Do the kennel club do enough to promote, encourage and ensure the welfare of the UK’s dog population? Or are they in it for the money? 

According to their website, the kennel club was set up in 1873 to develop a consistent set of rules for governing the popular new activities of dog showing and field trials. The kennel club is the first national kennel club in the world and the largest organisation in the UK, devoted to dog health, welfare, and training. Their slogan is to ensure dogs live healthy, happy lives with responsible owners. But what do they do to ensure the health of the UK dog population and is it enough? Or have they had a hand in overbreeding some breeds due to popular physical attributes that make them “cute”, whilst compromising their health and welfare? 

Table of contents

What are the biggest health concerns our UK dog population suffer from at the moment?

Dogs were originally bred for a purpose. The role of our canine companions was to fulfil a need, such as hunting. Being agile, fit, and healthy was a necessity to fulfil that role. We developed the role of dogs in our lives to companion animals and then dog showing. Dog showing became a hobby, with the first dog show being reportedly held in 1859. Breeding for factors other than health, strength, and agility became commonplace. Breeding for appearance was born. 

Through the process of selecting dogs for certain characteristics resulting in a physical trait that is desirable in appearance, 2 main problems arose:

  1. Direct effect – Morphological extremes developed

Dogs started to show greater variation due to selection and breeds began to emerge. With the selection process choosing desirable physical attributes, it was not considered if these would directly impact the dogs’ quality of life. 

  1. Indirect effect – An increased prevalence of inherited diseases and disorders was created

As a result of decreased genetic diversity within breeds, small genetic pools, and strong selection with over-attention to physical attributes and not health, these diseases are being passed down through generations without consideration of consequences to health, welfare, and behaviour. 

What‘s Inbreeding and why is it a problem? 

Inbreeding occurs when 2 closely related relatives breed, resulting in genetically similar offspring. If this process continues in a population, the population becomes less and less genetically diverse. Inbreeding is inevitable in populations where there are a fixed number of relatives and where there is selection for desirable traits. A loss of genetic diversity within breeds is likely the cause of problems; as those breeds with a higher level of inbreeding, seem to have a higher burden of inherited diseases unrelated to the physical attribute for which they were selected. 

What sort of diseases and disorders can be expected in the breeds of UK dogs?

With 75% of the dog population in the UK being purebred, you can imagine that the problem of inbreeding/selective breeding and associated diseases is vast. Below are some examples of breeds. As well as the problems caused by inbreeding and selective breeding resulting from our desire to develop physical attributes rather than consider the health of the individual: 

Direct effects – Morphological extremes causing quality of life concerns. 

  • English Bulldogs, are brachycephalic dogs with short noses, narrowed nostrils and airways, broad heads, short legs, and wrinkly skin. The physical attributes that have been bred for being “cute”, lead our English bulldogs to suffer from difficulty breathing, mobility issues, problems mating and birthing as well as skin disorders. 
  • Pugs are also brachycephalic and have problems breathing without difficulty but also have a higher incidence of hemivertebrae (indirect effect) 

Indirect effects – An Increase of inherited diseases and disorders 

  • Dobermans are predisposed to a type of heart disease called Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) where the heart enlarges and becomes less efficient. It can cause the dog to be very unwell indeed or lead to sudden death, often without warning. 
  • Cavalier King Charles spaniels have a higher incidence of Mitral Valve disease, a heart condition where the heart becomes leaky and cannot pump blood around the body, eventually leading to heart failure. Unfortunately, a lot of these dogs have a reduced quality of life or a shortened life span. They also have a higher incidence of syringomyelia, a brain disorder. 
  • Hemivertebrae/Spinal disease in pugs, Elbow dysplasia in Labrador retrievers, bladder stone formation in Dalmatians, and hip dysplasia in German Shepherds are also common examples of this. 

What does the Kennel Club currently do to promote healthy pups and ensure good breeding practices in the UK?

The Kennel Club is aware of the problem. Their resources include (but are not exclusive to):

Online resources to guide and inform the general public when buying a puppy. 

  • Avoiding puppy farms and irresponsible breeders – This information details what a “responsible breeder” should do i.e., carry out any appropriate screening or testing recommended for the parentage breed, provide parasite control, vaccinations, health checks for puppies, and consider behavioural traits in those that are bred. It also details what a puppy farm is, what to look for, and why puppy farms are a concern for the overall health of a breed. 
  • The Puppywise campaign developed after research in 2022 showed an explosion of rogue breeders and a rise in the number of dogs being purchased online or via social media, coupled with the spiralling cost of living, resulted in higher numbers of sick puppies, or those with behavioural problems which in turn led to emotional and financial hardship for new pet owners. 
  • Training and behavioural advice and information.

Online resources to guide new or experienced breeders 

  • Quick breeding guide – Information on breeding, choosing the right bitch and sire whilst selecting for healthy parentage as well as considering neutering if breeding isn’t the right choice for your dog. The information considers inbreeding, breeding for healthy conformation, pregnancy, whelping, and raising pups. 
  • Should I breed from my dog? – Information on factors to consider such as your dog’s current health, screening or testing recommended for your breed, the temperament of your dog, and its age as well as if there is a social need for puppies of your dog breed and how you might go about selling them including the difficulties you might face and considerations involved. This advice also considers owner factors such as experience, financial and time constraints. 
  • Health screening, genetic diversity, and conformational advice pages – Information on screening practices, recommended or required tests/ screenings for each breed, the effects of inbreeding, popular sires, and breeding those with exaggerated features. 
  • Inbreeding calculators are available on the site to try to help breeders decide if there is a higher likelihood of a parentage match resulting in an unhealthy puppy. 
  • The assured breeder scheme – Gives details of the scheme encouraging breeders to sign up so that they can be advertised as screened for high welfare standards and the public can be “assured” that puppies from these litters are from properly screened or tested parentage which is assessed with visits on at least a 3 yearly basis. 

Screening and testing 

Testing is either required if on the assured breeder scheme or recommended otherwise, depending on dog breeds. Some of the tests and screens are detailed below:

  • CM/SM screening scheme (BVA/KC)
  • Conformation testing
  • Deafness testing (BAER testing)
  • DNA testing e.g. MDR1 testing in Border Collies 
  • Elbow dysplasia screening scheme (BVA/KC)
  • Estimated breeding values (for hip and elbow dysplasia)
  • Eye screening scheme (BVA/KC)
  • Genetic diversity – managing and maintaining
  • Gonioscopy (BVA/KC/ISDS)
  • Heart scheme for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (KC)
  • Hip dysplasia screening scheme (BVA/KC)
  • Inbreeding calculators (COIs)
  • IVDD health scheme for Dachshunds
  • Respiratory Function Grading Scheme (KC and University of Cambridge)

Monitoring the health of breeds and any areas of concern to date

  • Monitoring, investigating, and tracking any disease patterns in breeds. The Kennel Club publishes these results annually, the headline figure being the breed mean score (BMS). If the BMS for a particular disease in a particular breed rises, this suggests the prevalence of the disease or condition is rising in that breed, and action and intervention is required. Individuals with a score higher than the BMS shouldn’t be bred. 

What are the problems with the current Kennel Club schemes and information?

The number of dogs contributing to the current Kennel Club scheme resulting in the development of BMS in any given breed is low. The low sample size for data results in inaccuracies. Therefore any conclusions drawn from these results are potentially not representative of the population of that breed but instead of a small sample of that breed. Also, the results depend on the owner reporting disease; not a definitive diagnosis by a veterinarian or suitably qualified person, leading to further inaccuracies. 

Dogs that have been identified as being at risk of producing offspring that would have reduced welfare due to their genetics or the results of screening, are not actively prevented from breeding or being able to register with Kennel Club; so there are no direct consequences for breeders making poor choices leading to producing puppies with poor welfare. 

Some diseases that are common in breeds, e.g. syringomyelia in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, are not protected. There is no recommendation or requirement to not breed those that are affected by this disease. 

Popular sires are commonplace and not enough is being done to import genetic diversity to breed for better health in those breeds that are struggling with welfare traits. 

The Kennel Club are not rigorous in recording the health of all dogs. You can register a dog without testing or screening. So the records are effectively proof of existence, not proof of parentage and health. This can be misleading to owners looking to make good choices on adopting a new pet. Where proof exists, it is recorded at registration, but this is not mandatory. 

Those registered on the accredited breeder scheme ARE required to carry out all required and recommended tests for that breed type, but this relies on breeder compliance. Sadly, accredited breeders produce only a small proportion of those with dogs registered with the Kennel Club. 

So, are the Kennel Club – A force for good? Or are they profiting from poorly puppies?

Being the largest UK organisation, holding the monopoly on breed standards, there is of course profit to be made by registering puppies as do the Kennel Club. The more breeds the kennel club accepts, the more puppies can potentially be registered, the more money to be made – right? But The Kennel Club are aware of the problem in the UK dog population. And recently have acknowledged the presence and danger of breeding for extreme morphology or desirable physical attributes. But what about breeding for desirable physical traits inadvertently resulting in increased inherited diseases? 

The Kennel Club does not appear to be all about profit

It does seem to be working on building a reputable organisation that takes care of our dog population, ensuring the future of breeds and the companion we all love. Public education and breeder support is evident all over their website. Is it enough?

In order for big changes to be made, and a change towards welfare-friendly breeding rather than breeding for physical attributes, a huge push for public education and a culture shift campaign would be needed. Tighter regulations with compulsory screening and testing and then acting on that data to prevent the breeding of dogs that are likely to result in puppies with poor welfare is essential. Development of the campaign to crack down on volume breeding (which we saw during the COVID pandemic). And a return to breeding for quality puppies with good health, welfare and behavioural traits need to be made a priority. 

Improved evidence-based science regarding identifying breed-related problems either morphologically or due to inherited disease should be sought. We all need to understand the consequences of continuing to develop dogs with disabilities and inherited diseases; something that we are seeing the veterinary profession starting to speak out against. The media have picked up on these teachings and we are seeing things starting to change. We all need to be part of the solution. 

Within the Kennel Club, there are documented health and welfare strategies, with numerous new initiatives intended to combat the problem BUT what about the bigger picture? 

The problem is so vast and incredibly complicated; driven by the average UK breeders’ compliance and public demand for certain breeds for desired physical traits. A lot of the current campaigns and initiatives fall short of delivering the prospect of a healthier future for our dog population. But being aware of the problem and wanting to be part of the solution is a start for sure. I guess we will have to watch this space! 

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