Yes I think it can help
But there are problems too

It only shows what you are testing for so tends to lead people into a faulse sense of security, most breeds have only a few tests, yet there are many many more illnesses out there so it is no guarantee of health

Most people don't bother to ask why we test for what we do and not others, or even ask for the qualifications of the people telling them to test for what they test for

That the hips and elbows are getting better scores is good
But
Do we know if that is actually a result of not breeding from dogs with bad results, or there are other factors like better neutrition or upbringing of the puppies, or less dogs with bad hips being scored

These things are good tools, but not stand alone be all and end all

This post sums it up for me and I will just post here what I posted on the GSD thread, as I feel it is relevant here too.

So many people appear to have lost sight of the fact that joint problems are so multifactoral, there is no way to predict the likely inheritance and that xrays are intended to be a guide, not an absolute, especially when you consider hip and elbow scores take no consideration to injury, even if it is obvious.

While it is certainly useful to know a dogs joint status, perhaps breeders are getting a false sense of security from them, at the expense of other traits, (such as the way some of the showline dogs have become so atrociously unsound), because the fact an unsound dog will often have good hips so as long as it looks good on paper, the unsoundness is ok???

Since this thread I have found out that the haemophilia test came into vogue over 20 years ago and none have been found that do not originate from Canto Weinerau daughters, It is known exactly how it is transmitted, so why are we still doing it when you can identify a possible carrier from looking at the pedigree?

Then there was the rush to test for JRD which was proven to be a useless, but not before several people had positive tested dogs that did not have it and now carry the stigma undeservedly.

Now to the DM test, which would be a wonderful thing that would surely be widely used if it was not already proving unreliable.

As I have said earlier, health-testing is definitely a PART of breeding, but I really am starting to question the validity of certain tests and the weight put on them.

it seems like u guys are only thinking hips and elbows...

theres dm. pituitary dwarfism haemophillia and many many eye conditions amongst others.... so u guys think its ok to breed dogs that could suffer from these and could be eliminated by testing?

And yet the bottom line remains: it is ALWAYS better to know than to not. If you don't test you'll never know.

Absoulutly
I am totaly 1100% for testing
getting data is imprtant
The problem lies in what you do with the data
Just knee jerking and taking dogs out of the gene pool before you undersand the mechanics of inheritance could end up doing more harm than good

before any changes are made in anything it is imo important to collect data and study it - BEFORE changes

So do you think its ethical to breed from a dog with poor hip results, a dog from a very large genetic pool??

I think ideally, health testing AND non-close-relative breedings are better than just one or the other.

Given the choice between the two, it's difficult, but I might go for a non-close-relative litter - as inbreeding or close-relative breeding increases the chance of genetic disease (and natures failsafe is probably more efficient than ours).

For me i didnt know what i was looking at when i got phoebe. Her mum and dad had good hip and elbow scores but i wish ild have looked at there medical records as i would have found phoebes dad has spent loads of time at vets for all same things as phoebe, skin ears and feet. It wouldnt of put me off as she had made a home in my heart already but some warning would have been nice. Her dad was also nervouse like phoebe and died recently from cancer so im now quite paranoid about that one as shes followed in his pawprints so far

I agree, and I would do all health tests required if I were to ever consider breeding.

You are on the wrong thread Jackbox