Excellent ideas, Nikki. As Brainless says - send a copy of that to the KC and the Dog Press (before someone else does and claims the credit/best letter prize!)

This is what I emailed to the KC today on your lot's advice lol -

I don't know if this is the right department, it's regarding the accredited breeder scheme.  I am a member of a dog forum and discussion has been started on this topic (champdogs.co.uk- accredited breeder scheme).  I have bred in the past and I do have an affix - jakieboy.  Many things have been discussed on that thread, but I had a few ideas myself and everyone thought I should contact yourselves with them regarding this subject (if you wish to read my post on there as well it is under jakieboy)

1.  all breed societies should have been contacted first to make sure of all relevant health checks for each breed.
2.breeders should submit certification regarding health checks and dna testing to the kc.
3. rather then charging the breeders that do everything correctly and become accredited extra maybe you should either consider reducing their fees or increasing the fees of breeders who don't become accredited and hence aren't necessarily breeding for the good of the breed.
4. Maybe introduce a point system on the accreditation ie 1 for just dna tested dogs, 2 for just health checked dogs and 3 for every relevant test and dna done and certs received.
5.  On litters that breeders have put a breeding restriction on then it should not be lifted by yourselves until a letter from breeder has been received and the new owner/breeder has had and submitted all test results.
6.  The BVA scheme would then be easier to update to include all health checks rather then the few they cover now.

I hope that my comments are taken into consideration and the fact that several other breeders have thought they are good ideas too (champdogs forum)

Thank you

I think I included everything there.

Nikki xx

Hi Nikki

Something I would like to see is the puppy test eye results published.  At the moment they "don't count" towards eye testing but to my mind this is one of the more important aspects (for some breeds) of the testing process.

I agree Kerioak.  I'd be quite happy to have my failures published!  Then if I saw a dog pup tested clear, I could put him on the list of possibles and watch him mature!!

I agree whole heartedly. It always seems so strange to me that possibly the most important eye test in some breeds is not listed against that puppy. I guess it dates back to the days when KC documentation was so long coming through that it would not have been received by the breeder until weeks after litter screening had taken place. With the age of the computer records this SHOULD never be a problem now, assuming the breeder is reasonably quick at submitting the registeration forms.

Best wishes, John 

The kc do so many other booklets - i'm sure they should be able to collate and publish all test results for all tests for whatever breeds etc. Like john said - with the age of computers it should be no problem at all.   As part of the accreditation scheme it would be a good idea, that the members had the option to subscribe to that like they do the breed supplements etc.  If I bred again I would want my results published whether they were good or bad.  Even the dna results would be good, once the scheme was well under way, obviously not first generation under the scheme but future pups etc could have it published that dam and sire have been confirmed through dna. 

Nikki xx

Hi Jackie :-),

When you say ""DNA is not just an identification it is use to locate and isolate the genetic problems we have all been trying to eradicate with"",  if this is what it was being used for that would be great but it is purely as a identification in this scheme.

I actually filled in the forms with the intention of joining the scheme until I had a good think about it and spoke to some of the longer serving and more experienced breeders in my breed about it.

I am not 100% sure how the funding and profit works with the AHT but I do know that they are governed and owned I believe by the KC anyway so most DNA tests more income.

I spoke with one of the guys from the AHT a whole ago Adrian and he sent me a letter with some info and it was Kennel Club headed paper.

I really really hope that more things do come out of it and they will work with the breed clubs to make changes as they go along.

They have as usual put their huge disclaimer on every possible piece of literature to do with the scheme.