Selective breeding for extreme physical traits causes chronic suffering in many popular dog breeds, and health reform is urgently needed.
Breed-related welfare problems represent a systematic, predictable and preventable form of animal suffering that is built into the genetics of dogs before they are born. A pug that cannot breathe normally, sleep comfortably or exercise without distress is not experiencing an accidental health problem - it is experiencing the intended consequence of breeding selection for an appearance that humans find appealing. The veterinary, welfare science and ethics community has reached clear consensus that breeding for extreme physical features causing suffering is ethically indefensible. The challenge is consumer demand that drives the market, and breed standards maintained by kennel clubs that have been slow to prioritize health over appearance. Norway's legal ban on breeding certain extreme brachycephalic types shows that regulatory intervention is possible.