Posted by LBA Board on October 26, 2007, 2:55 pm
Board Administrator

The LBA has clearly stated that all breeding stock must be screened for hip displasia by having hip x-rays taken and approved, before being bred. We now have puppy buyers coming to us for papers that we can’t provide, because x-rays, and litter registrations, were never submitted. I ask all of you puppy owners without papers, to call the breeder of your dog and get them to send the LBA a completed litter registration form and the parents’ x-rays, so we can provide your puppy papers. If the sire or dam of a puppy has died (2 cases we know of) without x-rays being taken, then the breeder should send a litter registration application and an x-ray for the surviving parent, and we will issue PNX (Parent Not X-Rayed) papers to bring the puppies in. This PNX program is a temporary measure and will not apply to future litters. We have had problems with breeders mating immature dogs. Our guideline stated that females should be at least 18 mo. old and males 12 mo. before breeding. Some genetic problems, like epilepsy, don’t show up until the dog is an adult. Useful hip x-rays must wait till at least 18 mo. with the OFA requiring 2 years. For the preceding reasons we will now require that both male and female be at least 18 mo. old before breeding. 18 mo. is a minimum age. Many dogs don’t mature till 2 or 2 ½ years old and we hope you will be observant and wait to breed with these slow maturing individuals. If you have an unregistered dog from a parent who was bred before they were 18 mo., we ask you to send us a registration application and get the breeder to send the parents’ x-rays and we’ll provide papers. Any pups born to an immature parent after this announcement, made on Oct. 25th 2007, can be brought in only under our outcross program. We feel strongly that these breeding requirements are in the best interest of the dogs and expect full compliance from LBA breeders. Sincerely, LBA Board