Norwegian Kc Takes Strong Stand On Brachy/health Problems

[sandgrubber]

http://web2.nkk.no/e....b7C_wlHMWm.ips

Focus on brachycephalic breeds

Published 11.04.16Last updated 11.04.16From veterinarians, concerns are frequently raised regarding suffering and reduced functionality among the brachycephalic breeds. The fact that a shortened nose creates a predisposition from problems are by now well documented.

The Norwegian Kennel Club has for a significant time focused on the problems regarding respiratory issues and problems with temperature regulation for the brachycephalic breeds.

The Norwegian Kennel Club's work has so far consisted of the following:

• Spreading information and raising awareness among owners, breeders, breed clubs
• BSI (Breed Specific Instructions regarding exaggerations in pedigree dogs) – this includes both providing general information to judges as well as incorporating BSI as a part of the education of judges), to prevent exaggerated dogs being awarded
• Breed standards have, in general, been modernized in recent years. However, there are still descriptions in several standards that will make dogs predisposed for reduced functionality and health problems
• In 2015, the NKK sent a letter to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, encouraging them to make registration of surgery to improve respiratory function for brachycephalic breeds mandatory. The Norwegian Kennel Club offered to manage the register of dogs having undergone this type of surgery. The Norwegian Kennel Club has no information of which dogs, or how many dogs, are currently being operated on?. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority declined the suggestion to register these operations.
• The Norwegian Kennel Club is currently part of a working group for dog welfare, with several other animal welfare groups in Norway. This group has worked extensively over the past six months on concrete suggestion to improve the health for these breeds
• The Norwegian Kennel Club wants to establish an endurance test for the brachycephalic breeds – this work is well underway

Recently, the Norwegian Kennel Club board voted unanimously to intensify the work to improve the health for the brachycephalic breeds. The intensified efforts will begin this spring, and will include the following:

• The Norwegian Kennel Club will raise the issue during the Nordic Kennel Union meeting in April 2016
• The FCI will be contacted to ensure dialogue with the countries responsible for the breeds in questions. The Kennel Club may also be contacted directly regarding this matter, as they are responsible for several of the brachycephalic breeds. The dialogue with the various countries will include:
• Outcross projects, with the intent of improving the anatomy of the exposed breeds, without reducing the genepool
• Extensive revision of the breed standards with descriptions predisposing for health problems/reduced functionality
• Revision of breed standards for breeds where even shorter noses are likely, or who are close to being at risk (nose/skull=1:2)
• The Norwegian Kennel Club will establish a voluntary register where owners can report that their dog has been operated for respiratory problems. This will be registered in DogWeb, the Norwegian Kennel Club health database, open to the public. Letters with information regarding surgery may also be sent to breed clubs and breeders
• Statements from the owner(s) of parents that these dogs have not undergone surgery for for respiratory issues will be registered when the litter is registered.
• Profile photos of all dogs being shown at dog shows will be taken and registered.

[*kirty*]

Fantastic.

[Kirislin]

Hoo-bloody-ray! Now to hope that soon all the other ridiculous exaggerations that have developed over the last 100 years or so, like massive coats, great dangling skin, extra short legs, over exaggerated angulation, enormous heads, tiny pelvises, bulging eyes,( that's all that comes to mind for now) will be addressed and corrected.

Thought of another, irrelevant colour requirements. Not talking about ones that affect health.

Edited April 15, 2016 by Kirislin

[Willem]

yeah, the Vikings are strange people...they even don't allow neutering (only in rare cases), and despite the arguments promoted here down under all the time they don't have problems with stray dogs....the Norwegian Animal Welfare Act makes it clear that surgical procedures are not to be used to adapt animals to the needs of humans, unless strictly necessary...such an attitude might not be always convenient (for humans), but IMHO it shows deep respect for mother nature and their creatures.

[Steve]

Sounds good and its the sort of statement needed to be put out here to make everyone feel the way you all feel. That the problem is acknowledged and they will take action to proceed to a better outcome.

In my opinion its a push for them to really make a timely difference based on their system for registration restrictions etc which is similar to ours and reliant on the breeders and especially breeders who run the breed clubs.

[Two Best Dogs!]

Hopefully more clubs would follow in a more proactive manner rather than letting breeds get to these stages in the first place and waiting for vets and the wider public to sign petitions. Much easier to prevent than undo health problem trends, I would think (accepting that sometimes shit happens). It would be a good example and reassuring to see.

[Kirislin]

Hopefully more clubs would follow in a more proactive manner rather than letting breeds get to these stages in the first place and waiting for vets and the wider public to sign petitions. Much easier to prevent than undo health problem trends, I would think (accepting that sometimes shit happens). It would be a good example and reassuring to see.

totally off topic. Thistle your dog looks like she's lost an eye

[Two Best Dogs!]

Hopefully more clubs would follow in a more proactive manner rather than letting breeds get to these stages in the first place and waiting for vets and the wider public to sign petitions. Much easier to prevent than undo health problem trends, I would think (accepting that sometimes shit happens). It would be a good example and reassuring to see.

totally off topic. Thistle your dog looks like she's lost an eye

Oh! Haha yes I can see how it looks like that! I was photographing her in some thistles and thought it would be a funny icon XD

Promise she still has 2 beautiful brown eyes

[sandgrubber]

I wonder how other KC's are going to react. I presume that if the Norwegians start outcrossing the pedigrees won't be recognized in Oz/UK/USA/etc. Will the Swedes and Finns join along? Germans? If they meet their health objectives without outcrossing, I'll bet there will be a lot of people looking for Norwegian pugs to import.

[Steve]

I wonder how other KC's are going to react. I presume that if the Norwegians start outcrossing the pedigrees won't be recognized in Oz/UK/USA/etc. Will the Swedes and Finns join along? Germans? If they meet their health objectives without outcrossing, I'll bet there will be a lot of people looking for Norwegian pugs to import.

If the norwegians start outcrossing the pedigrees will be recognised in all FCI member countries - that's the deal they have .Its why when the boxer bobtail thing was accepted by the UK we accepted their pedigrees. If the Dalmatian nfusions are accepted by one of the FCI member kennel clubs then they automatically get accepted by other countries. The hold up is the AKC for the Dalmatians. The UK kennel club has ALL of their stud books open too and any dog registered on their registry is accepted by ours.

But none of that is the same as changing the breed standard . All they have said is that they will consider it and it wont be done as easily or as the statement makes you think and it certainly wont be done for more than one breed at a time. It wont be the Norwegian kennel club decision any more than it would be the ANKC here - it has to all come through the breed clubs. Each breed club can produce explanations and critiques of the breed standard - so for example they could define what moderately short will mean so breeders start to select for that .Theoretically if they did that you would still have dogs which would fit the breed standard but not the extremes of the breed standard - but it has to come through the breed club. Then nothing is black and white - the breed clubs comprise show breeders who all own the current version of the breed - changing how long a pug nose should be will meet opposition and show breeders wont want to import longer nosed pugs if they have no hope of winning here. Then of course if you look at the bob tailed boxer issue even though Australia accepted the UK pedigree with these infusions which created the bob tailed gene the breeders who went with that have been belted pretty well by their peers and even to this day many do not consider them to be purebred

This on the whole is a PR exercise and clearly works better for them than "its not us" worked for us

Edited April 16, 2016 by Steve

[Steve]

So when we understand the system wouldn't it make more sense for us to be asking [say] the Pug Club of Australia to make a comment about what they think is the situation and if anything what they intend to do rather than going after the ANKC or the state canine registries ?

[Steve]

This helps to see the big picture

Allowing dogs of the same breed but from different registries is one thing; what about allowing crosses to dogs of a different breed? Early in the creation of breeds, crosses to other breeds were commonplace. For example, modern Shih Tzu descend from seven dogs and seven bitches, one of which was not a Shih Tzu, but a Pekingese. This cross occurred in 1952, long before AKC recognition of the breed.

Approved crosses to other breeds after AKC recognition are rare but possible. In 1988, at the request of the Dalmatian parent club, the AKC approved the introduction of a Pointer into the Dalmatian gene pool in an attempt to introduce the genes for normal uric acid metabolism. The plan was to breed the progeny back to Dalmatians for several generations until theoretically all that remained of the Pointer influence was the gene for normal metabolism. But by that time a new board was in control of the Dalmatian club and they objected to the registration of the crossbred progeny. AKC lifted the registration privileges for these dogs, so the pointer genes never made it into the Dalmatian gene pool.

The AKC now requires a full membership vote from the parent club before granting approval for such ventures. In the 1980s some Wirehaired Pointing Griffon breeders made crosses to Cesky Fouseks in an attempt to widen the Griffon gene pool. But without a priori parent club and AKC approval, they were not able to get AKC recognition of their stock.

My link

[The Spotted Devil]

But the Pointer genes did make it into the Dalmatian gene pool and, in fact into Australia via imported semen. It's a fantastic thing to happen for the breed and I, for one, would only buy a Spotty dog from a breeder committed to the LUA gene.

[Steve]

But the Pointer genes did make it into the Dalmatian gene pool and, in fact into Australia via imported semen. It's a fantastic thing to happen for the breed and I, for one, would only buy a Spotty dog from a breeder committed to the LUA gene.

Great news - how do I go about finding a registered breeder in Australia who is breeding them?

[The Spotted Devil]

But the Pointer genes did make it into the Dalmatian gene pool and, in fact into Australia via imported semen. It's a fantastic thing to happen for the breed and I, for one, would only buy a Spotty dog from a breeder committed to the LUA gene.

Great news - how do I go about finding a registered breeder in Australia who is breeding them?

It's only very limited at the moment. First litter are in their new homes. Give it time.

[Steve]

But the Pointer genes did make it into the Dalmatian gene pool and, in fact into Australia via imported semen. It's a fantastic thing to happen for the breed and I, for one, would only buy a Spotty dog from a breeder committed to the LUA gene.

Great news - how do I go about finding a registered breeder in Australia who is breeding them?

It's only very limited at the moment. First litter are in their new homes. Give it time.

So how did they get them in and get them registered with the ANKC?

[The Spotted Devil]

But the Pointer genes did make it into the Dalmatian gene pool and, in fact into Australia via imported semen. It's a fantastic thing to happen for the breed and I, for one, would only buy a Spotty dog from a breeder committed to the LUA gene.

Great news - how do I go about finding a registered breeder in Australia who is breeding them?

It's only very limited at the moment. First litter are in their new homes. Give it time.

So how did they get them in and get them registered with the ANKC?

They went into the UK first and even competed at Crufts. Was a big story a few years ago. So came in as imported from UK or USA. I'm not really up on the details as I don't breed them, just have a strong interest. To have a dog on a special diet for its entire life to prevent a simple genetic health issue is just crazy if there is an alternative.

Edited April 16, 2016 by The Spotted Devil

[The Spotted Devil]

Oh and not saying the issue didn't savagely divide the Dalmatian Club of America or piss breeders off all over the world either. There has been plenty of disagreement and horror at the sullying of purebred Dalmatians but as Bob Bailey, one of the worlds most incredible animal trainers responded when he was asked how to deal with people who insisted that compulsion/aversives were an essential part of dog training: "sometimes you just have to wait for people to die." Essentially you will never change some people and don't waste your energy trying.

[Steve]

But the Pointer genes did make it into the Dalmatian gene pool and, in fact into Australia via imported semen. It's a fantastic thing to happen for the breed and I, for one, would only buy a Spotty dog from a breeder committed to the LUA gene.

Great news - how do I go about finding a registered breeder in Australia who is breeding them?

It's only very limited at the moment. First litter are in their new homes. Give it time.

So how did they get them in and get them registered with the ANKC?

They went into the UK first and even competed at Crufts. Was a big story a few years ago. So came in as imported from UK or USA. I'm not really up on the details as I don't breed them, just have a strong interest. To have a dog on a special diet for its entire life to prevent a simple genetic health issue is just crazy if there is an alternative.

Yes I remember hearing about this. Im really glad they have been able to skirt around the idiots in the states. It demonstrates what a minefield it is when that outcross was done about 25 years ago. Imagine how many dogs could have not suffered.

[silentchild]

Oh and not saying the issue didn't savagely divide the Dalmatian Club of America or piss breeders off all over the world either. There has been plenty of disagreement and horror at the sullying of purebred Dalmatians but as Bob Bailey, one of the worlds most incredible animal trainers responded when he was asked how to deal with people who insisted that compulsion/aversives were an essential part of dog training: "sometimes you just have to wait for people to die." Essentially you will never change some people and don't waste your energy trying.

LMFAO I guffawed aloud really loudly at that quote and Jiji bolted from my lap. Love Bob Bailey!