Dog breeding is the single most powerful change agent that can shape the future of dogs. And yet we are living in a time where hundreds of thousands of pet dogs are born into bodies that make it impossible for them to breathe, exercise, avoid injury clean themselves or talk to other members of their species on a level playing field due to extreme conformation.

In this first episode of an exciting 2 parter Dr Dan O’Neil & Dr Rowena Packer from the Royal Veterinary Collage explain;

- What ‘extreme conformation’ and ‘brachycephaly’ mean

- How extreme conformation in dogs came about

- Why we choose dog shapes that result in this kind of suffering

- What we can do to change the future for dogs

For more information on Extreme Conformation visit

https://www.icecdogs.com/home/extreme-conformation

https://www.ukbwg.org.uk/

https://www.alaw.org.uk/companion-animals/extreme-dog-conformation/

And more info on breeding reform

https://dbrg.uk/

To stay in touch with the work of Dan & Rowena check out

https://www.rvc.ac.uk/research/focus/brachycephaly

https://www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass/audio-visual-resources/pandemic-puppies-infographics

More about your host:

Hannah is a qualified dog behaviour specialist in the UK with a degree in Animal Behaviour and a specialism in dog body language and pet dog behaviour. She's trained over 10,000 pet dogs in the last 10 years and written an illustrated guide to dog behaviour called ‘Whats my dog thinking: Understand your dog to give them a happy life’. She featured as one of 3 experts on the prime time Channel 4 television series 'Puppy School' and currently teaches body language and handling courses to vets, groomers and pet shops to reduce bite incidents and increase the handling and observation skills of these awesome, but often overlooked, fields of pet care. She currently works as a behavioural expert for Agria Pet Insurance and leads the campaign for responsible dog ownership with the All Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group in Westminster.

Big thanks to our season 2 sponsor Amplified Behaviour

www.amplifiedbehaviour.com

And you can train along with Hannah as a pet owner or a pet professional at www.amplifiedbehaviour.com

@amplifiedbehaviour @thehannahmolloy