I have just been browsing through the Golden Retriever puppies available through Champ Dogs web site and I am still staggered at the amount of breeders (some of long standing who should know better) who are not doing ALL available health tests for their breeding stock. Golden breeders are particularly lax with regard to elbow testing. I can only presume with some well known kennels that they will not score for fear of losing stud work. This is a very irresponsible way to produce puppies, especially to sell to pet people who will be unaware of what they should be asking for and understanding the results. I believe that good sites such as Champ Dogs should refuse to accept an advertisement from any "breeder" who has not recorded ALL available test results for any particular breed, but for me, especially Goldens. Elbow dysplasia is crippling for life and SO painful; blindness is unnecessary with the tests available these days.
Only if the KC refuses to register the puppies and sites such as Champ Dogs do not accept adverts for progeny of unscored parents will we  possibly see healthier puppies and less distraught owners.

As a GR pet owner I can only agree and I'm knowledgeable enough to only buy from breeders who are health testing as much as possible, but not everyone is.
I'm a fan of the Supervet programs on TV and so often he is repairing the results of breeders who have probably not health tested the parents of puppies they are producing. Almost every week Noel seems to coming up with some bit of magic to sort out elbow or hip problems. Wish they would say more about the problems of buying from non health testing breeders.

Just wanted to add.
I went and had a look at the GR puppies and I see what you mean. There's quite a few not elbow testing and several who aren't even hip testing and just having the much cheaper annual eye test done in order to say that the dog is health tested. Unbelievable in a breed that has been able to improve its average hip score over the years due to thoughtful breeders trying to breed only with low scoring dogs. I'm aware that HD is only partly an inheritable issue

Here here grets.

I've never understood that. Is it mandatory for goldens to be elbow scored under the abs scheme?

I don't understand people not elbow scoring large and giant breeds especially when there is known cases.

It's not surprising that so many don't bother, the UK breeders of most breeds have no incentive to test. As long as Joe Public are ignorant of how to properly source a good puppy they can get away with it. It's not just GR but many breeds have good testing available to help produce healthier pups but they do the bare minimum. Until we get some sort of scheme whereby the KC will not register pups without a breed club acceptance of quality we have no hope. With that then the breed clubs would have more clout and breeders would have to attain whatever requirements the breed club asked for. It works in many other countries and Continental clubs are much better at asking for all sorts of testing.

"With that then the breed clubs would have more clout and breeders would have to attain whatever requirements the breed club asked for".

With regard to Golden Retrievers if the breed clubs had got together and asked the KC to make elbow scoring "mandatory" and not just a "recommended" test surely it would have been done.

The KC still register puppies who are not hip scored anyway. Nothing is "Mandatory" in the UK

Actually that's wrong, a few things in very isolated breeds are I think. But hip and elbow scoring is not one of them. The hip scoring is only "Mandatory for Assured breeders "

If the KC would get off their backside and make breed-relevant health testing mandatory across the board it would make a big difference, as you say - there's no incentive to bother.  It's about time they showed some more teeth.

> I'm a fan of the Supervet programs on TV and so often he is repairing the results of breeders who have probably not health tested the parents of puppies they are producing. Almost every week Noel seems to coming up with some bit of magic to sort out elbow or hip problems. Wish they would say more about the problems of buying from non health testing breeders.

Me too re Noel .... how he keeps his mouth shut with what he sees on such a shockingly regular basis, I don't know, BUT the cynic in me suggests 'it's a nice income'!!   Don't bit the hand that feeds you eh.

As for the KC being more involved - they can only advise in a 'free country'.  Surely?   It guess it's up to us to educate the general public but how many would come to a forum like this, for example?  Most just wake up one morning and go to the nearest breeder with a litter!!

I agree to a large extent, but how do you define ALL tests available? Just looking at Laboklin's site for DNA test there seem to be 10 different ones for Goldens (not quite sure how to count as some appear to be available as part of various bundles).

I fully agree Nikita. I don't buy the KC's arguments against when it works perfectly well abroad. I also like the idea of charging more to register pups from parents with no show or working qualifications, like they do in Sweden. Both would hit the irresponsible breeder but not the responsible.

We have dogs from my breed (Tollers) occasionally advertised on Champdogs saying ‘health tested parents’ and when you look you find they’ve only had the minimum done. We have a disease in our breed which causes degeneration of the brain, we’ve had a DNA test for it since 2015 and the club has fought for it to become mandatory for assured breeders but still puppies are being produced who could be affected. And this is something that can’t be fixed by surgery - imagine buying a puppy whose behaviour is like a mix of autusm and dementia and gets worse as time goes on, and has to be put to sleep at a young age. And the test only costs $65 (about £50) so absolutely no excuse.

Actually there are mandatory rules for registering SOME breeds with the KC in the UK. The Irish & Irish Red & White Setters can only have offspring registered if BOTH parents are DNA normal for CLAD & PRA-rcd



Breed Specific Restrictions
With effect from 01 July 2005, the Kennel Club will only register Irish Setters that are proven to be clear of CLAD, or hereditarily clear of CLAD e.g. both parents are clear.

With effect from 01 January 2008, the Kennel Club ceased to accept any registrations for Irish Setter produced from a CLAD carrier parent mated to a clear or hereditarily clear parent. Breeders wishing to register progeny from a carrier after this date will need to apply for permission prior to the proposed mating, and applications will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

With effect from 01 January 2010, the Kennel Club will only register Irish Setters that are proven to be clear of PRA-rcd 1 (Progressive Retinal Atrophy), or hereditarily clear of PRA e.g. both parents are clear.


As far as I know NO permission has been granted for offspring of a CLAD carrier to be registered

CLAD carriers were allowed to be used in Irish Setter breeding programmes for a period of 5 years following the introduction of the DNA test for the disease. Since that time carriers have been excluded. The Kennel Club will not register litters from parents of unknown CLAD status.

Dawn-R

This was at the request of the Setter breed clubs I understand.

The breed clubs must ALL agree on the testing & registration rules, sadly in breeds like the GSD, the clubs that support breeding to SV rules( compulsory health & fit for function tests) are up against the clubs that prefer "English" type & no compulsory health or fit for function testing ergo the KC cannot enforce compulsory testing rules for registration of puppies. It comes apparently under the Law about retriction of trade not sure what part, but many years ago had a discussion about because anyone can register puppies from KC registered parents with the KC database & don't have to be a member( as with the ISDS where only members can register dogs & therefore health testing can be(& has been for many years)made compulsory)the KC cannot enforce health testing in all breeds for ALL breeders. A certain well known Obedience dog was a known CEA(CH) carrier & would have had his affected offspring & his registrations cancelled & future offspring registrations would have been refused(until the DNA test was available). His offspring continued to be registered & he was still used at stud after his status was known(showing how little then breeders cared about the puppies they produced & the owners of the puppies also went on to breed from possible carriers(or go right)dogs. These breeders still do NOT fully health test their dogs & also breed from known producers/bloodlines that have numerous epileptic dogs. Very very sad

Quite honestly I think our of are so backwards we will never move forward.
Mandatory health testing agreed by the breed clubs and if more than one then they all need to get their act together too before pups can be registered. Health testing on both parents and no kc reg for the litter. It's not difficult as some of the Nordic countries have this and guess what they don't have the issue with byb and puppy farmers like the UK and US do. They don't have huge rescue problems either.