⚠Stop and think before buying a flat-faced dog.

Breed Health Information

How to find a breeder who prioritises good health and welfare
Introduction

Many pure-bred dogs have a high incidence of genetic diseases as well as body shapes (conformation) which prevent them from having a comfortable life and a life in which they can enjoy all of the things dogs love to do. Dogs never complain and we can be misled into thinking everything is fine when it isn't. Please play your part in challenging poor practice and helping to raise the standards of dog health and welfare.

On this page we provide breed specific health information for the 50 most popular dog breeds in the UK. We have also included some of the most popular cross breeds.

Prospective puppy buyers can click on a breed listed below to find information about the essential documents a breeder should supply. We list the Health Schemes and DNA tests which apply to the breed and which a puppy buyer should ask the breeder about. We also list some diseases known to occur in the breed for which there is currently no health scheme or DNA test.

It is important that both the male and female parent dogs have been health tested.

It is perhaps unrealistic to expect a breeder to have carried out all of the tests listed. However, when a particular test has not been carried out, a good breeder should be able to explain why.

A breeder must take into account the genetic diversity of the breed. Breeding from closely related dogs is harmful to a breed population and part of a breeder’s responsibility is to take this into consideration when selecting which pair of dogs to breed from.

Temperament

The temperament of both parents is crucially important as is the puppy habituation and socialisation the breeder carries out before the sale of the puppies.

Dog Breeders Explained

Guide to Different Types of Dog Breeder

Brief Explanation of Different Types of Dog Breeder

Please select a breed:

Note that the breed posters are under continuous scrutiny and revision as new health tests or scientific information becomes available.
Breeds B - D
Basset Hound (TBA)
Beagle Aug 2022
Bernese Mountain Dog May 2022
Bichon Frise (TBA)
Border Collie Aug 2022
Border Terrier May 2022
Boston Terrier Sept 2022
Bull Terrier Aug 2022
Boxer July 2022
Bulldog (English) May 2022
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel​ ​ June 2022
​Cavapoo April 22
Chihuahua (smooth coat) July 2022
Chihuahua (long coat) July 2022
Chow Chow (TBA)
Cockapoo April 22
Cocker Spaniel (English) Feb 2022
Dachshund (Miniature Smoothhaired) 
​Feb 2022  
Dachshund (Miniature Wirehaired) 
Feb 2022
Dachshund (Miniature Longhaired) 
​Feb 2022
Dachshund (Standard Smoothhaired)
Feb 2022
​Dachshund (Standard Wirehaired) 
Feb 2022
Dachshund (Standard Longhaired)  
​Feb 2022
Dalmatian (TBA))
Dobermann Sept 22
Dogue de Bordeaux Aug 2022
Breeds E - P
English Springer Spaniel April 2022
Flatcoated Retriever (TBA)
French Bulldog Feb 2022
German Shepherd Dog March 2022
German Short-haired Pointer July 2022
Goldendoodle April 22
Golden Retriever April 2022
Great Dane [TBA]
Hungarian Vizsla July 2022
Irish Setter (TBA)
Jack Russell Terrier (TBA)
Labradoodle 
Labrador Retriever Feb 2022
Lhaso Apso (TBA)
Maltese (TBA)
Miniature Schnauzer May 2022
Newfoundland (TBA)
Pomeranian Aug 2022
Poodle (Miniature) March 22
Poodle (Toy) March 22
Poodle (Standard) March 22
Pug March 2022
Breeds R - Y
Rhodesian Ridgeback (TBA)
Rottweiler July 2022
Shar Pei (TBA)
Shetland Sheepdog (TBA)
Shih Tzu July 2022
Sproodle April 2022
St Bernard (TBA)
Staffordshire Bull Terrier April 2022
Tibetan Terrier (TBA)
Weimaraner Sept 22
Welsh Corgi (TBA)
Welsh Springer Spaniel (TBA)
West Highland White Terrier Aug 2022
Whippet July 2022
Yorkshire Terrier (TBA)
More information on Buying a Puppy may be found here:
DBRG Guide to Buying a Puppy
www.dbrg.uk/guide-to-buying-a-puppy.html

Canine Health Schemes
www.bva.co.uk/canine-health-schemes

Puppy Contract
www.puppycontract.org.uk

CFSG and DBRG Code of Practice for Dog Breeding
www.dbrg.uk/code-of-practice-for-dog-breeding.html

CFSG Guidance on Dog Conformation
www.dbrg.uk/guidance-on-dog-conformation.html

Inbreeding and Genetic Diversity

There is great concern amongst dog welfare scientists that the closed gene pools of pedigree dogs can increase the occurrence of inherited diseases and harmful physical traits.

​This DBRG document attempts to explain the commonly used terms used in population genetics in our efforts to improve the health and welfare of all dogs.

Inbreeding and Genetic Diversity Terms Explained
Good Breeders follow ALL their puppies! And share the data.

From Brenda Bonnett in Brenda's Blog

We are always struggling with defining good breeders, and it is a true challenge.  But I have been talking about this topic lately, so thought I would blog on: 'Good Breeders follow ALL their puppies! And share the data'.

This is one thing that there is really no good excuse for not doing, so kennel and breed club breeders - anyone who considers themselves a 'good breeder' should do their best in this regard.  This was one topic I discussed in a recent talk to the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Canada at the National Specialty on 11 Sept. 2021.

There are many challenges facing breeders - sometime integral to the status quo of show breeders, e.g.:

  • Pros and cons of selective breeding over the years.
  • Use of linebreeding and lack of genetic diversity and how to maintain and improve it
  • Choice of health tests for a breed, a current tendency for too much focus only on genetic testing
  • Lack of evidence on occurrence of disease
  • Dealing with controversies and challenges and how problems in specific breeds can influence pressure on all breeds
  • SOCIAL MEDIA! Unhelpful attacks on people who speak out, push for health programs, etc.

Some ideas are thought-provoking and challenging.  But there are many tools available to help breeders in these tasks and many are listed in the talk.

What does it mean follow ALL puppies:

  • The success of your breeding program is not defined by the best brace or group of dogs you bring to a show, or the number of champions produced by your dogs.
  • It is defined by the overall, overtime health and longevity of all the dogs produced through your breeding.
  • One of the greatest deficits in our knowledge of health and causes of death in dogs arises because of lack of tracking, recording, and sharing these data.
  • Pedigree databases that require tests for common/important disease and only register puppies for those with appropriate results are great, especially where health and pedigree data are linked.  But many kennel clubs and registries do not have this capability.  And the number of tested conditions will always be relatively few.
  • Owner-provided health and death records are worthwhile where:
    • an unbiased majority of dogs are reported on
    • where possible there is the veterinary diagnosis or necropsy findings
    • several excellent efforts on international registries exist for many breeds (see resources below)
  • Good registries of this type are great - and should be supported BUT where submission of data on dogs is purely voluntary, we often get a biased view with breeders reporting 'the best of the best'; the more dogs that are registered, with full info, the better.  AND they must not be hidden!

Why do breeders hesitate to share accurate and complete data?

This is a complex and dog-cultural question. 

  • Is it too much time, too much trouble, not enough assistance or good databases?
  • Is it an understandable - if unfortunate - resistance to being forthcoming about both successes and 'failures'?
  • The tendency certainly is different by region - perhaps some countries in Europe promoting more transparency than in the USA?
  • Is there the fear - like in everything these days - that bad new will be picked up and spread maliciously on social media?
  • There is a tendency to embrace sharing only when the breed comes to a critical point.

Whatever it is - a cultural shift - would be good for the health of dogs and breeds. 

This is written with full understanding that this is a big ask for breeders of many dogs... but it should be a responsibility of those creating the populations - and therefore contributing to the health and welfare of breeds.

One other thought - please - make sure you have adequate evidence on the occurrence of a specific disease before requiring or recommending a new test!

And remember - as important as it is to use genetic testing - these tests will not cover the range of IMPORTANT conditions in your breed.  Genetic and other health testing is just a part of the behaviour of Good Breeders.

See: Breed for the Big Picture! and Not all puppies from health-tested parents will be healthy!