brachycephalic dogs

[Cartwrightandson]

A few days ago I saw an English bulldog, eyes were bulging, tongue hanging out and just walking it was loudly straining for every breath. This wasn't an old dog either. It could barely walk, let alone run. It was so deformed with short legs and squat shoulders, meaning it's front paws were turned in facing each other. It was really suffering and just looked miserable. Poor thing shocked me, and I felt terrible for it, why do people buy or breed them? It's just suffering all the time. Braycephalic dogs need to be banned, stop breeding them, stop buying them, crufts stop showcasing deformed and suffering animals, we need better and healthier breed standards. It's awful 😞 it's so unnecessary and cruel.

…because people think it’s normal.

Dogs were originally bred to work. The average dog should be capable of that in most conditions. Whatever their job is. Most pet dogs are not.

I have a pedigree whose breed standard states ‘essentially still a working dog’ hence she’s capable. Many are not bred to that standard either due to poor ethics or ignorance.

I have a pug (a rescue) and I 100% agree. It's my first summer with a brachy breed and although my pug is longer in the snout then most and healthy weight, I've been on edge watching him and making sure he's got cool mats/fans etc. I don't usually have this type of breed but I've ended up with him. He is a lovely boy and absolutely gorgeous but the poor breeding needs to stop.

It's horrendous. I suppose some will be rescue dogs. There are a couple of Yorkshire rescues that get tons in that have been abandoned, often needing surgery, often looking frankly deformed, and often they have been bred from repeatedly :( :( the question is, who's buying the puppies from these awful backyard breeders.

It's so sad. I have a happy mutt and the sheer doggy joy of running and playing and his body doing what it's designed to do, all that is robbed from these dogs.

Someone I used to know (still FB friends) breeds these kinds of dogs. She lost her job and it's how she makes money. She never struggles to find buyers.

I agree. I also had a pug (rescue) and he was OK when young but really struggled as he got older. I had no intention of adopting a pug. I just fell in love at the shelter!!

One of our requirements when we got our first dog was 'normal shape'.

I feel so sorry for dogs in fucked-up bodies who just want to dog, and can't.

I have a rescue pug, its not his fault bless him. I had his nose and soft palette sorted so he breathes OK, still snores though! I would only ever get a rescue and not intentionally go to a breeder.

I have to agree but then I do love a good Hound's schnoz.

What you would have seen is a badly bred brachycephalic dog. I see them all the time, good and bad examples and whilst I wouldn't choose one (I'm a gun dog person) as long as they are bred carefully they can live a full and happy life. Too much emphasis is put by "greeders" on the rope nose (which isn't the breed standard), heavy wrinkles and non standard colours, which fetch big money - double mating merle or blue is popular but known for problems. It was heartbreaking to see owners loosing their 2 year old English Bulldog, that they paid £10,000 for, die due to irresponsible and greedy breeding. On the flip side I see Bulldogs bred well at 12-14 years old, ditto for Pugs.

Pedigree dog breeding is a shambles in the UK... yes, I am looking at you Kennel Club and the breeders that set breed standards.
Gene pools are small which means inbreeding is high leading to all kinds of conditions that impact the dogs quality of life.

One of the antidotes is the popularity of the poo X . The problem is, that many conditions like hip dysplasia, eye and heart conditions are often present in both breeds, making a fool out of the unsuspecting buyer. Nope your X breed isn't healthier than the average pedigree... the only difference is that the inbreeding is lower and the parents haven't been health tested.

I also think that advertising and stationery manufacturers have a lot to answer for. They are the ones that portray these Frankenstein dogs as super cute... normalising a deformed, suffering animal.

No wonder, vets are trying to raise awareness! Although it feels that they get shut down very quickly. My gess is ££££ before welfare.

This. Greedy backyard breeders are breeding for money and not conforming to the breed standard. A properly bred brachycephalic dog can still breathe well. Only the poorly bred ones have problems.

Have you seen what wins at Crufts, and at Westminster in the US?

Some absolute bloody trainwrecks.

Nope your X breed isn't healthier than the average pedigree... the only difference is that the inbreeding is lower and the parents haven't been health tested. True. How many Cocker x Poodles have been tested for hipscores, epilepsy, nuro(something which I can't spell) sudden rage syndrome? A well bred Pedigree Pug is arguably healthier than a random Poodle cross of unknown heritage. Actually both Poodles and Cockers have decent longevity, but if you are going to have a dog of unknown heritage then get one from a rescue for a couple of hundred quid, rather than from a breeder for a couple of thousand.

Do you mean Elton? I thought he was a little belter, although the Jack Russell was more up my street. I'm not going to defend the show world too much (the show ring turned fabulous working dogs like the English Setter into flashy dogs with more style than substance, that are now rare because the fashion phase disappeared along with their working ability), but dogs do have to undergo health checks and 2025 contestants will have to undergo breathing tests. The problem is the brachys are too popular, and popularity brings in the greeders.

dogs do have to undergo health checks and 2025 contestants will have to undergo breathing tests

Honestly, it's pot luck if a brachyephalic dog can breathe or not. Same will apply to the offspring. Breathing difficulties are well established within their DNA, same as some breeds are associated with a certain colour or length of coat.

Breed standards need to change so these dogs have longer shouts and a less squashed up face. That is down to the KC and the breeders that set the standards.
Don't forget, show breeders are able to select the best dogs for the show ring, that doesn't mean all their puppies are healthy and fit for purpose.

One of the reasons we went pedigree this time was that the health of crossbreeds has really declined. My last dog was a real mix. My current dog is a KC reg pedigree from health tested lines bred for good health AND temperament. Her dad is a crufts champ but then the breed standard is heavily weighted towards health and fitness.

Good breeding costs money though. We paid double what we would for a non registered non health tested pup.

Im an agility trainer and quite honestly the well bred pedigrees knock spots off the crossbreeds for this now. Hip, knee and digestive problems are rife especially in the spaniel crosses not to mention temperament. I really don’t know why they are so popular.

I'm always appalled at the BOAS scores of some dogs that are bred. They win, they get bred, despite either not being BOAS tested or scoring poorly. It has taken so much pressure to get the KC to this point.

And yes, the KC has ruined, and is ruining, many working breeds. The breed group that we've had for almost 20 years is beginning to diverge into show and working lines, because the workers are high input dogs.

I know someone who recently got a bulldog puppy- it is still really young- under a year old. It has just undergone several surgeries including one to improve its airways. I don’t understand why people can’t just properly research breeds before they get them. It’s not even as if in-depth research is required- a quick Google tells you everything you need to know. Or maybe people are doing research but just don’t care.

Getting a flat-faced rescue dog is a different matter. I still wouldn’t get one because the drooling and snorting would do my head in, but hats off to those who try to give those dogs a good life.

Double Pugging here (both rescues)

They are not great in the heat but when it's under 20 they love life 🥰

I love them so much, such funny little comedians

I have a very functional pug come to my agility classes, also a frenchie.
We had a fun show the other evening in conditions much hotter than ideal.
We provided shade, a paddling pool and lots of water.
Both of these dogs coped very well. The pug went clear and got placed.
I have seen terrible examples of both breeds but functional versions are available.
I agree that using these breeds for advertising campaigns is a terrible idea.

I think it says a lot about the sort of people who buy them from puppies (not those who rescue them). These people actively go out and choose a breed where the animal (usually) suffers for most of its life; can't breath properly, can't run properly, can't live the best life a dog should live.

At least if you're going to pick a (being quite honest) highly defective breed, try and be responsible. But so often people can't actually afford to buy a responsible bred (anything) and so get the cheapo puppy farm dog that suffers all it's life.

But then I also have strong views about people who buy GSDs with slopey back legs, cocker spaniels that haven't had eye tests, collies/aussies that have the merle gene etc.

People view dogs as fashion statements, not as living, breathing creatures and it's awful.

It was utterly depressing watching Crufts this year. Trying to justify the breeding of pugs and French Bulldogs and saying they’re ‘health tested’ at the show. Acknowledging the problem but still breeding to deformed standards.

I remember chatting to an ‘animal lover’ at the vets who had two pugs. You can’t be an animal lover and buy these breeds.

Its why I refuse to buy pedigree and KC dogs, they’re as bad (worse in some cases) than back yard breeders.

I choose far healthier working versions of my breed that can actually do the job it’s originally bred to do.

I would say with my dog's breed (Border terrier) that bybs and 'pet' breeders are ruining them.

When we were looking the only people health testing or giving any attention to matching dogs for temperament and health were the KC breeders. OK they are a fairly hardy breed but SLEM, plus neurological issues, knee issues, gut issues and skin issues are creeping in and in increasing numbers. The healthiest I know are from the KC lines (and the prominent ones too).

I get asked a lot how much she cost and crikey why did I pay that much? (2k) Because we wanted to stack the odds in our favour of a healthy and happy dog and encourage those breeding practices and the only way to do that was go KC reg.

I agree in some cases the KC are ruining the breeds but not in all.

The thing is that any breeder who wants a record of COI and health tests and so on is tied into the KC. Plus all working tests and field trials where the results are properly recorded are run by the KC. This means that if you want to really know what you're getting, it's the KC or nothing. Both of my dogs are KC registered; if I were to breed a litter, they would be KC registered, because of of this plus side.

But the KC has a lot of failings. They have limited rules around COI (we rejected a number of litters due high COI when looking for a puppy a few years back) and I think none around the use of popular sires. They should also be much tougher about health tests as prerequisite for registration of the litter. I'd also like to see working requirements brought in for allegedly working breeds, but if they can't even sort out mandatory genetic screening prior to registration of the litter, there's no chance of that.

The KC is basically a business. Unfortunately its quality control is all it might be. The German breed clubs are bloody tough by comparison, at least in the breeds I know about.

It is absolutely ridiculous. I can't believe people get these dogs.

I never really paid much attention, or understood the seriousness of the health problems until someone I know got a French Bulldog.

He cant breath!!! He has allergy after allergy. He has an ear infection, and needs a constant donut on his neck. Owner is in denial that he can't breath and says all dogs snore and pant in the summer, but this is honestly something else. They are saving up for a surgery for him I believe while paying for costly monthly injections and steroids.

They said 'if they didn't buy him,someone else would'.

They cost so much in the first place aswell, and then half the time the owner doesn't research the health conditions to properly be able to afford to look after it when inevitably it gets ill.

I was in shock when I saw a French bulldog even be allowed to enter competitions at crufts nevermind win them.