To help improve our knowledge and awareness of health issues in the dogs that we register, The Royal Kennel Club have carried out a number of extensive research projects.
Breed Health & Conservation Plans and our Breeding for Health Framework
In 2016, we launched the Breed Health and Conservation Plans (BHCPs), which was formed as a way to source evidence-based information at a breed-specific level, allowing us to determine the key priorities in a breed, and what we at the RKC and breed communities could do to better support the breed in this area. The BHCPs were built for every single breed, and utilised data from across resources, such as over peer-reviewed literature, health surveys, health schemes and DNA tests, insurance data and genetic diversity analysis. However, whilst there have been huge strides made through the project, as part of our health review in 2025 we realised we needed a way to better streamline our outputs to ensure we are making maximum impact to dog health. You can read about the review and how we’ve got to where we are today here.
Population analyses
Population analysis looks at how dogs in a breed are related and bred over time to understand how much genetic diversity the population has. It helps breeders view their breed as one connected population and supports decisions that contribute to producing healthy puppies while safeguarding the breed’s long-term health. The first such analyses were carried out in 2014 and were repeated and expanded in 2022.
2014 pedigree breed health survey
The 2014 pedigree breed health survey summarises the results found from nearly 50,000 dogs represented by the completed questionnaires.
Find out more about the results of our 2014 pedigree breed health survey.
2004 purebred dog health survey
The Royal Kennel Club and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association Scientific Committee joined forces with scientists in the Epidemiology Unit at the Animal Health Trust to carry out a nationwide survey of purebred dogs.
Find out more about the results of our 2004 purebred dog health survey.
Scientific publications produced by or involving the Royal Kennel Club
The following scientific papers are presented in reverse chronological order (most recent first). Each was authored by researchers working at the Royal Kennel Club at the time of publication. For further information about any of these studies, please contact our Health and Breeding Support Team.
- Ilska, J.J., Ryan, P.B. and Tolhurst, D.J. (2025) ‘Modern pedigree dogs in the United Kingdom Kennel Club: a journey through shifting population landscapes and demography’, Companion Animal Health and Genetics, 12(1), p. 3. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-025-00142-1.
- James, H.K., McDonnell, F. and Lewis, T.W. (2020) ‘Effectiveness of Canine Hip Dysplasia and Elbow Dysplasia Improvement Programs in Six UK Pedigree Breeds’, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 6, p. 490. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2019.00490.
- Janes, M. et al. (2020) ‘The usage of Mate Select, a web-based selection tool for pedigree dogs for promoting sustainable breeding’, Canine Medicine and Genetics, 7(1), pp. 1–11. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-020-00094-8.
- Lewis, T.W. and Mellersh, C.S. (2019) ‘Changes in mutation frequency of eight Mendelian inherited disorders in eight pedigree dog populations following introduction of a commercial DNA test’, PLoS ONE, 14(1), pp. 1–21. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209864.
- Wiles, B.M. et al. (2017) ‘Large-scale survey to estimate the prevalence of disorders for 192 Kennel Club registered breeds’, Canine Genetics and Epidemiology, 4(1), pp. 1–18. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-017-0047-3.
- Lewis, T.W., Abhayaratne, B.M. and Blott, S.C. (2015) ‘Trends in genetic diversity for all Kennel Club registered pedigree dog breeds’, Canine Genetics and Epidemiology, 2(1), pp. 1–10. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-015-0027-4.
- Lewis, T.W., Blott, S.C. and Woolliams, J.A. (2013) ‘Comparative analyses of genetic trends and prospects for selection against hip and elbow dysplasia in 15 UK dog breeds’, BMC Genetics, 14(1), p. 16. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2156-14-16.
- Lewis, T.W. et al. (2011) ‘Genetic evaluation of elbow scores and the relationship with hip scores in UK Labrador retrievers’, The Veterinary Journal, 189(2), pp. 227–233. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2011.06.024.
- Lewis, T.W., Woolliams, J.A. and Blott, S.C. (2010) ‘Optimisation of breeding strategies to reduce the prevalence of inherited disease in pedigree dogs’, Animal Welfare, 19(SUPPL. 1), pp. 93–98. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/s0962728600002281.
- Lewis, T.W., Blott, S.C. and Woolliams, J.A. (2010) ‘Genetic Evaluation of Hip Score in UK Labrador Retrievers’, PLoS ONE. Edited by A.E. Toland, 5(10), p. e12797. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0012797.
- Calboli, F.C.F. et al. (2008) ‘Population structure and inbreeding from pedigree analysis of purebred dogs’, Genetics, 179(1), pp. 593–601. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.107.084954.