The Kennel Club has responded to a recently published paper exploring the international situation with dog breeding and canine health.
Charlotte McNamara, Head of Health at The Kennel Club, commented: “We welcome this paper and absolutely advocate for traceability and transparency in the sphere of dog breeding, as well as a stronger focus on health and welfare globally.
“While the paper examines dog breeding and Kennel Clubs worldwide – and recognises issues across the spectrum of crossbred and pedigree dogs – The Kennel Club in the UK has registered pedigrees for over 100 years, and with its database has developed many pre-breeding tools that give information about dogs’ health and genetic diversity, with results displayed online. This not only provides transparency but also helps to improve dog health and welfare by encouraging informed and responsible breeding decisions.
“These tools – which have been developed collaboratively with committed breed communities – are underpinned by our Breed Health and Conservation Plans, which collate scientific evidence on health and disease across all 223 breeds recognised in the UK and identify strategies to tackle health priorities. Working together with breeders, using scientific findings and organised plans, helps to change attitudes and behaviour, which is vital to making meaningful change.
“The importance of bringing breeders with you on an idea or approach in order to see action and change is particularly important when considering outcrossing and the opening of registries. We are committed to increasing efforts to safeguard the genetic diversity of breed populations, and do consider outcrossing where it’s necessary, but there must be robust evidence and a plan in place to maximise the chances of outcrossing improving health, and to ensure that improvements will be successfully disseminated through the breed. Our population analysis – which examines breed populations and sustainability – is also due to be published this year and will fuel detailed discussion with our communities to ensure the management of genetic diversity.
“In relation to role of breed standards it should be noted that while they differ globally, as this paper examines, in the UK these have progressively changed in collaboration with breed clubs since 2007, and are regularly reviewed alongside breed-specific health data by specialists to make clear that any exaggerations detrimental to health should be avoided across all breeds. It’s also important to note that only around 2% of dogs registered with The Kennel Club attend dog shows – which use breed standards as a guide – and these days popular culture and social media are more influential in the way that dogs are bred to look, so wider awareness campaigns on these issues is crucial.
“We all have a part to play and The Kennel Club remains committed to continuing to work together to encourage more responsible dog breeding, widening the take up of the evidence-based tools available, and protecting the health of dogs for generations to come.”
The full paper can be found here.
More information about what The Kennel Club does for dog health and guidance about responsible breeding is available on our website.