BVOA Conference 2021. What did breed clubs ever do for pedigree dog health? - a Dachshund perspective

1. WHAT DID
BREED CLUBS
EVER DO FOR
PEDIGREE DOG
HEALTH?
A DACHSHUND
PERSPECTIVE

2. 2 IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENTS
Near elimination of Lafora Disease Encouraging reduction of IVDD prevalence

3. TOPICS FOR TODAY
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT:
KC AND BREED CLUBS
BREED HEALTH
IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES
DACHSHUNDS: CASE STUDY

4. WHO AM I – IN THE DOG WORLD?
 Chairman of the UK Dachshund Breed Council
 Director, UK Kennel Club
 Trustee, Dachshund Health UK
 Lived with Dachshunds since 1980
 Judge Dachshunds at championship level
 Speaker and Facilitator at 3rd & 4th International Dog
Health Workshops (IPFD)

5. PUBLISHED
PAPERS
AS A CO-AUTHOR
DachsLife 2015: an investigation of lifestyle associations with the
risk of intervertebral disc disease in Dachshunds
Neuter status as a risk factor for canine intervertebral disc
herniation (IVDH) in dachshunds: a retrospective cohort study
Nationwide genetic testing towards eliminating Lafora disease
from Miniature Wirehaired Dachshunds in the United Kingdom
Moving from information and collaboration to action: report from
the 3rd International Dog Health Workshop, Paris in April 2017
Moving from information and collaboration to action: report from
the 4th international dog health workshop, Windsor in May 2019

6. WHO AM I –
IN THE REAL
WORLD?
BSc (Hons.) Chemistry
Post-graduate Diploma in Human Resources Management
(CMCIPD)
Member of the Operational Research Society
Career in Manufacturing (R&D, HR, Marketing,
Commercial) & Management Consultancy
Run my own Management
Consultancy business
Performance improvement
Change management

7. TOPICS FOR TODAY
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT:
KC AND BREED CLUBS
BREED HEALTH
IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES
DACHSHUNDS: CASE STUDY

8. CONTEXT - UK CANINE LANDSCAPE
9 million dogs
3 Million KC
registered
3 Million other
pedigree
3 Million
crossbreed
Approx. numbers
Breed Councils
& Clubs
Breed Club
members
Exhibitors
~20,000
0.2% of dog owners
are exhibitors?
50,000 breeders who
register puppies
with the KC?
Imports
No interest in the
KC or showing?
Doodles and Poos
Mongrels
No interest in the
KC or showing
KC Registers ~250k
Puppies/year
Maximum 1500
KC Members

9. THE KENNEL CLUB –
LED BY THE SCIENCE
Dog
Health
Group
Dog
Health
Group
Genetics &
Health
Screening
Genetics &
Health
Screening
Breed
Standards &
Conformation
Breed
Standards &
Conformation
Activities,
Health &
Welfare
Activities,
Health &
Welfare
Assured
Breeder
Scheme
Assured
Breeder
Scheme

10. THE ROLE OF BREED CLUBS

11. WHAT WOULD
A “GOOD”
BREED BE
DOING?

12. TOPICS FOR TODAY
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT:
KC AND BREED CLUBS
BREED HEALTH
IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES
DACHSHUNDS: CASE STUDY

13. BREED
HEALTH
STRATEGIES
113 breeds have Breed Health and Conservation Plans,
covering 79% of KC registrations

14. “PLANS ARE
NOTHING,
PLANNING IS
EVERYTHING.”
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
 A Breed Health and Conservation
Plan is the tangible output of the
work done by a breed to define its
position, identify improvements and
set out its plans

15. BREED HEALTH AND CONSERVATION PLANS
Breed History
Function
Conformation & appearance
Registration trends
Current state of the breed
Diseases & genetic diversity
Temperament & behaviour
Exaggerations & visible health conditions
Plans
Objectives
Priorities
Research projects
Guidance
Recommendations & screening programmes
Advice for breeders, judges, owners

16.  My 2 Golden Rules for
Breed Health Improvement
are:
 There should be no action
without evidence
 There can be no evidence
without data
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

17. The challenge today is not:
“Are you improving?”
“How fast
are you
improving?”
“How fast
are you
improving?”
“Can you
prove it?”
“Can you
prove it?”
“Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion”
Dr W Edwards Deming

18. Diverse voices & polarised opinions

19. Breed health
improvement is not a
conformation problem,
or a genetics problem,
or a veterinary
problem…
It’s a Change
Management and
Continuous
Improvement problem.

20. TOPICS FOR TODAY
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT:
KC AND BREED CLUBS
BREED HEALTH
IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES
DACHSHUNDS: CASE STUDY

21. The Kennel
Club
Dachshund
Breed Council
15 Dachshund
Breed Clubs

22. 2 IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENTS

23. 4 elements
of a Breed-
specific
Health
Strategy
Lead Plan
Engage Improve

25. GISID: Asher et al 2009

26. DATA FOR PLANNING

27. ENGAGEMENT EXAMPLES: SOCIAL MEDIA

28. ADVICE FOR BUYERS AND OWNERS

30. A VISION WITHOUT A PLAN IS JUST A DREAM

31. A FEW FINAL THOUGHTS…
 "Vision without action is just a dream, action without vision just passes the time,
and vision with action can change the world."
 Nelson Mandela
 "Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds
cannot change anything.“
 George Bernard Shaw
 “You can't change the bricks, and together, you still have to build a wall.”
 Chris Hadfield, Astronaut

32. THANK YOU!
 ian@sunsong.co.uk
 www.dachshundbreedcouncil.org
.uk
 www.dachshundhealth.org.uk
 www.dachshund-ivdd.uk