What are the primary health screenings that are required for breeding labradors and which are to add beneficial information for the imprevement of the breed?
Hips and elbows, heart color doppler, current eye clearance, DNA testing for PRA and EIC to ensure no affecteds will be produced. There's a couple more DNA tests that most people don't do that are not as commonly done with conformation dogs - CNM, NARC, RD-OSD. With certain lines you might want to also check for the long-coat gene via DNA test.
Sad they do not have a temperment test! The most critical attribute of a Lab and it is not what it used to be. I keep watching facebook of lovely pictures of a stud dog, and his lovely pups but if folks did not have the opportunity to see the sire at shows they would not know how dog aggressive he is. He was sent south with a Handler to finish at all breed and the Handler had to keep him glued to her side and hustled him from kennel to ring and back with him growling along the way. He has all those certifications and more! If I had not wittnessed him in action I would breed to him. Folks should be more open so at least you would know to go above and beyond when handling his get.
You know this poster was asking about genetic tests. And yes, there are puppy aptitude tests and temperament tests but these are subjective. But thanks for pointing out a more important point, ie, you really owe it to your breeding program and the breed to get your hands on a dog or at least see it in person, in action. Breeding to a picture has never been the way to go.
