Breeding under the Entlebucher Mountain Dog Club of Great Britain means we comply with all of the Club’s health testing requirements. The breed is generally healthy and testing for health issues is a way to ensure that it stays this way. Testing is undertaken not only to ensure your puppy stands the best chance of being healthy, but also that the breed has a long term healthy future. When breeding we look not only at the immediate health test results but of the close relatives of the dogs in the lines, to ensure that the match stands the best chance of producing health puppies.
Inbreeding
All matings are at below 5% inbreeding coefficient over 5 generations, but we aim to stay below 2.5%. In addition to this, we endeavour to avoid the overuse of an dog or bitch in breeding, to keep genetic diversity in the breed.
Eyes
Progressive Retinal Atrophy – (PRA prcd) – All breeding dogs are tested for PRA and, as there is a known pattern of inheritance, matched for breeding so that no dog will be affected by the genetic variant of the condition. Any carrier dog will only be matched to a dog which is clear of the gene.
Cataracts – all breeding dogs are tested for cataracts. Due to the small gene pool and the need to keep as much diversity as possible, we allow for breeding of dogs with one small cataract in one eye, but nothing greater. Dogs are tested annually to ensure that the situation does not change. This is a balanced approach as, of the possible issues affecting the breed, this is not a painful condition and can be easily remedied.
Glaucoma – There is no definitive test for glaucoma. However a gonioscopy, which measures the angle of drainage from the eye, is the best indicator or risk. In line with the recommendations of the European College of Veterinary Opthalmologists, we do not breed from dogs which show a ‘severely affected’ result in their gonioscopy test. A dog which is either mildy or moderately affected may be used in breeding, but will only mate with a dog with a clear result. In addition to that, we look at the historic genetic risk of the glaucoma in the lines before mating to ensure that the pairing is not a high risk. This should be tested annually.
Heart
We do not breed from dogs which have a heart murmur. Although many heart conditions can cause a murmur and not all of them are serious, we do not believe it is in the interest if a dog with a heart murmur to carry puppies for the sake of their own health, or the risk of passing on genetic conditions to their pups.
Hips
All breeding dogs undergo an xray of their hips to look at issues of hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia can be very painful and lead to a very difficult and often shortened life for a dog. We follow the European scale of gradings and only use dogs graded C or better in breeding. If a dog graded C were to be used (which we have not yet done) they would always be paired with a dog with hips which were A or B.
Ectopic Ureter
Ectopic ureter is a condition where the lines from the kidney to the bladder enter the bladder in the wrong position. It is a life threatening condition in many instances and can cause urinary incontinence. All our breeding dogs undergo an untrasound to confirm the position of the ureters. Dogs which are affected (graded C) are not used in breeding under the UK Club. Some countries do allow them to be used when mated with dogs graded A or B, but this is a genetic condition which we consider best avoided if at all possible. We also look at the level of risk in the line by reference to previous generations and known or suspected carriers.
We work closely with the UK Club and with experts around the world to try to ensure we achieve the best breeding combinations. If you would like to discuss with us how we go about this then please use the contact details at the foot of the page to get in touch.
Please note – if you are looking at getting a puppy from any breeder (of any breed) do not be fooled by the line ‘We do all health tests’. Check what health tests should be done by reference to the Kennel Club recognised breed club. Then ask to see the results of both parents. Make sure those tests are up to date.
If it is an Entlebucher you are considering and need a second opinion then feel free to get in touch. We are here because we care about the breed as a whole and will provide honest feedback if it will help you make the right decision.