Responsible breeding practices including health testing, genetic diversity promotion, and conformation reforms are essential to reducing inherited disease burden in purebred dogs.
Breed welfare reform requires addressing the structural factors that perpetuate disease: conformation standards that reward harmful physical traits, insufficient genetic diversity in founder populations, and inadequate health testing requirements before breeding. While responsible individual breeders conduct health testing and prioritize welfare, systemic change requires kennel clubs to mandate health testing, revise breed standards to eliminate extreme traits, and actively manage breed genetic diversity. Consumers can support welfare-positive breeders and increase demand for health-tested dogs.