The Kennel Club has organised a free webinar about its Breed Watch programme for dog show judges, breeders and exhibitors. Breed Watch serves as an 'early warning system' which monitors the health of pedigree breeds and provides further information about specific health concerns.
The webinar, taking place via Microsoft Teams on Thursday 9 February 2023 6:30pm-7:30pm, will serve as an opportunity for those involved in dog showing to refresh their knowledge of the Breed Watch system, and to help ensure only the best health ambassadors are rewarded highly in the show ring. Those interested in attending the webinar can register here.
The Kennel Club has also announced its plans to work with judges, vets and dog show exhibitors to enhance and evolve Breed Watch to ensure the system is effective in monitoring, protecting and improving the health and welfare of dogs.
As part of this, during 2023 The Kennel Club will be working with the Dog Health Group’s Breed Standards and Conformation Sub-group, which includes experienced judges, vets, and exhibitors, to update Breed Watch. Consideration will be given to the following areas:
- What veterinary checks are required before and during shows and what Kennel Club guidance and training is required for the vets involved
- What educational materials are needed to support judges and exhibitors more effectively
- What training would enable judges to recognise breed-specific health concerns
- How The Kennel Club receives health information from judges to improve upon its existing reporting and monitoring processes
- How The Kennel Club can provide better support to breed clubs, judges and exhibitors with access to health data from shows
- How The Kennel Club highlights dog showing as a positive lever for change when considering health and welfare
The process will include engagement with exhibitors and breed clubs.
Ian Seath, Chair of the Breed Standards and Conformation Sub-Group, commented: “We are really pleased to be implementing this important development of Breed Watch, alongside the wider community, to ensure it’s the best possible system for monitoring the health and welfare of dogs. This underlines our commitment to protecting and improving the health of dogs in the show ring specifically. Regular updates on progress will be provided in due course, and I’d recommend all those involved in showing or judging dogs to attend The Kennel Club’s free Breed Watch webinar in February to understand more about how we can all play a part.”
More information about Breed Watch is available on The Kennel Club website and those interested in the webinar taking place in February can register in advance here.