for the life of me I cannot understand why so many breeders do not health test.

I agree with Elizabeth too, don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Problems can have varying degrees.

to breed only healthy, sound dogs with good temperments! If you have a dog that has health issues or bad temperments and you breed him or her you have contributed to the problems we face today!
I know it is hard, we have eliminated very nice dogs from our breeding programs because of health issues. You simply cant as Responsible Breeders do anything less...The sooner we all start this practice the sooner these AR's Extremists will have to back off or find another area to go after!!!
As far as testing goes, if we all test...wont the backyard and puppy mill breeders follow suit so they arent at a competitive disadvantage! This would be a wonderful thing!! Some breeds have mandatory testing of there dogs, I dont think this is a bad idea. It is one that will take time to implement.
We have to see this paradigm shift and recognize that we have to adapt or parish!!!
Ward

Of course I agree that dogs with genetic problems should not be bred. But that opens another problem. Who is going to oversee that every dog bred has a clean bill of health. That isn't the job of the AKC, it is the job of the two breeders breeding the dogs.

Additionally, if AKC would get involved in trying to manage the wellness of the breeding stock, we would no longer see the puppy classes at shows. A pup that achieves his/her championship at 9-11 months of age may not show any problems at that point. The point of shows is to evaluate your BREEDING stock, so therefore the AKC would have to decide on an age that would be safe to award a dog his/her chamionship, an age that most defects would by that time be detectable. In order to enter your dog into a show, you would have to provide proof of health certificates, etc. No thanks.

So, I think that this topic, is way beyond the scope of AKC and is firmly on the shoulders of responsible breeders. I don't think that the answer is to change bred standard.

Took the words right out of my mouth! I have been a preacher for health testing forever and now more than ever we need to distinguish ourselves from those that have bulldogs to those that raise and produce healthy, correct bulldogs! That BBC show aired many months ago overseas with a wide audience and creating many two sided debates....it has now hit a world stage....now it is time for a truly educated person to show the real differences between puppy producers and the effort that many of us are putting into quality stock. Our breed is one of the most expensive breeds, therefore, one of the most exploited and now graduated to one of the most scrutinized. Would our pups be as expensive if c-sections weren't the accepted delivery and again would the cost be so dear if we didnt have to AI? Now I am not going to the extremes to say that we should push for all free whelpers and all natural breedings, but we should be looking into the viability of those options and what it would take to make them more possible. We need to prove to the world that bulldogs are not just a man made man kept breed. The true test of any breed is if they would be able to sustain a population without the aid of man and our need to selectively breed. Would our bullies go extinct? I believe that we are making such drastic changes by leaps and bounds and with programming like this, it will accelerate our need to prove them wrong. Like has been said earlier...don't wait for mandatory testing to be instituted and a possibility of changing or excusing our breed, take the initiative to make a difference. Remember that everything you produce is now somebody else's family member....you have the chance to possibly curb much heartache if you detect a problem before passing it on to an entire litter. We all need to be responsible. Remember, you have the right to deny somebody access to your stock if they don't meet the health criteria of your own stock. Always use the 'dont tell me show me' mantra when breeding.

True, dogs with issues should not be bred.

Here is the problem;

The program presented all breeders in the same light.
The Kennel Club in England, as s result of this show CHANGED the bulldog standard.. Did not do anything to require health testing, just changed the standard.

Inbreeding is not the problem, inbreeding unhealthy dogs is, besides, no one really breeds that tight over and over again (say father daughter or siblings).

2 years to barely get 100 trachea x rays, even with a $50 rebate and multiple begs and pleads... I'm not too optomistic.

When it all hits the fan and you wonder what can be done, don't say you were not informed enough to prepare.

Start now. If your dogs pass for patella, heart and trachea, great. If you are inclined, go for hips, elbows, eyes, thyroid and the DNA test for stones.

If they don't pass? Discuss the degree of the problem with your vet. A mild patella luxation might not ever be symptomatic and if you want to breed that dog, insist on perfect knees from the mate of choice.

Common sense.

Bad heart? Would you want to breed that anyway? Nothing worse than a bitch dying full of puppies. A thorough heart check eliminates that issue as a contributing factor.
Hypoplaaric trachea? Same thing.

One thing that is not required of dog breeders is basic knowledge of animal husbandry. Being ignorant is not an excuse.
You choose to breed dogs, choose to be a great breeder, not just a producer of more and more puppies.

Oh!! And get autopsies on any young dog that dies, especially if that dog has offspring!!

Excellence has many meanings. Excellent show dogs pass health tests all the time. Do not think for one minute that you have to give up conformation to pass health tests. This is an old arguement that makes zero sense to me.