As many readers of this paper will know, I am a great admirer of the Scandinavian dog scene in general. I like the judging  system, the importance of critiques and their judges training schemes, but a conversation I had recently with some Danish breeders and judges got me thinking that Denmark is in danger of creating huge obstacles for its dog breeders that can only be detrimental to many breeds in the long term.

  For some time now the Danish government has been leaning heavily on the Danish Kennel Club in respect of European ideals for animal welfare. All too predictably one of the reasons given for alleged deteriorating health in pedigree dogs is the closeness of breeding and the smallness of gene pools.

I understand that there is now a large veterinary presence in the Danish Kennel Club, and many old-school dog breeders there feel that the emphasis has shifted away from the original ideals of improving breeds in the quest for healthier generic dogs.

Two years ago the Danish Kennel Club brought in a rule which restricts the number of puppies that can be registered by any one sire. The figure is 25% of the annual registration number for any given breed and that number is the maximum number of registerable dogs that a sire can produce IN ITS LIFETIME.

  The UK has a much larger number of dogs bred than in Denmark , but even if this rule was applied to our country it would have a huge impact. Imagine this no Afghan Hound male could sire more than 50 puppies in its lifetime, Basenjis would have a limit of 14, Borzoi 35, Australian Terriers 15 and so the list goes on.

You now actually have the ridiculous situation where the Top Stud Dog of All Breeds in Denmark cannot be used again in his own country he is a Pug because he has already 25 progeny registered. Yes, he can be used by breeders in any other country. However, the rule also encompasses dogs bred out of Denmark so there is not even the chance of importing a puppy bred overseas (even though its dam would possibly introduce completely fresh blood), as when it came to registering it with the Danish Kennel Club, its sire would already have achieved its limit.

I can never understand the logic of rules that are so restrictive that they immediately tempt the unscrupulous to get round them. Clearly there will some breeders who may consider breeding puppies with false papers to circumvent this rule. Registration figures could also be influenced in one of two ways. Firstly, there will be the temptation to only register outstanding puppies so that the sires quota can be slowed down (thus reducing the overall registration figure which will then affect the overall mean figure even more adversely). Secondly, and something which some caring breeders are already considering, there is the attraction of simply breeding more litters to raise the registration figure so that the stud dogs quota can be increased.

Either way, none of these conclusions seems satisfactory and all of them unnecessary.

  The veterinary profession seems to have a generally low opinion of dog breeders. Yet when I have asked several of them this question ."Do you honestly think that any responsible dog breeder sets out to breed unhealthy dogs?" I am met with entirely blank looks. Of course the core of the sport hope to produce beautiful animals that meet their Breed Standard and are sufficiently sound, mentally and physically, to lead long and healthy lives.

The more sensible Danish breeders feel that there has to be a middle road down which both parties can travel amicably, and which could help maintain the quality that they have taken so long to achieve.  Certainly it must be dispiriting for any breeder to be told that their most outstanding dogs have to be removed from the gene pool simply because of their excellence and consequent success. Hopefully there will be urgent dialogue between breeders and the governing body before it is too late, and a compromise reached.

Similar restrictions were a short time ago put in place in Holland , but these have been rescinded after a very adverse reaction from the fancy, but it would appear that the animal rights lobby, with its misplaced ideology, is gaining a foothold in other countries.

  Surely, Kennel Clubs all over the world should as a first priority support their breeders in breeding dogs to those Kennel Clubs own written standards. To take the side of what are in effect thinly disguised activists surely brings into question their succeeding in following their own constitutions?