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Belgian Sheepdog

Belgian Sheepdog genetic profile from the CanVAS Atlas. 15 dogs in the Atlas, heterozygosity 0.34. Nearest relatives, trait loci frequencies, cohort distribution.

What the atlas says about Belgian Sheepdog

In the atlas, the Belgian Sheepdog clusters consistently as Belgian Sheepdog (100% of the 15 dogs here). Genetic diversity is high (mean heterozygosity 0.3365), reflecting either a mixed-breed cluster or breeds with broad genetic backgrounds. At the trait loci, HMGA2 runs lower than average (0% here vs 56%); ADAMTS17 runs higher than the atlas average (100% here vs 54%). Dogs here sit in a relatively sparse region of the atlas, fewer close neighbors than typical.

Mean heterozygosity is 0.337, notably high, indicates broad genetic background. Only 15 dogs of this breed in the atlas, modestly sampled.

Closest genetic neighbors in the atlas: Belgian Tervuren, Belgian Shepherd, Briard, Rottweiler, and mixed breed.

Genetic dimensions · CanVAS atlas

What the genome says about Belgian Sheepdog

Computed from the 14,478 research dogs in the Atlas. Methods: technical methodology.

Dogs in the Atlas
15Founders
10 from Spatola, 3 from Hayward2016, 2 from Shannon
Genetic diversity
0.34Moderate
Mean heterozygosity across the breed. Too few dogs in this breed (<20) to rank.
Cluster structure
Single tight cluster
Intra-breed RMS distance: 22.14
Nearest genetic relatives
  1. Belgian Tervuren6.85
  2. Belgian Shepherd6.89
  3. Briard8.27
  4. Rottweiler9.49
  5. Mix9.61
Top-10 PC corrected Euclidean. Lower = closer.
Trait genetics
Allele frequencies at named morphology loci

Frequency of the alternate allele in this breed at each locus's representative SNP. Methods + caveats in technical methodology.

Body size
IGF110%
HMGA20%
SMAD290%
LCORL100%
STC261%
ADAMTS17100%
Leg length
FGF4·CFA1867%
FGF4·CFA12100%
Coat
RSPO267%
FGF573%
KRT7147%
MC1R73%
Ear set
MSRB3100%
Skull shape
BMP371%
SMOC257%
Add your Belgian Sheepdog to the Atlas

You can add your Belgian Sheepdog right now at /add/ as a Charted star. Or, if you'd rather wait for DNA uploads, leave your email and we'll let you know the moment those open.

Last updated
Sources: CanVAS (Brundage 2026) · CanVAS dimensions data