~ Articles ~

Health Testing

At this time, we are moving slowly to increase health testing requirements. The reason for the slowness is that we don’t want to narrow our genetics. So our requirements are minimal, but our recommendations are more complex, and are the direction we are moving as a breed.

DNA —
Incoming foundation animals are required to have a full DNA health screen covering the hundreds of conditions normally covered. An abbreviated test which covers a few dozen conditions is not sufficient. It is strongly recommended that all breeders test all breeding dog DNA. Although there are carriers, at this point, dogs actually affected by genetic diseases such as CMD1 or DM, are virtually non-existent in the CMDR. We’d like to keep it that way. Requirements will be upgraded as we come together as a breed, with enough education to retain our diversity, and breed out potential problems at the same time. It is something breeders do together. DNA carriers are lines that may be mindfully worked with, so that dogs are not affected, and genetics are not lost. You can contact us for guidance in breeding a dog which has a single copy of a carried trait.

HIPS AND ELBOWS —
Incoming foundation animals are required to have hip and elbow tests after a year of age. We don’t require Pennhip or OFA. We require x-rays, and a vet comment about breeding suitability. Structural problems are flaws that cause a dog to be disqualified as breeding stock and unregisterable. At this point, dogs displaying bad hips or elbows, are relatively rare in our breed. We’d like to reduce that to zero. It is imperative to keep dogs at a good weight so that dogs are not made vulnerable to structural problems. This is especially true during growth.

Beyond our registry, this is really dog breeding 101. It is a part of solid breeding practices. We consider our policy as minimal, and we encourage breeders to research and draft excellent health policies for their individual programs.