Health screening programmes for breed-specific conditions are essential for responsible breeding, yet compliance varies greatly and not all available tests are used consistently.
Health screening programmes can substantially reduce the burden of inherited disease in dog breeds when they are widely used and act as genuine selection criteria rather than merely a paper exercise. The challenge is that testing uptake is voluntary in most contexts, and breeders can continue producing litters with untested or affected parents. Mandatory pre-breeding health screening requirements, with results publicly available, would transform the effectiveness of existing schemes. Buyers also have a role - insisting on seeing current health certificates for both parents before purchasing a puppy creates direct market pressure for testing compliance. Educating the public about which tests matter for which breeds is an essential part of making health screening systems work.