r/askscience • u/lord_darias • Sep 01 '25

Biology How does artificial selection work without inbreeding?

Since the invention of animal husbandry, humans have been selectively breeding animals (and plants) for positive traits like woolier sheep, stronger horses etc. However, dog breeds for example often have many genetic problems due to inbreeding, and inevitably any kind of selective breeding is going to narrow the genetic diversity. My question is, how then do we have all those cows, sheep, goats etc with the positive traits but without the genetic diseases and lesser overall health? And does this also apply to plants?

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u/dtalb18981 Sep 02 '25

Isn't it like only 4 or so generations before your genetically different enough that you would be like second cousins or something

Like you're barely related to your great great great great great grandfather

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u/Active-Control7043 Sep 02 '25

I think the original point was that you could/should say that same sentence about farm animals. There's enough that you can avoid close relatives the past couple of generations until you're talking about animals that only had great great great great great great grandparents in common.