The AKC Canine Health Foundation in Ocala, FL, will present the final 2025 Canine Health Discovery webinar, ‘A Journey Through the History of the Dog and Its Genome,’ on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at 7:00 pm ET, featuring speakers Dr. Elaine Ostrander and Dr. Heidi Parker.

The online event will explore how genes shape the diversity of dog breeds and why some traits are associated with certain health risks, framing genetic research as a tool to improve canine health. Recent advancements in canine genomics include large-scale disease studies like the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, which aims to uncover the genetic underpinnings of common diseases.

Organizers describe the session as the capstone of the foundation’s 2025 webinar series; the AKC Canine Health Foundation is hosting the event in Ocala, FL. The program brings together research-focused speakers to trace links between genomic discoveries and practical questions about breed characteristics and inherited disease. For dog owners looking to get involved, there are ongoing opportunities to participate in health research, including nomination of their pets for longitudinal studies and clinical trials, such as the Dog Aging Project.

Dr. Elaine Ostrander and Dr. Heidi Parker will lead the presentation. The webinar’s stated themes include the historical development of the dog genome and contemporary applications of genomic knowledge to understand trait variation and disease susceptibility across breeds. Notably, domestication created a genetic bottleneck compared to wolves, setting the stage for reduced genetic diversity that has been further narrowed by selective breeding.

Announcements about the event appear in industry outlets, including an advance notice on the Canine Chronicle, which lists the title, date and speakers. For readers seeking broader scientific context on how domestication and selective breeding shape genetic diversity, a special feature on the topic provides background on genetic bottlenecks and the genomic signatures of breed formation (PNAS special feature).

The webinar is part of the foundation’s Canine Health Discovery Webinar Series and is presented as an educational forum connecting advances in canine genomics with practical health outcomes. Organizers emphasize evidence-based content: the program will map historical findings in canine genetics onto current questions about trait-linked health risks and population structure within breeds.

Speakers will address the relationship between genomic regions and visible traits, and how some of those regions also correlate with disease vulnerability. The session aims to show how identifying genetic variants can lead to earlier detection strategies and more informed breeding and veterinary decisions, ultimately helping to mitigate health risks in our canine companions.

Registration details and the official webinar listing are available through the foundation’s events page and partner announcements. The scheduled start is 7:00 pm ET on December 2, 2025; attendees should consult the foundation’s online resources for participation instructions.

The AKC Canine Health Foundation framed the webinar as the final installment of its 2025 Discovery series, bringing a year of expert-led sessions to a close with a focus on genomes as both historical record and practical tool for canine health.

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Original reporting: view the original article.