CAGT offers full KC Good/Best practice bundles to 14 different breeds

Everyone wants the puppy that they buy to live a long and healthy life. And scrupulous, health-conscious dog breeders feel the same way; the last thing they want is to breed puppies that will become sick. One way that breeders can maximise the chances that the puppies they breed will be healthy is to health-test potential parents, prior to breeding. Health tests take the form of clinical tests, such as hip scoring or an eye examination, and genetic tests, where the DNA of the dog is analysed. Continue reading

New disease mutations can occur in any dog, of any breed, at any time (and probably will)!

DNA mutates – that’s what it does. If we go back 30,000 years there weren’t any domestic dogs, just wolves. But through a process of DNA mutation and selection humans have created hundreds of different breeds of dog, with all their distinct body sizes, shapes and behaviours. None of this would have been possible if DNA didn’t mutate. Continue reading

Cocker Crazy at the KC International Agility Festival!

Last weekend we attended one of the largest Dog Agility shows in the UK, the Kennel Club International Agility Festival (KCIAF), where we met up with over 100 Cocker Spaniels. We were collecting data for research into Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) as part of Bruno’s PhD. Continue reading