Line breeding is mating between related (but not VERY closely related) individuals: grandfather to granddaughter, uncle to neice, etc. It is NOT the same as inbreeding and has always been a very useful process for breeders to maintain or refine certain traits with more predictability than outcrossing.
Actually, the information on that site is not entirely accurate (pause while I put on my pointy-headed genetics professor hat here....) Inbreeding is mating between two individuals that are more closely related than any two individuals randomly selected from the population. So line breeding is a form of inbreeding. The site is correct in stating that breeders use linebreeding (deliberate mating of related animals) to fix or increase desirable traits. Whether linebred dogs suffer from genetic problems caused by inbreeding depends on the skill of the breeder.
Actually, the information on that site is not entirely accurate (pause while I put on my pointy-headed genetics professor hat here....) Inbreeding is mating between two individuals that are more closely related than any two individuals randomly selected from the population. So line breeding is a form of inbreeding. The site is correct in stating that breeders use linebreeding (deliberate mating of related animals) to fix or increase desirable traits. Whether linebred dogs suffer from genetic problems caused by inbreeding depends on the skill of the breeder.
Sarah, on a technical level, you're absolutely right! In my quick description I wrote not the SAME as inbreeding (in a stereotypical way) because line breeding *can* be done much more carefully, and with genetically healthier results than dictionary defined "inbreeding", which brings the health of a group downhill, and fast. Since most people have a real aversion (rightfully!) to the idea of stereotypical "inbreeding", it's good to make a distinction between the two when we're talking about the use of line breeding as a successful tool for breeders for who knows how many hundreds of years. Good call though, thanks for clarifying!
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