This is a presentation from 2011 which contains some of the ideas that made their way into the Kennel Club's Breed Health Improvement Strategy Guide.

1. A Balanced Scorecard approach to
Breed Health Improvement
© 2011 Ian J Seath: Version 1

2. Breed Health Improvement must...
● Be led by the Breed Clubs: effectively,
consistently and with energy
● Be planned, evidence-based and regularly
reviewed
● Actively engage all Breeders
● Be well-communicated to owners and
potential owners
● Be supported by other key stakeholders
● Achieve real and lasting breed health
improvements
© 2011 Ian J Seath

3. From Leadership to Improvement...
1: Leadership
& Capability
2: Processes for
Planning,
Communicating &
Improving
4: Real Breed
Health
Improvements
3: Engaged &
Supportive
Stakeholders
© 2011 Ian J Seath

4. From Leadership to Improvement...
LeadPlan
Improve Engage
© 2011 Ian J Seath
Enablers
Results

5. To improve Breed Health we need...
● Clear objectives
● Measurements to
be able to track
progress
● Appropriate targets
to achieve
● Specific actions to
achieve the
objectives
© 2011 Ian J Seath

6. What objectives should be in a Breed
Health Improvement Strategy?
Some examples...
© 2011 Ian J Seath

7. Leadership and Capability:
Objectives
● The Breed Council/Clubs actively drive
continuous Health Improvement
● The Breed Health Coordinator has the right
motivation, knowledge and skills
● A H&W Sub-committee provides additional
capacity and expertise
● Breed-specific Veterinary/Geneticist/
Specialist expertise is used
● Funds are raised to support Health
Improvement
© 2011 Ian J Seath

8. Processes for Planning, Communicating &
Improving: Objectives
● Health Improvement Planning develops
breed-wide strategies as well as disease-
specific plans
● Breed health surveillance is used to inform
evidence-based plans
● External specialists/partners are involved in
planning/supporting health improvement
● A broad range of stakeholders is identified
and a wide range of approaches is used to
engage with them
© 2011 Ian J Seath

9. Engaged & Supportive Stakeholders:
Objectives
● All Breed Club members actively support
and contribute to meeting Health
Improvement objectives
● Non-Breed Club breeders and owners are
aware of breed health recommendations
● Potential owners are well-informed about the
breed and how to buy/own a healthy dog
● The Kennel Club supports and recognises
the work of the Breed Council/Clubs
● The breed is widely recognised for its
achievements in health improvement © 2011 Ian J Seath

10. Breed Health Improvement:
Objectives
● Specific breed disease prevalence is
reduced
● Aspects of breed conformation that
adversely affect health are addressed
● Issues of genetic diversity are addressed
© 2011 Ian J Seath

11. Breed Health Improvement Maturity
Assessment
A framework for self-assessment & planning
© 2011 Ian J Seath

12. 5 levels of Breed Health
Improvement Maturity
5: Inspiring The breed is widely recognised as being a benchmark for its health
improvement strategy and has demonstrated sustainable improvements
4: Intelligent The breed has a clear and effective strategy and there are early signs of
real health improvements
3: Initiative There is a breed-wide approach to health improvement and plans are in
place to address priority issues
2: Intent A few Clubs are taking the lead in tackling the breed's most significant
health issues
1: Initial There is little evidence of a breed-wide approach to health improvement
and some evidence of a "breed in denial"
© 2011 Ian J Seath

13. Breed Health Improvement Maturity
alignment with the KarltonIndexTM
5: Inspiring
KI > 60%
The breed is widely recognised as being a benchmark for its health
improvement strategy and has demonstrated sustainable improvements
4: Intelligent
KI 40-59%
The breed has a clear and effective strategy and there are early signs of
real health improvements
3: Initiative
KI 20-39%
There is a breed-wide approach to health improvement and plans are in
place to address priority issues
2: Intent
KI 10-19%
A few Clubs are taking the lead in tackling the breed's most significant
health issues
1: Initial
KI 0-9%
There is little evidence of a breed-wide approach to health improvement
and some evidence of a "breed in denial"
© 2011 Ian J Seath

14. Lead...
1: Leadership
& Capability
2: Processes for
Planning,
Communicating &
Improving
4: Real Breed
Health
Improvements
3: Engaged &
Supportive
Stakeholders
© 2011 Ian J Seath

15. L1: Leadership
5: Inspiring Leadership of health improvement is widely shared by individuals and
groups representing all breed interests ( e.g. pet, show, working, agility,
obedience)
4: Intelligent Leadership of health matters includes veterinary and/or geneticist
expertise
3: Initiative A Health Sub-Committee has been appointed and a few keen individuals
are taking a lead
2: Intent A Health Coordinator has been appointed
1: Initial There is no obvious leadership or interest in Breed Health Improvement
© 2011 Ian J Seath

16. L2: Resources/Funding
5: Inspiring Fund-raising is driven by the Breed Health Plan, with clear annual targets
and criteria for spending/investment
4: Intelligent A Health Fund is established and Clubs and individuals contribute
3: Initiative Fund-raising is carried out on a case-by-case basis to deal with individual
health issues
2: Intent Funds are raised on an ad hoc basis (e.g. Club raffles)
1: Initial There are no resources available, or allocated, to health improvement and
the Breed Council/Clubs see no need for a Health Fund
© 2011 Ian J Seath

17. Plan...
1: Leadership
& Capability
2: Processes for
Planning,
Communicating &
Improving
4: Real Breed
Health
Improvements
3: Engaged &
Supportive
Stakeholders
© 2011 Ian J Seath

18. P1: Planning
5: Inspiring Breed Health Plans are evidence-based, regularly reviewed and
demonstrably driving improvements
4: Intelligent There is a clearly defined strategy and plans for breed health
improvement covering all four areas of this framework (Lead, Plan,
Engage, Improve)
3: Initiative Plans are developed to include 'enablers' (Lead and Plan) as well as
addressing individual health issues
2: Intent Plans are developed for individual health issues, but there is no overall
strategy
1: Initial There are no plans for breed health improvement
© 2011 Ian J Seath

19. P2: Breed Health Surveillance
5: Inspiring In addition to Breed Health Improvement planning with surveillance from
surveys, there is regular monitoring of causes of death, genetic diversity,
litter sizes/fertility and Popular Sires
4: Intelligent There is a process in place for continuous health surveillance using
surveys of health problems and deaths, and the results are reviewed and
published
3: Initiative A Breed Health Survey has been conducted in the past 12 months and
the data have been used to inform Health Improvement Plans
2: Intent Plans are being developed to implement a Breed Health Survey
1: Initial There is no health surveillance in place and no plans to implement it; the
KC Survey from 2004 is "long-forgotten"
© 2011 Ian J Seath

20. P3: Partners
5: Inspiring The Breed Council/Clubs openly and willingly share learning, and work in
partnership with those in other breeds to help improve canine health
4: Intelligent A range of relevant partners, including those in other breeds with similar
issues, works with the Breed Council/Clubs to support improvement
activities
3: Initiative External specialists are involved with the Breed Council/Clubs in helping
to plan overall breed health improvement
2: Intent External specialists work with the Breed Council/Clubs on addressing
specific health issues
1: Initial No external partners or specialists are involved in breed health
improvement
© 2011 Ian J Seath

21. P4: Communication
5: Inspiring A comprehensive communications strategy underpins all health
improvement activity and addresses all key stakeholders
4: Intelligent Communication is two-way, open, planned, regular and targeted at key
audiences, using a diverse range of channels/media
3: Initiative Additional communications channels are adopted, including online social
media
2: Intent Health matters are published in an ad hoc manner on Club websites and
in newsletters
1: Initial There is no communication of breed health matters
© 2011 Ian J Seath

22. Engage...
© 2011 Ian J Seath
1: Leadership
& Capability
2: Processes for
Planning,
Communicating &
Improving
4: Real Breed
Health
Improvements
3: Engaged &
Supportive
Stakeholders

23. E1: Breed Club Members
5: Inspiring The majority of Breed Club members fully support health improvement
activities, including issues related to genetic diversity, and are
open/honest about health issues
4: Intelligent Most Breed Club members willingly support screening and health
recommendations and are aware of genetic diversity issues (CoI)
3: Initiative Many Breed Club members adopt screening and health improvement
recommendations made by the Breed Council/Clubs
2: Intent Breed health issues are brought into the open by a few concerned
members of Breed Council/Club Committees, or Club members
1: Initial Breed health issues are ignored or denied by the Breed Council/Clubs
and their members
© 2011 Ian J Seath

24. E2: Breeders - Non-Club Members
5: Inspiring The majority of people breeding a litter adopt the good practices
recommended by the Breed Council/Clubs, including those on genetic
diversity and CoI
4: Intelligent Most breeders are aware of, and willingly adopt, screening and health
recommendations and a few are aware of genetic diversity issues
3: Initiative Some breeders are aware of, and adopt, screening and health
improvement recommendations made by the Breed Council/Clubs
2: Intent A minority of breeders are aware of the health issues/recommendations
made by the Breed Council/Clubs, but few adopt them
1: Initial Most breeders are unaware of health issues, or ignore and deny them
© 2011 Ian J Seath

25. E3: Owners and Potential Owners
5: Inspiring The majority of buyers/owners are aware of the good practices
recommended by the Breed Council/Clubs, including those on genetic
diversity and CoI, and make well-informed buying decisions
4: Intelligent Most buyers/owners are fully aware of breed-specific screening and
health recommendations, as well as genetic diversity issues
3: Initiative Many buyers/owners are aware of screening and health improvement
recommendations made by the Breed Council/Clubs and use them to
inform their buying decision
2: Intent A few buyers/owners are aware of the health issues/recommendations
made by the Breed Council/Clubs, but rarely take account of them
1: Initial Most buyers/owners are unaware of health issues in the breed and are
uninformed when making a buying decision
© 2011 Ian J Seath

26. Improve...
© 2011 Ian J Seath
1: Leadership
& Capability
2: Processes for
Planning,
Communicating &
Improving
4: Real Breed
Health
Improvements
3: Engaged &
Supportive
Stakeholders

27. I1: Health Improvement - Disease
Reduction
5: Inspiring There is strong evidence of sustainable improvement across all the
diseases/conditions prioritised by the Breed Health Plan
4: Intelligent There is clear evidence of improvement in most specific areas of the
breed's health disease priorities
3: Initiative There is evidence of improvement in several specific diseases/ conditions
that are breed health priorities
2: Intent Some evidence of health improvements is emerging in the highest priority
area of disease in the breed
1: Initial There is no evidence of improvement in the diseases/conditions known to
affect the breed and there is some evidence that the situation is
deteriorating
© 2011 Ian J Seath

28. I2: Health Improvement - Conformation
5: Inspiring There is evidence of sustainable improvement in breed health as a result
of addressing conformation issues
4: Intelligent There is emerging evidence of improvement in breed health as a result of
acting to address conformation issues
3: Initiative There are plans in place and breeders and judges have been made
aware of health issues related to the breed's conformation
2: Intent The Breed Council/Clubs are aware of health issues caused by
conformation and the Breed Standard has been amended accordingly
1: Initial There is no awareness by the Breed Council/Clubs of health issues
related to conformation, or their impact on the breed's long-term viability
© 2011 Ian J Seath

29. I3: Health Improvement -
Genetics/Diversity
5: Inspiring There is strong evidence of sustainable improvements in genetic diversity
with reduced bottlenecks and breed average CoI below 6.25%
4: Intelligent There is clear evidence of improvement in reducing genetic bottlenecks
and moving towards a breed average CoI of 6.25% or less
3: Initiative There is some evidence of improvement in addressing specific issues of
genetic diversity such as Popular Sires, and in reducing breed average
CoI
2: Intent The Breed Council/Clubs are aware of issues caused by Popular Sires,
genetic bottlenecks, reduced fertility and breed average CoI values
exceeding 12.5%
1: Initial There is no awareness by the Breed Council/Clubs of issues related to
genetic diversity, or their impact on the long-term viability of the breed
© 2011 Ian J Seath

30. How to achieve Breed Health
Improvements using the Balanced
Scorecard and Maturity Assessment
Getting started...
© 2011 Ian J Seath

31. Five steps for achieving effective
change
Identify your starting point
Decide where you want to get to
Decide how to bridge the gaps
Get started!
Review and re-new
© 2011 Ian J Seath

32. Where are you now?
● Self-assess your breed using the 5-level
Assessment Grids
o Ideally, this should be done by your Breed's Health
Coordinator and Health Sub-committee
● Decide which of the five levels you are
currently at, for each of the Scorecard areas:
o Lead
o Plan
o Engage
o Improve
● Identify the key issues your assessment has
highlighted that need to be addressed © 2011 Ian J Seath

33. Where are you now? - example
Improve Engage
I1: Disease E1: Breed Club Members
I2: Conformation E2: Non-Breed Club Breeders
I3: Genetics/Diversity E3: Owners/Potential Owners
Plan Lead
P1: Planning L1: Leadership
P2: Health Surveillance L2: Resources/Funding
P2: Partners
P4: Communication
Initial Intent Initiative Intelligent Inspiring
© 2011 Ian J Seath

34. Where are you now? - example
Initial Intent Initiative Intelligent Inspiring
L1: Leadership
L2: Resources/Funding
P1: Planning
P2: Health Surveillance
P3: Partners
P4: Communication
E1: Breed Club Members
E2: Non-Breed Club Breeders
E3: Owners/Potential Owners
I1: Disease Reduction
I2: Conformation
I3: Genetics/Diversity © 2011 Ian J Seath

35. Where do you want to be?
● Identify what you currently do well and need
to continue to do
● Identify what you currently do well, but need
to enhance, or "step up a gear"
● Identify what you currently do well and could
usefully extend into other areas
● Identify what you currently do that isn't really
working and needs to be changed
● Identify what you are currently not doing and
need to start
© 2011 Ian J Seath

36. Where do you want to be?
● Be realistic about what you want to achieve
and how quickly you can achieve it
o Leadership and Planning objectives can be
achieved within 1-2 years
o Engagement objectives will take longer to achieve;
perhaps 2-4 years
o Health Improvement objectives may take 4-10
years to achieve, depending on your breed's starting
point and the range of issues to be addressed
© 2011 Ian J Seath

37. Decide how to bridge the gaps
● Identify the most important and practical
opportunities for further improvement:
o Where can your breed make better use of its
strengths?
o Where can you learn from good practice in other
breeds and apply it in your own?
o Where could you be more systematic in the way you
do things?
o Where do existing initiatives need better
coordination or organisation?
o Which of the "enablers" will have the biggest impact
on the "results" your breed needs to achieve?
© 2011 Ian J Seath

38. Get started!
● If you wait to develop the "perfect plan", you
will wait a very long time
● If you wait to get "everyone on board", you
will wait a very long time
● Find some "early supporters" who want to
work with you to improve things
● Have a go; see what works, then refine it
and extend it
© 2011 Ian J Seath

39. Who will come with you?
Champions
Early
Supporters
Wait and see
Reluctant
Followers
Blockers and
Terrorists
Enthuse
Educate
Enforce
© 2011 Ian J Seath

40. Review and renew
● Review progress at least twice a year, to
ensure your planned actions are being
implemented
o Ensure the Breed Council/Clubs are aware of
progress, successes and barriers
● Review how relevant and appropriate your
current actions are
o Health priorities can change
o New research findings can open up new
opportunities
● Repeat your self-assessment using the
framework (perhaps every 18-24 months)
© 2011 Ian J Seath

41. Success factors...
● Be open and honest when assessing your breed's
current situation
● Be ready to learn from good ideas and practices in
other breeds
● Share your breed's good practices with others
● Don't dwell on the past; focus on improving things for
the future of the breed
● Use the Scorecard and Assessment Framework as a
guide, not a "prescription"
● Don't expect quick fixes; real health improvement is a
long-term commitment
© 2011 Ian J Seath