There are 2 Diseases in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Breed MVD Heart and Syringomyelia.

Both those Diseases are being Researced by Dr Blott ,at the Animal Health Trust with Funding from the Kennel Club.

This is Ground-Breaking New Research ,the Cavalier Breed is the First in the World

bet hargreaves, Biggar , Scotland

The UK would have been better off requiring mandatory health clearances from certified vets, not just your standard vet prior to allowing the registration of litters. That would have done far more to change breeding programs. As usual, the good breeders are going to take the hit the hardest.

Patrina McBride, Windham Centre, Canada

Inbreeding in and of itself does not CAUSE problems. It will only intensify the genes that are already there- if sire and dam each carry genes for a genetic problem, there is an increased chance of producing puppies with that problem. - any type of breeding will do thisif both parents carrythe genes

DBentley, Chatham, Canada

How will judges be able to determine the "healthiest dogs"? They won't be able to determine if a dog is a "carrier" for detrimental genes- they won't be able to tell if a dog has a heart murmer- Judges can only determine STRUCTURE.
They won't be able to determine serious HEALTH issues.

DBentley, Chatham, Canada

I'm very happy with thes rules. We where breeding our dogs to death with the old standards and rules.
I hope there wil be more drastic changes, but this is a very good first step.
People who dont aggree with me or these rules dont know what they are talking about and have no vision of the future.

Dieter, Belgium,

this is good that the kennel club is now facing up to this. the breed that is spoken about in this article really does need help, if this has been correct many years ago this breed would not have to be suffering with breathing which we all like to do to.

mr c robson, north wales,

As usual,the cynical element criticise without knowing the facts.The Kennel Club have no legal standing to stop bad breeding.Otherwise they would and have been lobbying to get it for years. They do no in anyway condone such practice. But lets ignore the facts and have a go anyway shall we.Idiots!

Mr Ford, Basingstoke,

As an individual who has two Pekes, I say LEAVE THEM AS THEY ARE!!!, we should love and cherish their greatness and love, and NOT change them! My female had breathing problems, but it was corrected at birth by opening up her nostrils. She is fine to this day. My male breathes heavy, but is fine!

Diane Seney, Ft Edward NY, USA

Regulation of breeding practice should be extended to the world of cats, who are subject to the same disgraceful practices as dogs. Inbreeding is not always easy to spot on the pedigrees. Mother/son matings are common. We shall stick to "moggies" in future!

Nina Essex, London,

As a breeder I have done ALL health checks on my family pets (dog/cats) before any mating take place. I show cats and they have to pass thru vetting in on the day of the show before they even enter the show hall. SO don't tar all breeders/showers with the same brush.

Gail, West Midlands,

In the 70's when I was little, neighbours had a Pekinese dog which liked to get into our garden and toilet there. It could definately run and would yap away at us from his side of the fence after we'd shoo'd him off. So it was hard to see this face of a mutant on the programme & in this photo.

Lian, Poole,

I am a pekingese lover of many years ,i have bred them shown them never inbred and only ever bred a litter for a puppy to show fo myself.in the 28 years i have loved the breed cleft pallets have been almost completly bred out, the bulbus eye and the soft palatte problem also.a knee jerk reaction yes

mrs janet Heap, haslingden, Lanc`s

I am sorry, but your precis of the Standard misses out the word 'Health' which is used several times in the new Peke Standard. Surely this is the most important point!

Hazel, Castle Donington, Derbyshire

Kennel Club have been aware of these problems for years, at least since Dachshunds' backs started breaking because of the overly extended length of back & that was at least 20 years ago. KC should be ashamed that it took a BBC prog to make them face their responsibilities. Cat breeders take note!

michelle, Stoke,

My dentist's receptionist told me yesterday that the Humane Society had asked her take in a Lhasa Apso that had been so inbred that its feet were upside down--that is, the pad was on the upper part and the fur was on the ground. The vet told that the dog would be able to walk a long way, but was OK!

Margaret Redding, ottawa, canada

It is absolutely about time the Kennel Club cleaned up its act. It is without doubt responsible for more dog suffering than anything or anyone else. Breeders are besotted by achieving the so called 'breed standards' . As a vet, this is about time. Photos available.

George, Builth Wells, Wales

This is long overdue, the BBC & Dogs Today magazine highlighted the whole issue & brought it out into the open. Let's get on with it & force breeders to breed dogs in an ethical way. Ordinary dog owners will benefit from fewer vet bills & heartache.

Anne, Poole, UK

Mr Offiler, Please visit China and in particular Beijing where you will find Pekingese perfection walking the streets. The Chinese love their little dogs and treat them considerably better than we do. Interbreeding with Chinese dogs would improve our stock. I love Pekes.

Penny, Worthing, England

Its about time for the AKC to put the welfare of the animal first. I just hope they stick to there new breed standard changes and don't let the breeders sway them. I might even be able to watch conformation dog shows again.

Bonnie Smith, Cincinnati, USA

When I watched the BBC documentary I formed an impression the Kennel Club officers were receptive to the BBC investigation but that any changes were blocked by the leading breeders. By the BBC publicizing this issue, this has facilitated the Kennel Club forcing the breeders to change.

Howard, norwich,

about time, im a dog lover, and to watch and listen to the bling infested owners at crufts justify their cruelty to dogs who have done them no harm. THE KENNEL club should be brought before the courts for not controlling the dealers of such crulty.

michael joseph, cahersiveen.adams towns, madness.

100% behind this. Perhaps similar moves will be taken to address the cat fancy? The breeding of pedigree cats touch pretty much the same issues.

Stuart, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Yes it should be changed. See (petitions.number10.gov.uk/Crufts)

Durham, Stevenage, Uk

Paul, US - "snouted humans" evolved to our current form over hundreds of thousands of years, not a few decades. They way dogs have been altered by selective breeding is beyond unnatural, it is barbaric. KC should be ashamed that it took a BBC documentary to make them see the plainly obvious.

anna, kendal, uk

Dogs were bred for form and function , not pleasant looking attributes to the breeder or judge.Since there is profits to be made with this canine cash crop change will be slow and opposed at all levels.I have campaigned for years that the kc is a profit organisation , welfare is afterthought.

C Robb, ayr, uk

this is long overdue. there are far too many breeders who really dont give a damn about the health of their dogs, and are only concerned in selling pups to make money and trying to produce what they believe to be a perfect animal to win trophies for them.

celia, plymouth,

>Colin, London<

With your way of thinking, I should give up my companion animal, so that the staring in India can be fed, so that the Indian government can run a space programe.

I prefer my pet to putting an Indian on the moon.

Before you start WE also sponsor TWO disabled children in India.

J D S, Cardiff, UK

The requirement by the Kennel club for a muzzle has no basis in terms of scientific evidence or expert veterinary advice that it will lead to healthier dogs, and does nothing to address the health issues uncovered by the Kennel Club's/ Animal Health Trust Purebred Health Survey for Pekingese. This new Breed Standard has been developed as a panic response by the Kennel Club, to the BBC Panorama programme. As with all quick decisions, the results can often make poor policy & can often cause unexpected problems.

B Offiler, Leeds, Yorkshire

When are they going to do away with docked tails and cropped ears? This is also a cruel and totally unnecessary surgery.

nan, wassaic, ny, usa

To Robert Lowndes - Dogs are ALREAADY bannd from being shown with docked tails

Caroline Woodbridge, Northampton,

I guess all dog show judges will need vetinary qualifications and entrants will need a medical exam. This should enable a system allowing only dogs which meet minimum health guidelines to compete. Dogs which are fundamentally unhealthy should be sterilised to prevent further problems.

Bob, Reading,

I was disgusted by Kennel Club and breeders reaction in the documentary. There was an serious case of denial. This can only be good news for the dogs welfare.
As for Colin, dogs provide people with company and exercise.

Martin, Bath, UK

Which is which i work with a Northern Breed. The closer you come to natures form, the better. The 'ideal' should be the wolf, IMO. You should be striving for a dog that LOOKS like a dog. A predator.

michelle, fort dock, usa

About time too!!! Let's hope they get on with it.

Diane , Gillingham, UK

About time too! The dog breeding industry should hang it's head in shame, for too long now the pedigree dog business has been encouraged by the Kennel Club to increasingly mutate many breeds. Maybe the KC should also ban the showing of dogs with docked tails which is just barbaric and unneccessary.

Robert Lowndes, Newport, Wales

I saw the documentry on TV and was horrified that breeders were more concerned with what they thought was the "perfect" dog and not concerned about what the animal had to endure in suffering to look "perfect". Thank goodness light has been shed on the in-breeding of these animals
Gayle Witney

Gayle rice, Witney, England

Thank God for the BBC and the brave team who produced their ground breaking programme. Dont the breeders realise their greed has produced bizarre mutations-a clear case of genetic modification producing unhealthy animals. Lets hope the reversing of these modifications doesn't take too long.

ChrisC, Beverley, UK

I am concerned that the law of unintended consequences may have an adverse effect on dogs that fail to meet new standards but this is good news. As for Barry Offiler complaining that he won't be able to participate in international shows, is he saying this is more important thant improving health?

Jason B, London,

As a dog owner I regularly meet pedigree owners that have hereditary problems. Its disgusting that we in-breed dogs when we know that narrowing the gene pool = hereditary deformities, disabilities and diseases. Breeders & the Kennel club should be ashamed. At least its changing now. Not b4 time!

Ben, Manchester,

What have starving minions got to do with dog welfare? Let their corrupt governments feed them. Dog welfare is a very important issue all over the world. About time the KC changed their ways.

Sandy, Southampton,

I say its about time, these animals have to endure abnormalties infused by the breeders/kennel club. This has been a legal cruelty inflicted on dogs who suffer; and so do some cats. People who are cruel to their pets are prosecuted.

C Beale , salisbury, uk

About time - let's hope this is just the beginning.

Liz, London,

Tail docking should be completely banned.
I still see young dogs with docked tails. These are pet dogs, not working ones. There's just no excuse for this mutilation.

ben foster, wokingham,

On tail docking (or chopping) this has already been outlawed in the UK to a certain extent. Any dog now born, cannot be shown at a show where the public pays, such as crufts, if its tail has been docked.

Tim Higham, Lincoln, UK

As a breeder of a pedigree breed, we cover the health issues very seriously and no dog or bitch can be bred from without the relivent health tests carried out with good results. Only healthy dogs are bred from, absolutely no mother, son combinations are used. I am an accredited Kennel Club Breeder

M Craker, UK,

As the owner of a Pug I would dearly like to see the nose replaced. Most of the problems would disappear. I had hoped that the arrival of the Puggle would help sort the problem but the dogs are too different. I do think outcrossing the Peke with the Tibetan Spaniel proper way to go.

Helena , Dunfermline, Scotland

There's no inherent reason pekinese can't be bred to have flat faces and unobstructed breathing, as long as attention is given to this.

Formerly-snouted humans after all have evolved both those characteristics in harmony by natural selection (excepting perhaps those of us with sleep apnea).

Paul, US,

All domesticated animals are interbred with parents and siblings, thats how they get the features they want. We breed cows and pigs that could not support themselves without human intervention, is this going to be banned as well? I doubt it.

Paul, Redruth, UK

Tail docking was banned in the Australian state where I live a few years ago so we have older docked dogs alongside young un-docked ones. Breeders opposing the ban said it would damage dogs as their spines couldn't support the weight of the tails they were born with. Barking mad!

Rachel, Goulburn, Australia

Sorry Colin, the sustainability of Homo sapiens on this planet is a formidable problem in itself..... With regard to the health and wellbeing of our canine companions, I have worked in this field and seen the miseries inflicted. Regulation is well overdue!

Rod, Bradenstoke, Wilts UK

Great job to the TV programme a few weeks ago that really got this debate going. It is just a shame that the KC had let it go so far and that it needed public opiniion to force them into action. They, of all people, must have been seeing the problems that inbreeding was causing for years.

Miriam, Villebois Lavalette, France

The other thing that should be banned is the barbaric chopping off of tails. In Finland all dogs such as Corgi's, Boxers and Rottweilers all have their natural long tails and look terrific.

John, Kouvola, Finland

In response to Mr Offiler's question about what the pekingese should be outcrossed to to achieve a muzzle, the tibetan spaniel would probably be a good bet. They were once the same breed, and still look very similar. The main difference that I have noticed is the longer muzzle on the tibetan spaniel

Jordan, Gibbons, Canada

Not to be offenceful, but that muzzle comment just cracked me up. "Damage the Breed"?!? Are you kidding?!? If anything, it would SAVE the breed. And if the breeders were "all supporting improved health", then not one would be speaking up against it. All of them would up on their feet CHEERING. Lord.

Connor, Gibbons, Canada

There are NOT billions starving around the world.Pets make a very valuable contribution to our welfare and are worth every penny.

This a great step forward.I'm delighted the Kennel club caved in so quickly

Thor Halland, Banglamung, Thailand

Colin, that makes 8£ pro capita... I expect the expenditure on fish&chips or on beer to be much much higher than that... How much did *you* spend last year on your hobby?

Antonio, P.S.Elpidio, Italy

What is inhumane is Britons spending £520,000,000 a year on pets (BBC figure, 2007), when billions of people are starving around the world or dying of easily preventable diseases.

Colin, London, UK