Back to responsible breeding policy!

From Appearance to Demonstrable Health

The Stichting Welzijn voor de Hond questions the current policy rule for brachycephalic (short-skulled) dogs and the way it is applied in practice. We advocate a return to well-supported breeding policies in which health, functionality, and genetic diversity are central.We emphasize that a large proportion of short-snouted dogs are healthy and function normally, without signs of respiratory distress or breathing problems. The assumption that short snouts automatically lead to health issues does not reflect the wide variation within this population.

Breathing in dogs is a complex interplay of factors and cannot be reduced to a single physical trait such as nose length. Elements such as body condition, weight, structure, nostril opening, throat and airway anatomy, exercise tolerance, thermoregulation, and overall fitness play an equally important role in a dog’s functioning.

However, the current policy on brachycephalic — or increasingly referred to as short-skulled — dogs places strong emphasis on morphological characteristics and broad assumptions at the breed or type level. As a result, health risks being reduced to appearance, while welfare and functionality are in fact individual and multifactorial.

According to the foundation, this calls for an approach based on scientific insight, objective health data, and assessment of the individual dog. Not appearance, but the demonstrable functioning of the dog should be leading. Objective health data, respiratory examinations, physical condition, behaviour, and welfare indicators should have a central place in policy and evaluation.