Jan
Kennel Club Announces Breed Changes to Accredited Breeder Scheme
The Kennel Club has announced changes to its Accredited Breeder Scheme’s breed-specific requirements and recommendations, including health screening:
The breed specific changes are as followsAffenpinscher
Add recommendation: Patella testing under breed club scheme.
Australian Cattle Dog
Add requirement: DNA test for PRA.
Downgrade eye testing to a recommendation.
Add recommendation: BAER hearing testing.
Bernese Mountain Dog
Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age.
Bracco Italiano
Add recommendation: Hip scoring.
Add recommendation: Elbow grading.
Add recommendation: Eye testing.
Catalan Sheepdog
Add requirement: Hip scoring.Add recommendation: Eye testing.
Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Add recommendation: Eye testing.
Deerhound
Add recommendation: Litters to be screened for liver shunt prior to being sold.
German Shorthaired Pointer
Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age.
Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce more than four litters in their lifetime.
Hungarian Vizsla
Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age.
Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce more than one litter within a 12-month period.
Italian Spinone
Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age.
Lancashire Heeler
Add recommendation: DNA test for PLL.
Newfoundland
Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age.
Retriever (Flat Coated)
Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age.
Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce more than three litters in their lifetime.
Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce more than one litter within a 12-month period.
Russian Black Terrier
Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age.
St Bernard
Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age.
Spaniel (Clumber)
Add recommendation: DNA test for PDP1
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These changes are effective from Jan 1st 2010 and existing Accredited Breeders have six months’ grace in order to come in line with these.
Breeding parameter recommendations have been included for certain breeds for the first time – for example minimum age of mating a bitch, maximum number of litters for a bitch and restriction on breeding from a bitch more than once in any 12-month period. Most of these are ‘giant’ breeds and it was the Breeds Liaison Council which proposed that these breeds be consulted on this matter.
These parameters have been brought in following extensive consultation with breed clubs. The Kennel Club is keen to encourage such dialogue, and if other breed clubs wish to propose recommendations and/or requirements for their breed, they should write to Accredited Breeder Scheme, The Kennel Club, 1 – 5 Clarges Street, Piccadilly, London, W1J 8AB.
The updated list of all requirements and recommendations for the Accredited Breeder Scheme can be found here.
| Breed | Change |
| Affenpinscher | Add recommendation: Patella testing under breed club scheme. |
| Australian Cattle Dog | Add requirement: DNA test for PRA. |
| Downgrade eye testing to a recommendation. | |
| Add recommendation: BAER hearing testing. | |
| Bernese Mountain Dog | Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age. |
| Bracco Italiano | Add recommendation: Hip scoring. |
| Add recommendation: Elbow grading. | |
| Add recommendation: Eye testing. | |
| Catalan Sheepdog | Add requirement: Hip scoring. |
| Add recommendation: Eye testing. | |
| Dandie Dinmont Terrier | Add recommendation: Eye testing. |
| Deerhound | Add recommendation: Litters to be screened for liver shunt prior to being sold. |
| German Shorthaired Pointer | Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age. |
| Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce more than four litters in their lifetime. | |
| Hungarian Vizsla | Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age. |
| Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce more than one litter within a 12-month period. | |
| Italian Spinone | Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age. |
| Lancashire Heeler | Add recommendation: DNA test for PLL. |
| Newfoundland | Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age. |
| Retriever (Flat Coated) | Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age. |
| Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce more than three litters in their lifetime. | |
| Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce more than one litter within a 12-month period. | |
| Russian Black Terrier | Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age. |
| St Bernard | Add recommendation: Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age. |
| Spaniel (Clumber) | Add recommendation: DNA test for PDP1 |
More recommendations are welcome for sure, but please remember folks that most of these are just recommendations and not REQUIREMENTS.
Remember also that even when a requirement, for example in hip scoring, there is nothing to say that poor scores should be excluded from the breeding programme. This is why Professor Bateson ruled that this current accreditation scheme is wholly inadequate. His mantra is “test and apply”, “test and apply”. In other words pointing out that very often breeders don’t test because these are afterall just recommendations by and large, and even when they test they don’t always apply the results to their breeding programmes. What’s the result of all this? – little or no progress.
what the KC should do for accredited breeder status is to make all health tests mandatory for each breed, then at least the accredited breeder scheme might be worth more than the paper its printed on, ie if you want to be an accredited breeder then if there is a health test availiable for your breed then your stock should be tested and passed clear or within breed average.