Screening Dogs Under 12-18 Months

There is huge emotional and financial investment in the rearing of show and working dogs. This bond and loss is less when it already becomes known at 6-7 months of age that your dog will not pass the test. It makes perfect sense to have an early screening examination done (at 6-7 months or so) on the hips and elbows to at least identify those animals that have very bad hips or elbows at that age. It is very disappointing to raise a dog until 12 or 18 months of age only then to be informed that the dog will not pass the hip or elbow minimum criteria and the dog cannot be bred from. It is much better to have this information at the age of around 6-7 months but not younger. Dogs that have very bad hip dysplasia at 7 months of age cannot get better and will also fail at 12 or 18 months. Most dogs (85%) that appear to have acceptable hips at 6-7 months will also still have acceptable hips at 12 or 18 months of age. Please make enquiries if you want more information on early screening.