the very first DNA sample free of charge once the bank is up and running.

03/03/2026

Crufts week is here! CAGT are not attending but we wanted to wish all of our customers and all CGC supporters the very best of luck if you're competing.

However, to celebrate the world's largest dog show, we are offering 25% off all CAGT tests until the 14th March - just use code CRUFTS26 at the checkout.

Shop online: https://www.cagt.co.uk/