Can anyone tell me which health tests a boxer should have before they are bred please?

Boxer Information Pack - The Kennel Club    If you do a search using this wording, you'll see a pdf file come up - scroll down and you'll find Hips and Heart should be tested for under the BVA/KC Scheme

This ones helpful

http://www.dogbreedhealth.com/boxer/

Will they show all the testing that should be done, though?  Because I'm just having a quick check on the dobermann tests listed to see if it's still the same as it was last time I looked, and DCM still isn't listed on there at all.  Yet it's the biggest health problem in the breed.

So can the KC list be trusted?  Or are there other conditions my friend should be aware of?  I'm not up on my boxers beyond knowing they have heart and cancer trouble so I don't know what else they're prone to.

Check my link Nikita. There's more detail. Some things have no tests but advise is given

Sorry, you must have posted at the same time as me, I didn't see it.  Thank you, I'll have a look.

I was looking at breeders last year for a friend and to find a breeder who heart tested and hip scored wasn't easy and I gave up. Maybe I was looking in the wrong places.
Entropion also is noted as a problem in the breed and juvenile kidney disease, the latter there is info on the boxer club website

http://www.ukboxerdogs.co.uk/iandi.html

Lots of info on this breed clubs page

Elbow scoring I don't recall seeing any breeders scoring on my search for a friend. Is that something more common in the US to test for?

Heavens (suejaw) looking at that list it's a wonder anybody buys a Boxer

They are a bit, erm, train wrecky aren't they?  Looking at that anyway!

Thanks guys, some things to send over to her there.  I will send her the KC thing but it seems very limited looking at those, which doesn't surprise me with the dobe writeup I mentioned.  The bitch also is not KC reg so that isn't relevant but the more the merrier, you know.

Tbh some breeds and breeders like their head in the sand 're health testing. Surely if there is a problem in the breed you test for it?

Hi there
We have a beautiful male Boxer pup of 8months old and already 30kg.
He is kc registered and got good bloodlines and we are wanting to put him out to stud in the future.
At 11 weeks old he attended a charity fun dog show, in which he came 2nd in Best Pup, and 5th in Best Condition Dog.
Can anyone advise as to where we get him hip and heart scored; and also at what age should he be capable of producing healthy pups.
Thanks in advance

Responsible breeders look for stud dogs amongst well bred males, who have been shown or worked at the highest level successfully. Success at a charity pet dog show judged by someone who may or may not have any knowledge of pedigree dogs is not what shows a dog is an outstanding specimen of it's breed & suitable to be bred from.

Hips & elbows can be assessed from 12 months of age under tjhe BVA/KC scoring scheme & Xrays of good quality taken by a vet experienced in submitting correctly taken plates to the panel of experts from the BVA.  Hips can also be assessed under Penn Hip scheme in the USA by submitting digital Stays taken by a Penn Hip specialist UK Vet.

Aortic Stenosis can only be tested for a cardiologist using a Doppler echocardiogram & needs a referral from your vet unless you can find a testing session organised by clubs & individuals involved in the breed. It is NOT s test that confirms whether or not your dog carries the genes that produce the condition only whether or not your dog has AS.

Boxer ARVC now has a DNA test & it would also show up on the AS Doppler testing.

This USA link contains tests that should be done on dogs BEFORE being bred from.

Are you aware of the character changes that can & do occur to male dogs after being used at stud ? A male dog can produce sperm as soon as it's testicles have disended & are fully developed & be capable of producing puppies from an early age HOWEVER responsible breeders do NOT breed from young dogs  nor dogs that are not FULLY health tested

Gosh, I didn’t expect a grilling from my very 1st post.
I’m quite aware that a charity dog show is exactly what it says it is; but Christ he was only 11 weeks old and it was to get him socialising and familiar with a ring. He’s also attended a boxer dog meet where 230 boxers met for socialising and a walk. We want to be responsible and have correct health checks done, and yes I’m aware that there may be caricature changes in males after breeding.
After all, if everyone were putof by a somewhat negative post, then no one would let their dog breed and none of us would have a dog at all.

Funny seeing tgis today. Someone I know vaguely on social media is gushing about their "rare white boxer" male puppy they've just put a deposit on. Especially excited about how he is so aloof with the other pups and doesn't lower himself to playing rough and tumble. 6 weeks old! Id bet deaf or heart or both but she's hearing none of it.

Are you going to show your dog at real dog shows or have you already done so ? Alternatively do you work your dog in some way such as KC activities ?

Your dog doesn't just need heart & hip testing, but also elbows, DNA etc

You haven't mentioned showing/working your dog which leads me(& no doubt others)to the conclusion that you haven't yet done either of these. Attending a breed"get together" & a pet dog show by the age of 11 months isn't a serious way to assess a dog suitability for breeding.

Don't forget stud dog owners are 50% responsible for any off spring their dog produces so in the event a puppy from your dog needs rehoming at sometime during it's life you will be partly responsible. Do you have the facilities to take in such dogs ?

I have multiple pedigree registered(& health tested)dogs that haven't been & never will be bred from because too many people believe if they have a good dog(in their eyes)they need to breed from it. My dogs work(or are retired from work)for a living & I have had many enquiries from people(including pet bitch owners)to use one of them at stud because that is what dogs are for. It isn't owning a dog is a privilege & not every dog needs to be bred from.

The way you describe using your dog at stud(i.e. to put him out to stud)reveals that you don't really understand what having a stud dog involves. You don't just put a male & an in season female together & leave them to it. Stud dog owners have to know how to handle matings & some dogs need lots of expert handling to be a good stud dog.

Did you expect a gushing reply to your questions ? Like ooh how wonderful & this is how to get to breed from him etc ? Sorry not my style, yes novice dog owners/breeders need advice, but one should do research regarding the complete health status & full testing needed for your breed & not simply ask questions re how soon you can start using your dog to produce puppies without being shown/worked

Don't think it was a grilling  but giving good honest answers to your questions.

I also thought it was a very thorough and informative response.

Oops that should be by 8 months not 11

Even the most casual of country shows usually have a 6months lower limit for puppy or open classes. I doubt anyone with a good quality bitch would be looking for a rosette awarded to an 11week old as "showing success" even if all health tests were done amd resilts better than average etc.

> We want to be responsible and have correct health checks done

The first post you got was not a grilling but giving you the facts.

Responsible bitch owners choose the males that will be bred from. the males owner can let the breeders know of his availability, usually by advertising in breed club publications, and breeders may then consider what is available.

they will pick a male that they have seen, have knowledge of his health, his background (his parents etc) and often have seen the quality of the offspring he ahs produced.

Of course every dog used has a first time, and often this will be someone who knows his parents lines well, and is willing to take the chance on an unknown quantity.

I have a breed that is numerically small, yet even champion males sometimes rarely or even never get used, as there is also the issue of whether a particular male will make a good match for the available bitches.  He may be too closely related to them, not have the qualities that the bitch needs, or that appeal to the breeder.

All this is moot unless a large cross section of the reputable breeders don't see him, and for your breed that will mean at shows, as that si the place breeders see the most fogs of their breed in one place to make comparisons.