Every Dog Breed That Was Bred Too Far Explained

Pugs, French Bulldogs, German Shepherds, Dachshunds, Great Danes, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Shar-Peis, Dalmatians, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and English Bulldogs: ten dog breeds where the breed standard went further than the body could follow. This video explains what was selected, what went wrong, what the studies actually measured, and what courts and lawmakers in Norway, the Netherlands and the European Union have done about it. Every number comes from a published study or a court ruling. Sources: • O'Neill et al., Canine Medicine and Genetics (2022): "Health of Pug dogs in the UK: disorder predispositions and protections" • O'Neill et al., Canine Medicine and Genetics (2021): "Health of French Bulldogs under primary veterinary care in the UK" • O'Neill et al., Canine Medicine and Genetics (2022): "Health of English Bulldogs under primary veterinary care in the UK" • O'Neill et al., Canine Medicine and Genetics (2023): "Health of Shar-Pei dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK" • Teng et al., Scientific Reports (2022): "Life tables of annual life expectancy and mortality for companion dogs in the United Kingdom" • Liu et al., PLOS ONE (2017): "Conformational risk factors of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) in pugs, French bulldogs, and bulldogs" • Humphries et al., Scientific Reports (2020): "Kinematic and kinetic differences in German Shepherd dogs with different back angulation" • Parker et al., Science (2009): "An expressed fgf4 retrogene is associated with breed-defining chondrodysplasia in domestic dogs" • Brown et al., PNAS (2017): "A retrotransposition-mediated FGF4 gene is associated with intervertebral disc herniation in dogs" • Hopper et al., Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (2026): intervertebral disc disease in dachshunds by coat and size variety • Berls et al., Genes (2026) and Sullivan et al., Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (2025): FGF4L2 copy number and disc calcification in dachshunds • Guinness World Records: tallest dog ever (Zeus) and tallest living dog records • VetCompass giant breeds study, Canine Medicine and Genetics (2026): age at death in Great Danes and Bernese Mountain Dogs • Bannasch et al., Canine Medicine and Genetics (2021): "Dog breed inbreeding and disease burden across 227 breeds" • Klopfenstein et al., BMC Veterinary Research (2016): "Longevity and causes of death in Bernese Mountain Dogs in Switzerland" • Abadie et al., Journal of Heredity (2009): "Canine histiocytic sarcoma in Bernese Mountain Dogs" • Olsson et al., PLoS Genetics (2011): "A novel unstable duplication upstream of HAS2 predisposes to a breed-defining skin phenotype and a periodic fever syndrome in Chinese Shar-Pei dogs" • Bannasch et al., PLoS Genetics (2008): "Mutations in the SLC2A9 gene cause hyperuricosuria and hyperuricemia in the dog" • Lewis et al., Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (2020): congenital sensorineural deafness in Dalmatians (BAER testing, 1992-2019) • Limpens et al., Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2024): syringomyelia in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Netherlands and Denmark • McLeay and Child, Australian Veterinary Journal (2026): syringomyelia screening in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels • Supreme Court of Norway, HR-2023-1901-A (10 October 2023): breeding of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and English Bulldogs under the Animal Welfare Act • District Court of Amsterdam (4 June 2025): Dier&Recht v. Raad van Beheer, pedigrees of flat-faced breeds • Regulation (EU) 2026/1818 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats • Royal Kennel Club registration figures (2016-2025) as reported by PDSA; American Kennel Club most popular breeds ranking (2025) Image credits: https://telegra.ph/Image-Credits---Ev... #dogs #dogbreeds #pug #frenchbulldog #animals #veterinary #genetics