So DNA tests that show the dog does not have nor carries a genetic condition doesn't guarantee that it puppies will not have those conditions ???????? Can you show me the proof of this fact of yours.

Temperament is partly inherited & partly "learnt"from parents & breeders-puppies from a mother with a good temperament & that are correctly reared by the breeder have better temperaments than those from mothers with incorrect parents that are not reared correctly by the breeder

BTW I have never owned a cross breed(ie a mix of two known breeds)only registered pedgiree dogs(ISDS/SV/KC) & mongrels of totally unknown backgrounds

Many comments about the RSPCA campaign wording on here, but has anyone contacted them directly and raised their concerns?

Personally, I think the basis of the campaign, which seems to be about the extremes of breeding for looks, is a good thing

I am nearly the opposite, My two crossbreeds in the family have both died young after large vet bills for various problems inluding heart murmers & immune problems Of my 14 GSDs only 2 have died before they reached double figures & one of those was poisoned.

How awful Sue re the poisoning, I am so sorry. It is strange isn't it - I guess we have both been lucky that we have always had such healthy dogs!

Having said that, as I type both Tai and Ben, especially Ben, are extremely sick - with what we do not know - and hubby is taking them to the vet today. They have recently been treated for giardia, yet again, with Panacur, and we are hoping that it is just the case that they need some Metronidazole as well this time.

So i will defer making any remarks about always having had healthy crossbreeds so as not to tempt fate!

Our family has only had 2 cross breeds since i have been alive. One was a JRT x dally girl owned by my auntie who reached double figures and was PTS this year. The other is Cassie who has a food allergy, a dodgy leg from being overworked but is otherwise fine.

The rest have been pedigree dogs (no comments on the NI's being inc on this one as i class them as such) and again all have been fine only my cocker was lost before double digits and that was to cancer. The only problems we have faced have been to do with teeth in Lhasa's which is somthing they are prone too. All have come from good breeders where health tests have been done which were needed at the time.

What my slightly rambling post is trying to say is that dogs come with no garentees, in the best cases you and the breeder do they best they can to ensure the dogs are healthy but the rest is up to the fates. with this message the RSPCA is saying all pedigree dogs are unhealthy which is not the case. I agree some breeds do have room for improvement and the KC do fall short IMHO of where they should be in terms of health testing. However their time, energy and money would be better spent in turning people off BYB and puppy farms.

To me it's the breeding for looks. The best example I have heard is with the Bulldog.
Before selective breeding they were medium very well built dogs (a little like pitbulls) and now they tend to have breathing problems and many can't give birth naturally due to head size.
I would love to see dogs the way they were when they were bred for working instead of shows/appearance but that is my opinion

Well working Border Collies(WSD)haven't changed they still come in all shapes & sizes.

There are still Bulldogs that can whelp naturally & don't have breathing problems-but they don't make the headlines because they are healthy

There are a lot of WSD that wouldn't stand a chance in the show ring and no farmer I know wants a glamerous coat on a collie----a lot prefer the shorter coats and longer legs. It all depends on where they are working the dogs.

rune

It is not breeding for looks that is the problem. It is breeding exaggerations and selective breeding has gone on since we started using dogs for our own needs , be for pet or working.
I would agree that some breeds needs to be careful and look seriously at what is correct and what is too much but to say that the top 50 breeds have some form of physical problem that causes them pain is just plain exaggeration of a different sort.

It is a fallacy that show people breed only for looks because if the dog is also not of good temperament and healthy those looks are useless.

I think the RSPCA should have spent the money on fighting puppy farming rather than attacking Show people yet again. In terms of numbers I wounder which one produces the most unhealthy pups.

Remember not all pedigree dogs are bred or owned by show people.

The problem seems to be that these dogs wouldn't win in the showring??