Help finding the right breed for us, please help. Which breed for me?

Sorry but I would be concerned about what this breeder says about hip scores. If the tests are so 'unreliable', how are all other breeders managing to still use them???

The problem is that if you adopt this dog and then find down the line that there is a serious problem with the hips, it can be very upsetting and stressful.

I would also be very wary of anything else this breeder tells you, based purely on their stance re hips scores.

Sorry to sound so negative but if you're going to get a dog from a breeder, albeit a sort of rescue situation, it might as well be one that has had the necessary health checks.

No worries, that's why I asked.

However, I've been doign a bit more digging myself and found this on the Kennel Clubs' info (pdf) sheet.

Would that explain why they don't bother moreso?

What breed is it that you are buying?

So its either a Spanish/Irish or Portuguese , I know of one breeder in one of those breed who doe not hip score, would it put me off buying from them...NO!!

Yes peopel do make all kind of excuses as to why they dont hip score, but to be honest, you have to look at the whole picture, their is a school of thought that as this breeder says, results are not always reliable, not sure this is true or if its just a spin.

But if it was me, I would have to take the whole picture into account, and decide on ALL aspects of what I see.

Run like the wild in the opposite direction & do not touch with a bargepole.

Lot of rubbish about hip scores, odds are they have either never had any dogs done, or they bred from untested dogs & then tested & ended up with bad hips. Could be that this dog has HD which is why they wish to off load.

Even though the KC website says no tests advised, doesn't mean that all breeding dogs shouldn't be fully health tested there is no excuse

Boxers are not hip scored!

Yes I agree walk away, if you consider that ESS are hip scored anything bigger just HAS to be.

There are THOUSANDS of older dogs out there of various breeds, you do not have to accept one that could have health problems for the rest of its (expensive) life.

I know it's disappointing but I would think twice about even going to meet this dog. Because you may well fall in love with it, and then end up with an albeit lovely dog that has serious problems for many, many years.

My own rescue dog is two, and there is already a real concern about his hips. It has caused me a lot of stress and worry and several visits to the vet, and he's only been with us just under a year. I pray every day when I watch him walk that he will never suffer any pain but the vet has said we may need to arrange x rays at some point.

I mention all this just to try and show that whatever this breeder says, it is YOU that will be left to cope.

Thanks for the comments, it's very helpful. At the moment I'm doing my research, and it's positive so far.

good luck!

Where did you get that information from ?? The BVA site shows that Boxers do have HD as they have scored between 0 & 75 & a BMS of 16, hardly a breed that has no HD problem. ERGO they should be scored. Latest results on red link above

I did not say they did not have hip problems, I said Boxer breeders dont hip sore,

My information comes from knowing about the breed, and you will be hard pressed to find a breeder who does hip score their dogs.

So given those facts, if I want to buy a Boxer pup, then finding a breeder that hip score will be like pulling hens teeth, so given those fats, I make a calculated decision and take the whole picture into account.

You will find some (a few ) breeders are now starting to hip score, but as I said , you will have to look long and hard to find one.

So given the facts, if I want a Boxer,t hen it's no point others telling me to run a mile because the breeder does not hip score their breeding stock.

shocking, fortunately I am never likely to want a Boxer so I will never have to make the decision.

I certainly would not touch a dog from unhipscored breeding stock from this breed, or that has not undergone heart testing.

Its good to hear they are starting to take notice - I guess the more people who ask the better

Exactly the same with ESS, a lot of people still don't hip score as it's "not a problem in the breed". But why wait until it is? It's a crazy way of thinking imo, but like you if the vast majority don't test you can only pick a breeder who does as much as possible. Isla's sire was scored, but her dam wasn't, to me this didn't make her breeder bad, just the same as most others.

Trying to find a stud dog for Isla that 100% fit the bill in health, temperament and genetics was impossible. In the end I would've used a dog without hip scores because everything else fit the bill. Given that he was nearly 10 years old and still winning classes as shows meant that the risk was small imo.

You have to look at the whole dog (and breeder) imo, not scoring isn't really a reason to avoid a breeder (depending upon the breed involved obviously), what would put me off more is the excuse given. To say that they don't score because the results weren't reliable is a bit bizarre, I'd be worried they were hiding something tbh.

I agree completey, you have look at the whole factor of said breeder,

Not hip scoring does`nt mean a dog will get HD, and hip scoring does not mean a dog wont.

Neither of my two`s parents were hip scored, one had HD and the other is free from it, was Bandts HD due to his parents not being scored or was it enviromental, who knows??

The point I am making is its not as simple as "run a mile" if they dont hip score,, there is a much bigger picture to look at, if a breed does not generally get hip scored, or some of those in the breed do , but others dont, then I would not automaticlly graduate to the one who does, I would have to look at averything and make a calculated desicion.

Then you certainly wont be getting a Boxer, heart scoring I agree, it's such a problem in the breed , I would insist on it, most good breeders will anyway, but hip scoring is another matter, I could guarantee you could speak to most breeders (some of the well known ones) and they will tell you there is not a sufficient problem of HD in the breed to warrant scoring.

Madness to wait til there is a problem to hipscore there is a system there so why not use it :? Till there's a defo answer to the reasons why its developed imo there's no reason not to score!... Wait til its too late then what happens to the lovely breed? :-(

Exactly you do not KNOW if a problem exists until you TEST for it.

All the twaddle that some breeders say such as "I have never had a problem" or "there is no HD in my lines" er how do they KNOW?!

Absolute balderdash.

The facts are that you are not extending a duty of care to your puppies, your customers or your breed if you do not try to ensure that you have done EVERYTHING THAT IS REASONABLY PRACTICABLE to eliminate the risk of poor health.

Hip scoring is "reasonable" I would not buy an untested fridge, still less a live animal.

but the facts are this lovely breed is still a lovely breed, they have never been hip scored and dont see it happening on a large scale any time soon.

They are not all going to suddenly go down hill with HD, after all this time.

And testing for it, does not necessarily stop a dog getting it.


The point is simple, if you want to a Boxer......MOST breeders dont hip score, so your options are limited.