Head Shape

Short Snout (SMOC2 variant)

Short Snout (SMOC2 variant) Photo

Short Snout (SMOC2 variant) causes snout shortening, and actually accounts for 36% of the variation seen in dog muzzle length. The variant is found in the SMOC2 gene. It was previously reported as Short Snout (Variant 1).

More Info

How it works

Copies of this skull shape variant usually results in a shorter snout, whereas dogs with no copies of this variant tend to have a longer snout.

Health implications

Dog with shortened snouts may have difficulty breathing with vigorous exercise and are more prone to heat stroke. Maintaining a healthy weight through diet and mild to moderate levels of exercise is recommended.

Prevalence

3 in 10 dogs

have one or more copy of this genetic variant in our testing.

Technical Details

Gene SMOC2
Variant Insertion
Chromosome 1
Coordinate 55,939,775

All coordinates reference CanFam3.1

References & Credit

Credit to our scientific colleagues:

Marchant, T. W., Johnson, E. J., McTeir, L., Johnson, C. I., Gow, A., Liuti, T., … Schoenebeck, J. J. (2017). Canine Brachycephaly Is Associated with a Retrotransposon-Mediated Missplicing of SMOC2. Current Biology, 27(11), 1573-1584.e6. View the article