1. What is ‘innate health’?

The term ‘innate health’ refers to the ability of an animal to perform all the natural functions and behaviours that are normally expected for that species.  An animal with good innate health should be able to carry out all the typical activities necessary for their wellbeing within the anatomical, physiological and behavioural norms for that species. The ‘Innate Health Concept’ was developed by Professor Dan O’Neill at the Royal Veterinary College and this forms the basis for the Innate Health Assessment.

2.  What is ‘extreme conformation’?

Extreme conformation is defined as a physical appearance that has been so significantly altered by humankind away from the ancestral natural canine appearance that affected animals commonly suffer from poor health and welfare, with negative impacts on their quality and quantity of life (ICECDogs 2025).

3. What kinds of ways is health and welfare affected in dogs who have an extreme conformation?

This depends upon the conformational trait which has been exaggerated and ranges from dogs being unable to run around and exercise normally, inability to breathe freely, joint and spine problems, eye conditions, unpleasant and painful skin infections, dental problems, deafness/ blindness and reduced life expectancy.  In addition, some dogs can also encounter difficulties in performing normal canine functions such as self-grooming and being able to communicate with other dogs.

4.  What are common examples of extreme conformation in dogs?

There are many ways in which a dog may be deliberately bred to have an extreme conformation; these include having excessive skin folds on the head, legs or body, having a very shortened or even no tail, having eyes that do not sit correctly in their sockets and bulge, having a very flat face/ shortened muzzle, having restricted/ narrowed nostrils, having legs that are very short or are not straight, having a skull that is too small, a jaw that does not open and close correctly (eg the jaw is undershot or overshot) or where the teeth are overcrowded, and having a merle coat colouration.

5.  If my dog passes the Innate Health Assessment (IHA) does this guarantee that any puppies they have will be healthy?  

Passing the IHA is a good indicator that a dog has sound innate health and the right foundations for having a good physical conformation and, provided the dog they are mated with has also passed the IHA, their puppies are unlikely to develop extreme conformation traits.  This does not however mean that the dog does not have any health issues or underlying heritable conditions that they could pass on to their offspring.  The IHA is only able to indicate whether a dog may be more likely to pass on certain extreme conformation traits and it is not a measure of overall health and cannot detect or diagnose any underlying health conditions that a dog may have or as way of assessing whether a dog may be a carrier for certain genetic/ heritable conditions such as congenital heart defects or progressive retinal atrophy for instance.  We recommend that anyone considering breeding from their dog seeks veterinary advice before doing so and carries out any of the recommended health screening tests for the breed or type of dog.

6.  Is it just dogs who suffer from extreme conformation traits?  

No, sadly the trend towards breeding animals to look a certain way is not limited to just dogs and we are seeing very similar issues with regard to cat breeding and also in some other companion animal species such as pet rabbits.  Whilst the problem is more severe and extensive in dog breeding, we are concerned about the increasing number of cats also being bred to have extreme conformation traits and we are in the process of developing an IHA for cats to help combat this.

7.  If my dog fails the IHA is it against the law for me to breed from them?  

Licensed dog breeders must comply with the Licensing of Activities Involving Animals (England) Regs 2018 which states at schedule 6.6.5 that: “no dog may be kept for breeding if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype, phenotype or state of health that breeding from it could have a detrimental effect on its health or welfare” and therefore anyone who has a commerical dog breeding licence is under a legal duty to ensure that any dog they breed from has good innate health.  We therefore believe that any commercial breeder who breeds from a dog who fails the IHA could be in breach of their licence.  It is our hope that the requirement to carry out the IHA will become an express provision within the current dog breeding regulations and we are lobbying government in this regard.

Currently there is no legal requirement for those dog breeders who do not require a licence (ie anyone who is not breeding commercially) to take any steps to avoid breeding dogs with extreme conformations since the dog breeding regulations (LAIA Regs 2018) only apply to commercial breeders. Therefore the decision as to whether or not to carry out the IHA would be up to the individual non-commercial breeder to decide. We would hope though that all responsible dog breeders would choose to do this. It is our hope that the regulation of dog breeding will ultimately be amended to included a requirement for all dogs to have good innate health regardless of whether bred by a hobby breeder or a commercial breeder.

8.  Who is the IHA for and can anyone carry it out?

The IHA is primarily a tool for dog breeders (and owners of male dogs who are used for breeding) to use so that they can assess whether or not a dog they intend to use for breeding has good innate health.  It can however be carried out by anyone who has an interest in checking whether a dog has good innate health; local authority licensing officers may wish to utilise it to ensure that licensed breeders are complying with their obligations to take reasonable steps to ensure they only breed from healthy dogs and members of the public in general who are considering buying a puppy or a dog may want to use it to check the innate health of any dog they are thinking of taking into their family.  It is a very straight forward and easy to use visual checklist which requires no specialist equipment or training to carry out.

9.  Does the IHA apply to both male and female dogs?

Yes, both male and female dogs would need to undergo the IHA to ensure that they both had good innate health - only applying it to female dogs would mean that only 50% of the gene providers of new puppies has been assessed and in our view both parent dogs should have the IHA carried out. 

10.  How would a prospective puppy owner know that their puppy had come from parents who have passed the IHA?

A certificate is generated for dogs who successfully pass the IHA which contains verification of the dog’s identity and this can be provided to any prospective puppy purchaser and included in their puppy packs.  Anyone who is thinking about getting a puppy from a breeder should ask the breeder to see the IHA certificates for both parent dogs.  

11. Who/ what is APGAW?

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare (APGAW) is one of the longest running All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) and was established to develop policy on any issue relating to animals with the aim of improving animal welfare.

12. Is the IHA recommended/ endorsed by any of the UK’s veterinary professional bodies or animal welfare organisations?

Yes, a large number of the professional veterinary and animal welfare organisations, as well as local authority animal welfare licensing teams, were consulted and assisted us with the development of the IHA including helping to test out the IHA at both of the pilot study days.  The following organisations have provided their official endorsement for the IHA:  Agria Insurance, APDAWG, Battersea, Blue Cross, BSAVA, The British Veterinary Association (BVA), DogsTrust, Four Paws, Frontier Economics, the GCCF, Hope Rescue, The Kennel Club, LAGECDogs, Naturewatch Foundation, PetPlan, PetProov, PDSA, RSPCA, The Royal Veterinary College (RVC), Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW), UK Centre for Animal Law (A-LAW) and Woodgreen.

13.  What is meant by a ‘merle’ coat colouration and why could this be bad for my dog?

Merle is recognised by irregular blotches of dark hair set on a lighter background of the same pigment to give an almost marbled effect.  The two most common variants of merle are blue merle (solid black on grey) and red merle (solid brown on tan). Merle is an inherited colour trait that can also adversely affect a dog’s health.  Dogs with two merle parents have increased risk of deafness and blindness. Click here find out more about merle.

14. What are skin folds and why can these be bad for my dog?

Skin folds are where there are excess amounts of skin causing the skin to fold over so that the two haired surfaces of the skin are in contact and rub against each other.  They are bad for your dog as they trap moisture, heat and dirt and create an environment for bacteria and infections to develop into skin fold dermatitis.  For the dog, this causes pain, irritation and foul odour.  Click here to find out more about skin fold dermatitis.

15.  Why is having a short muzzle (nose)/ flat-face bad for my dog?

Having a short muzzle/ (nose)(flat-faced dogs- brachycephaly) can cause significant issues for dogs including having severe difficulty breathing, struggling to sleep, reduced exercise tolerance and a reduced ability to regulate body temperature leading to a high risk of heat stroke.  While the bones of the skull are significantly shortened in flat-faced dogs, the quantity of soft tissues in the nose, mouth and throat remains the same. Therefore essentially the same amount of tissue must be packed into a smaller space.  This can cause a range of airway obstructions collectively known as Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS).  Flat-faced dogs can also suffer from a range of additional health problems including dental issues, eye problems, skin infections and difficulties in reproducing naturally. Click here to find out more about this.

16.  Why is having eyelids that are turned in/ turned out or droop a problem for my dog?

Eyelids that are turned in (entroprion) are bad for your dog as these cause the eye lashes and even the hair on the outside of the eyelid to rub against the sensitive surface of the eye (cornea). This can cause inflammation/irritation to the eye and lead to infections and ulcers developing and even to the eye having to be removed.  Click here to find out more about this.

Eyelids that turned out (ectroprion)/ droop are also a problem for your dog as the eyelid cannot properly protect the eye from debris or keep it lubricated.  This can cause eye dryness, irritation and painful conditions such as conjunctivitis and ulcers.  Click here to find out more about this.

17. Why is it bad for my dog to have eyes that bulge/ do not sit deeply in their sockets?

Having eye sockets that are too shallow cause the eyes to bulge out from the socket rather than sit nicely protected in the socket.  This results in the eyeballs being exposed to trauma and also prevents the eyelids from being able to fully blink and clean/ lubricate the front of the eyes. Dogs with bulging eyes are prone to dry eyes, eye infections, eye ulcers and eye trauma.  Click here to find out more about this.

18. Why is it important for my dog’s jaws to close correctly/ align?

Poor jaw alignment (malocclusion) in dogs can cause a range of problems from difficulty eating, gum disease and tooth decay, sores or injuries to the mouth from teeth impacting on the soft tissue and excessive drooling. Click here to find out more about this.

19. Why does my dog need a tail that is long enough to wag?

Tail length is very important for dogs; it helps them not only with balance and steering but also is their main method of communication with other dogs and humans.  In addition, short-tailed dogs (especially those with corkscrew or absent tails) are known to be at an increased risk of suffering from spinal issues which can cause significant pain and impair their ability to lead a full and active life. For several breeds, being bred to have a short tail leads to a quarter of puppies dying in utero.  Click here and here to find out more about this.

20. Why is it important for my dog to have legs that are straight and do not bow?

Dogs with legs that bow are more likely to have difficulty walking, running and exercising normally as well as being at greater risk of suffering from arthritis and joint pain.  Click here to find out more about this.

21. Why is it important for my dog to have natural leg length and no dwarfism?

Dog with shortened legs (dwarfism) can experience several issues ranging from spinal deformities, joint pain, arthritis and limb abnormalities such as bowed legs or rotational and angular limb deformities.  These can all affect the ability of the dog to lead a full and normal life and can cause significant pain and suffering as well. Click here to find out more about this.

22.  Why is it important for my dog to be able to flex their spine bend their body?

All dogs should have a spine that can flex so that they are able to move their head around towards their rear.  This is allows the dog to self groom adequately and relieve frustration by being able scratch an itch.  A flexible spine is essential for normal movement and exercise. Dogs with abnormal spines that do not flex properly are also much more prone to spinal disease and slipped discs.  Click here to find out more about this.