Original document
First Doadrio report 2014 · PDF · 284 KB
This is the first formal genetic study of the Perro Lobo Español, carried out by Ignacio Doadrio at the CSIC. Its nature should be made clear from the outset: it is not a commercial or marketing study. It is exploratory work, scientifically sound, carried out under the constraints of a tight budget.
Its aim was specific: to establish whether the Perro Lobo Español has a genetic basis of its own, comparable to the differentiation found between FCI-recognised breeds. No more, no less. And within those limits, the results are solid.
The 76 specimens were taken from rural properties —in functional use as guardians of home and livestock— and from supervised gatherings in Cantabria. Close kinship was carefully avoided: siblings, shared parents. DNA was taken from saliva and blood.
The sample is representative of the breed's historical core and methodologically consistent with the standards of canine population genetics.
The analysis identified 3 large genetic groups. The PLE is not diluted within the general body of herding dogs, but retains a distinct identity.
German Shepherd versus Czechoslovakian Wolfdog: they do not separate well with these markers, which is consistent given that the CSW is a recent breed created in 1955 through direct crosses with wolves.
German Shepherd versus Perro Lobo Español: clear and consistent separation, even with multiple German Shepherd lines included in the comparison.
There is a sufficient genetic basis to recognise the Perro Lobo Español as a differentiated population, comparable to a breed. This is the study's explicit conclusion, without qualification.
The scientific honesty of the work deserves emphasis. The study does not say that the PLE is «pure», «ancestral» or «unmixed». It does not compare it with the Iberian wolf. It does not define a breed standard nor request FCI recognition. It is population genetics, not canine ideology.
Only 18 microsatellites (40 or more would be ideal). Relevant breeds are missing, such as the Villano, the Basque Shepherd or the Can de Palleiro. Some comparative breed samples are small (Belgian Shepherd, Border Collie). Even so, the PLE separates out even with these limitations, which strengthens the result rather than weakening it.
The PLE is not simply an «odd German Shepherd». It differentiates from the German Shepherd better than the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog itself does. This study is a foundation stone, not a final conclusion: it opens the door to broader research that will confirm and extend its findings.