The Finnish Kennel Club’s walk test helps eliminate dogs with severe breathing problems from breeding

In the walk test, which was developed in cooperation with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Helsinki, a dog walks or trots 1,000 meters on a 30 to 90 meters long track. In order to pass the test, a dog must walk the distance in 12 minutes or less and its body temperature and general condition must recover to their initial state within 15 minutes post-walk. The temperature in the test facilities is between 15 and 25 degrees. The same 12-minute time limit applies at the moment to all breeds the test is aimed for; the Affenpinscher, the Boston Terrier, the Griffons, the Bulldog, the Japanese Chin, the Pekingese, the King Charles Spaniel, the Pug, the Norwich Terrier, the Petit Brabancon, the French Bulldog, and the Shih Tzu.

- Participation in tests has been active and, according to the feedback we have received, test arrangements have gone well, says the Finnish Kennel Club’s veterinarian Liisa Lilja-Maula, who also contributes to the research at the University.

The test has now been taken by dogs representing eight different breeds. Participation has been highest in breeds that contributed in the research phase of the test, in other words Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, and Pugs. Numbers of tested dogs in other breeds are still quite low. In addition to breeds presented in the table below, five Pekingese have taken the pilot test.

As of the beginning of this year, a walk test is obligatory for any Bulldog used for breeding in Finland.

Dogs that have taken the walk test

	Bulldog	French Bulldog	Pug	Boston Terrier
Number of dogs that have taken the walk test	148	119	92	22
approved	132 (89 %)	118 (99 %)	91 (99 %)	22 (100 %)
failed	13 (9 %)	1 (1 %)	1 (1 %)	0 (0 %)
discontinued	3 (2 %)	0 (0 %)	0 (0 %)	0 (0 %)
	King Charles Spaniel	Japanese Chin	Shih Tzu	Petit Brabancon
Number of dogs that have taken the walk test	8	6	8	1
approved	7 (88 %)	6 (100 %)	8 (100 %)	1 (100 %)
failed	1 (12 %)	0 (0 %)	0 (0 %)	0 (0 %)
discontinued	0 (0 %)	0 (0 %)	0 (0 %)	0 (0 %)

 

Moderate or severe signs of BOAS in one fourth of all assessed dogs

In addition to data on exercise and heat tolerance, walk tests also provide other important information about BOAS signs. The veterinarian overseeing the test evaluates the severity of a dog’s BOAS symptoms on a scale of 0 (no symptoms), 1 (mild symptoms), 2 (moderate symptoms) and 3 (severe symptoms). The veterinarian also evaluates nostril stenosis on a scale of 0 (open nostrils), 1 (mild nostril stenosis), 2 (moderate nostril stenosis) and 3 (severe nostril stenosis).

One in four dogs of a total of 275 dogs, which had their BOAS grade recorded in the evaluation forms sent to the Finnish Kennel Club, have either severe or moderate symptoms. BOAS grades are presented in the table below for each of the four breeds largest in numbers. King Charles Spaniels, Japanese Chins and Shih Tzus as well as the one Petit Brabancon evaluated were all symptom free.

Grade of BOAS

	Bulldog (N=114)	French Bulldog(N=63)	Pug (N=56)	Boston Terrier (N=16)
BOAS 0 (symptom free)	14 %	21 %	9 %	56 %
BOAS 1	57 %	57 %	59 %	38 %
BOAS 2	24 %	22 %	27 %	6 %
BOAS 3 (severe symptoms)	5 %	0 %	5 %	0 %

 

About every second dog had either moderate or severe nostril stenosis. One in ten dogs – mostly Bulldogs – had completely open nostrils.

Grade of nostril stenosis

	Bulldog (N=117)	French Bulldog (N=63)	Pug (N=58)	Boston Terrier(N=16)
Nostrils 0 (open)	15 %	6 %	0 %	0 %
Nostrils 1	44 %	27 %	21 %	44 %
Nostrils 2	39 %	56 %	67 %	50 %
Nostrils 3 (severe stenosis)	1 %	11 %	12 %	6 %
	King Charles Spaniel (N=8)	Japanese Chin (N=5)	Shih Tzu (N=8)	Petit Brabancon (N=1)
Nostrils 0 (open)	0 %	20 %	63 %	0 %
Nostrils 1	63 %	20 %	37 %	100 %
Nostrils 2	37 %	20 %	0 %	0 %
Nostrils 3 (severe stenosis)	0 %	40 %	0 %	0 %

 

Decreased time limit for French Bulldogs and Pugs

According to the study published in July 2019, the 12-minute time limit, which was set on the basis of the initial study on Bulldogs, does not separate accurately enough good breathers from bad when it comes to French Bulldogs and Pugs. Lilja-Maula says that based on the study, the time limit for French Bulldogs and Pugs is changed to 11 minutes as of 1.1.2020. Time limits for other breeds are also followed up.

The average walk time in minutes and seconds, based on times recorded in test forms sent to the Finnish Kennel Club, were 11:04 for Bulldogs, 10:31 for French Bulldogs, 10:28 for Pugs and 10:24 for Boston Terriers. Walk times vary between 9:24 and 12:15 for Bulldogs, 7:54 and 11:52 for French Bulldogs, 8:41 and 12:18 for Pugs, and 8:51 and 11:30 for Boston Terriers. It should be acknowledged that the time limit itself steers the performance.

The big picture is what matters

Most dogs that were tested had no clinical symptoms or only mild symptoms of BOAS, which naturally means that the percentage of dogs passing the test is high.

- Some dogs that meet the criteria set for passing the test have however more severe symptoms. Therefore, it is important that the dog’s grades of BOAS and nostril stenosis are also used to support breeding, in addition to the test result (approved/failed). This way, we can maximise the benefits of walk tests when aiming to improve the health of brachycephalic breeds, Lilja-Maula reminds.

 

For more information

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, veterinarian Liisa Lilja-Maula,
The Finnish Kennel Club
liisa.lilja-maula@kennelliitto.fi
tel. +358 9 8873 0224

Study published on 10th July 2019
Assessment of welfare and braphycephalic obstructive airway syndrome signs in young, breeding age French Bulldogs and Pugs, using owner questionnaire, physical examination and walk tests
M Aromaa, L Lilja-Maula and MM Rajamäki

Guideline for walk tests

Organisation of a walk test for brachycephalic breeds

 

The Finnish Kennel Club’s data regarding walk tests was assembled by Olivia Tarvainen as a part of the collaboration between the Finnish Kennel Club and the University of Helsinki.