For those that have not already heard, the KC is doing a new breed health survey and will contact around 400 000 owners of KC registered dogs. The last one they did showed a distinct lack of support, especially in some breeds -but the difference there was that the surveys were sent in paper format via the breed clubs, so missed out most pet owners. Now it is online and for anyone. I would urge everyone to fill the survey out, it will be just as important if you have a perfectly healthy dog as if you have one with health problems. It would be awful if only people with a grudge/unwell dogs took the time, so that the results did not show a true picture. They also want surveys filled in for dogs that have died since 2004.

The survey runs from the 8th of November until the 25th of December, so I shall take the opportunity to mention it to all my puppy buyers in the little newsletter I send out to them together with my Christmas card every year.

Read all about it here: http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/pedigreebreedhealthsurvey

I read that they are also sending them out in the post too.
I think this could be a good idea if most people filled them out, I will be

Oh good, that would be even better.

Just been sent the link by someone else as they had an email and filled it in, not as detailed as I would had hoped or thought.. Not sure what they will gain from this at all

Note the KC website states anything filled in before the 8th of November will not count. When I clicked on the link on the KC website it led to a page saying the questionnaire would not be live until the 8th -but I have not had an e-mail. It is meant to take 25 minutes per dog?

Oh took me minutes... Unless the one I filled out was not the one they will be working on?

The email I received was about Breeder Education Seminars, not the health survey.

Why does tbis health survey include only Pedigrees registered on the breed register and not on the companion register? 

Because I' m thinking that without both,  it would not give an over-all picture of dog health.   Useful for Pedigree owners and breeders,  but...

The results of an 'only KC registered breeds'  health survey will likely,  at some point,  be compared to the health of 'designer breeds'.   This already happens.   But with no actual figures on 'designer breeds' health,  it's an unfair comparison. 

I would also hope that they record where the pup originated,  or was bought and any health testing of the parents.     Otherwise,  the health of responsibly bred dogs will be undistinguished from commercially bred dogs.    Which in the aftermath of 'that programme'   would seem to be irresponsible and misguided at best.

Why does tbis health survey include only Pedigrees registered on the breed register and not on the companion register? 

It says that once they have done this survey, they will look into doing one for dogs not on the breed register including crossbreeds. I suppose only dogs on the KC breed register has verified parentage -well up to a point, anyway. And they do ask for the KC registration of the dogs.
I did notice though in the FAQ that it appears you can only fill it in for a total of 5 dogs -that seems a shame! Even if you don't have more now, by including ones that have died in the past 10 years surely a LOT of people will have more than 5 they could do the survey for. (Unless I misunderstood it and deceased dogs are not counted as part of the 5.)

Me too saw this message when I hot-footed onto that link!!   I contributed to a Breed Survey for my main breed some years ago but never saw the results because it was said, some time afterwards, the survey was 'flawed'.   I hope the same won't apply to this one!!   It took me ages to fill in given our numbers at one point.   So that was disappointing.   I doubt I'll be emailed by the KC since it's been a long time now since our last litter was registered.   I will get back online, and fill this one in because I think the Basset breed needs to be looked at again!!

ps    We've lost the final 5 of our own bloodline, since 2004, so at 25 mins. per dog, that's going to more like sitting the 11+ (and that shows my age eh).

As far as I can see,  the survey on Pedigree dogs will still be flawed,  if they make no distinction between responsibly bred dogs and those bred commercially and Backyard bred,   both can be registered with the KC,  but there's a world of difference between them :-(

Maybe I'm just hoping for too much,  but after the fallout from 'that program'  I would have thought the KC would have done anything to maximise the distinction between responsibly bred,  health tested dogs and commercial/BYB bred dogs,  and a survey like this would certainly help :-(

I suppose we will have to wait and see (or hope) if for instance health tests of parents will be taken into account.

Well I have 6 dogs between 2 and 15 years. 

Just to ? bump this thread - I've just completed the survey.   Interesting, but I'd suggest, lacking in 'depth'?

I agree, I've just done it as well. They could have asked so much more, for instance when they asked if the dogs had had health testing under any KC/BVA schemes, why not ask for the result? And I really think it is an opportunity missed to just allow 5 live and 5 dead dogs. That effectively left one of my breeds out entirely. I did mention this in the comment box at the end.

The behaviour section was a bit odd and I wonder what they will do with it -again I left a comment about it. One thing you could tick was whether your dog jumps up at people. Yes all mine do as we actively encourage it -it builds confidence and we use it as a reward at training and in the show ring. So we most definitely do not see it as a problem, but they might do.

> That effectively left one of my breeds out entirely. I did mention this in the comment box at the end.

Would there be anything to stop you doing it again for the other breed? You might need a different email address, but that's usually manageable.

Jumping up,   on first meeting,  and full of  excitement,   I wouldn't see  as a problem,  depending on the breed.

But if the dog jumps at  everyone, both indoors and out,  and not just as a first excited greeting,  then  for me that  would be a  problem.

Wonder what the KC will  use  the info for...?

Well completed but found in the deceased dog section that I could not give the year of birth of the bitch that died in 2005 as the drop down list only went back to 1994, and she was born in 1992.

Me too. I left the year blank.

Would there be anything to stop you doing it again for the other breed? You might need a different email address, but that's usually manageable.

Might be worth a try, as long as they don't invalidate everything -it does say they will use the registration numbers to validate the responses and of course those will show the same owner.

>Me too. I left the year blank

That's what I did. :)

Did whoever designed the firm think any dog dying from 2004 could nto be more than 10 years old LOL

I found I couldn't put the BIRTH date (1991) for one of my deceased hounds.   I mentioned this in another box and left the year for her, blank.   As for the training issues ..... again basics with a Basset, usually fine, within the 'confines' of the breed!!!   More comments about that from me and ditto for my Whippet who will meet and greet, but that's it.   Back to the aloof faraway gaze.   I also thought about whether they wanted the original reg. number, or as in the case of a few of mine, their Stud Book number.   I gave that where relevant.

I guess from the record information, registration numbers and names, it would be easy to see who bred who, but there's no provision for a Breeder-owner responder, or a dog from ????     I believe that's relevant too, or should be?

Flawed? - hum!!   I suppose the KC know what they are looking for in this 'health' survey.

ps    Luckily, as my memory ain't what it used to be, I have a note of the DOD in all my hounds, so basically that bit was easy, much as it was hard to realise what a hard time (losses) we'd had during that period.   4, and one other who was just outside the time-frame they wanted, to the end of our bloodline - pretty sad.

Would there be anything to stop you doing it again for the other breed? You might need a different email address, but that's usually manageable.

Might be worth a try, as long as they don't invalidate everything -it does say they will use the registration numbers to validate the responses and of course those will show the same owner.

Hmmm, true ...

I too thought it seemed rather shallow and can't quite imagine what the point might be.

Really couldn't understand the Obedience parts?

Surely it's down to the level of training an owner wishes or is capable of?

As I have to sadly admit theses day mine don't do any formal obedience and I rarely any longer let them off lead. 

They do as much as I require of them at home and on walks, shows etc.

I found I couldn't put the BIRTH date (1991) for one of my deceased hounds.   I mentioned this in another box and left the year for her, blank.

That hound, wh August 91, died in Nov. 05 so was 14.3 years.   Clearly the KC don't think dogs live that long!   I don't understand why all the questions on obedience when this is a 'Health Survey'.   But again one can just hope the KC know what they want!!!

>I don't understand why all the questions on obedience when this is a 'Health Survey'.   But again one can just hope the KC know what they want!!!

Perhaps they're considering mental health as well as physical health?

Perhaps they're considering mental health as well as physical health?

I'd imagine that is it. I just wish they had allowed for more details. One question for instance was something like "Does your dog obey instantly when told to sit, down or stay?" I have one dog who will NOT go into a down no matter what, he stresses out completely -it is possible he was in the past treated harshly to go down (I did not have him since a pup), and now nothing I have tried works as he really does freak out. So I simply decided not to bother -I see no major disadvantage to not having him go into a down when he will sit and stand and stay -and he passed his GC Bronze doing a sit stay. We just won't be able to do Gold. But the question covered everything so the answer had to be no even though he will do everything else.  Without explanations, just a yes or a no doesn't say much when it comes to behaviour.

That could be a tricky question for me - my dog obeys very well when asked to sit or down inside in the nice warm training hall, but very badly when asked to do it outside on long wet grass haha!

To be honest, they are going to get a 'flawed' result from my answers re obedience.   In the end I just hit 'it's all fine' ...... hounds and 'instant obedience'?   Forget it.  Jumping up? - hardly with a Basset, and normal temperament in the Whippet doesn't allow for that behaviour either.  But does that really MATTER in terms of a 'health survey'?

Finally got around to filling this in myself, for my two SBT's.  I will be interested to see the results as, after losing one of my Staffords to osteosarcoma, I seem to be seeing a lot of cancer related deaths within the breed (of course that could well be due to the fact that I'm more aware and pay more attention to such things now after losing my girl). 

I have now had three emails from the KC asking me to fill it in, since I filled it in. Which is a tiny point, but an irritation and a sign of a badly-run organisation.

I have now had three emails from the KC asking me to fill it in, since I filled it in. Which is a tiny point, but an irritation and a sign of a badly-run organisation.

Surely it's a sign of them trying to reach as many people as possible, and therefore working through different databases. How many times don't we get bills in the post from major companies saying something like "Please ignore if you have already paid this" ?