Action plan follows productive meetings between RKC representatives, APGAW representatives and Prof Dan O’Neill to set out key steps
- RKC met with Prof. Dan O’Neill to share concerns from the pedigree dog community regarding the IHA. Prof O’Neill was part of the APGAW group which created the IHA.
- The APGAW IHA team are supportive of the RKC developing the RKC Nose-to-Tail Veterinary Assessment to work in conjunction with the IHA for breeders.
- APGAW confirm the IHA criteria are subject to review based on evidence.
- Plan formed to enable RKC co-ordinated panel to meet with APGAW representatives to formally present the views of pedigree dog breeders.
- RKC to open an application process to join the panel that will meet with APGAW.
London, 11th February 2026: The Royal Kennel Club, the UK’s leading authority in pedigree dogs, has today announced a series of actions that have been jointly agreed with APGAW regarding concerns over some of the criteria proposed for APGAW’s Innate Health Assessment (IHA) tool, despite wide acceptance of the need for change to end extreme conformation. Central to this is an agreement from APGAW to meet with the RKC and a carefully selected panel of representatives from the breeding community, co-ordinated by the RKC, and a commitment to consider and review the current criteria based on evidence, which support improved canine welfare and that would help to overcome the concerns of some of the pedigree breeding community around impact to much loved pedigree breeds.
Following continued dialogue with APGAW over recent months and the increased interest in relation to the IHA, RKC representatives sought a meeting with Prof Dan O’Neill which took place on 4th February. The productive discussion resulted in several key agreements and commitments which are set out below:
- RKC and APGAW will participate in a discussion group that will be co-ordinated and hosted by the Royal Kennel Club in April 2026 with a panel of experienced dog breeders.
- APGAW confirmed that whilst the IHA is an important voluntary tool to further assist enforcement of current legislation in respect of licensed breeders, it is also a useful tool to support all breeders to breed away from extreme conformation and to educate the wider general public on how to choose a dog without extreme conformation.
- APGAW confirmed that the IHA tool was created to evolve as new evidence emerges, and that the pedigree breeding community are one of the key stakeholders in that evidential process.
- APGAW looks forward to seeing the RKC Nose-to-Tail Veterinary Assessment once it has been developed and will consider endorsing the use of this in conjunction with the IHA as another option for good breeders to make informed decisions.
Details of how to make an application to be part of the panel of experienced breeders will be announced in the coming weeks by the RKC.
Ian Seath, Chairman of the Royal Kennel Club, said: “This is an excellent development, and we are pleased to continue to work collaboratively with APGAW to design solutions that work for all parties, while supporting the principle that all dogs should have a body shape that enables a good quality of life. We are fortunate to have a breadth of experience within our RKC breeding community, with many RKC members having personal and professional experience as well as extensive knowledge of breeds. We recognise there is great strength of feeling amongst our community on this topic, but believe that having meaningful discussions in the right forum will result in better outcomes for us, our breeder community, and our dogs. Ultimately, both APGAW and the RKC agree that we all want healthy body shapes for our dogs and there is great strength in working together and listening to each other to effect meaningful change.”
Professor Dan O’Neill said: “Given that around 75% of dogs are not registered with the RKC, extreme conformation is not just a pedigree dog or RKC issue but impacts the entire spectrum of companion dogs who share our lives today. Evidence being generated worldwide suggests that extreme conformation is currently one of the most serious health and welfare issues for companion dogs. The IHA was developed to promote better understanding of innately healthy conformation in dogs overall. As part of this, APGAW is happy to continue to work with the RKC to support the good breeders who promote positive change.”
Dr Alison Skipper, RKC Veterinary and Research Advisor, said: “We recognise that extreme conformation is a serious issue for dog welfare – a concern shared by many of our experienced breeders, who have therefore been engaging with breed club veterinary visual assessments and vet checks at shows for over a decade. For this reason, conformation forms a key focus within the Breeding for Health Framework, and this is why I am leading the work on developing our Nose-to-Tail Veterinary Assessment, which will further support informed breeding decisions by assessing visible conformation in a graded way.
We are very pleased to continue to work with APGAW and support them with RKC expertise on pedigree dog health and that APGAW will review the Nose-to-Tail criteria once developed. We are keen to work with APGAW to offer a choice of tools that breeders can use to assess conformation and support responsible breeding decisions.”
To read our full Breeding for Health Framework report, a summary version of the report or find out more about the Royal Kennel Club’s canine health initiatives, visit www.royalkennelclub.com or www.crufts.org.uk.