Brachycephalic breeds encompass many breeds with shorter snouts. There is much confusion, misinformation and stigma surrounding them. Head shape in dogs is defined by the cephalic index (CI). The ratio is determined by multiplying the maximum width of the head by 100, then dividing that number by the maximum length of the head.

Dogs with wider heads and shorter snouts will have a higher CI. Brachycephalic dogs have a CI over 60.

This is by no means a full list. Some breeds hover the line of brachycephalic. Below each breed is a link to their Breed Club in the US.

• Affenpinscher (Germany)

  • www.affenpinscher.org

• American Staffordshire Terriers (United Kingdom / United States)

  • www.amstaff.org

• Boxer (Germany)

  • www.americanboxerclub.org

• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (United Kingdom)

  • www.ckcsc.org

• Chihuahuas (Mexico)

  • www.chihuahuaclubofamerica.org

• Chinese Shar Pei (China)

  • www.cspca.com

• English Bulldog (England)

  • www.bulldogclubofamerica.org

• Brussels Griffon (Belgium)

• Bullmastiff (United Kingdom)

  • www.bullmastiff.us

• Boston Terrier (United States)

  • www.bostonterrierclubofamerica.org

• Cane Corso (Ancient Rome / Italy)

  • www.canecorso.org

• Chow Chow (China)

  • www.chowclub.org

• Dogue De Bordeaux (France)

  • www.ddbsa.org

• English Toy Spaniel (United Kingdom)

  • www.englishtoyspanielclubofamerica.org

• French Bulldog (France/England)

  • www.frenchbulldogclub.org

• Japanese Chin (China)

  • www.japanesechinclubofamerica.org

• Lhasa Apso (Tibet)

  • www.lhasaapso.org

• Pekingese (China)

  • www.pekingeseclubofamerica.com

• Pomeranians (Germany/Poland)

  • www.ampomclub.org

• Pug (China)

  • www.pugdogclubofamerica.com

• Shih Tzu (Tibet/China)

  • www.shihtzu.org

• Staffordshire Bull Terriers (United Kingdom)

  • www.sbtca.com

• Tibetan Spaniel (Tibet)

  • www.tsca.ws

• Rottweiler (Germany)

  • www.usrconline.org

The stigma surrounding brachycephalic dogs is that they are inherently unhealthy, can’t breathe and are unethical to breed. While there are certainly dogs that fall under these categories, this is not unequivocally true. To learn more about each aspect, please view the following questions.

Yes, brachycephalic breeds can breathe.

The concerns for brachy breeds being unable to breathe come from the diagnosis of Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS). BOAS is usually caused by an extended soft palette which blocks the airway for a dog, narrowed trachea and pinched nostrils. A dog with these signs would struggle to breathe. There are surgeries to help correct these in a dog, but the surgery is risky.

Good breeders are going to look at the dam and sire before making a pairing to avoid puppies that are at risk of these issues. To help breeders and owners, the University of Cambridge and The Kennel Club in the U.K. developed the Respiratory Function Grading Scheme which made its first appearance in the US in January of 2021 in Portland, OR.

Following is a quote about the results from the grading scheme: “Overwhelmingly (we had) pretty good results. We had 10 Grade 0. So, the grade zeros are basically everything was good. These dogs were good breathers, they had nice wide open nostrils. There were no sounds of turbulence or anything during the auscultation, so everything was looking pretty good. We had 18 grade 1, which is also good. It means that in general, nothing could be heard without a stethoscope and you could only hear some of the minor issues with the stethoscope, but the dogs are basically still found to be clinically unaffected by BOAS. We did have 25 grade twos and we had one lone grade three.”

While there is room for improvement, this information does show that respiratory health can be achieved through intentional breeding without sacrificing the breed standards.

Quote taken from the following this page of Pure Dog Talk.

The University of Cambridge and The Kennel Club in the U.K. developed the Respiratory Function Grading Scheme (RFGS) to help identify healthy dogs and wean out dogs that might not pass down healthy respiratory genetics.

The exam consists of four steps and is conducted by a trained and approved veterinarian. They review the dog’s breathing history, an exam when the dog is calm, another exam after a brisk walk, and a post exam auscultation.

The dog is then given a grade from 0 to 3. A grade 0 means the dog is completely unaffected. A grade 3 means the dog is symptomatic of BOAS.

RFGS is still in its beginning stages, but is slowly starting to gain some traction. Many breed clubs are excited to incorporate it in to help breeders in continuing to bring healthy pups into the world.

Not necessarily. Some have advocated for crossbreeding flat-faced dogs with other breeds to create healthier dogs however crossbreeding does not automatically create healthier dogs.

Most of the issues that cause BOAS are internal (other than pinched nostrils), so crossbreeding with a longer nosed dog could still pass down issues associated with BOAS if a dog was not properly health tested beforehand. Based on the Respiratory Function Grading Scheme, there is now a way to test dogs. However, we can do it while preserving the current breeds.

Unfortunately, many of the people who advocate and breed for longer snouts, don’t usually take into consideration the whole dog. There is often a lack of understanding surrounding the dog’s structure, temperament or history which is dangerous in breeding.

Yes!

Many of the health issues, including respiratory health, are compounded by bad breeding practices.

Reputable breeders are going to health test their dogs, know the pedigree and evaluate each pairing carefully. This is why it's incredibly important to educate yourself, educate friends and family to purchase dogs from breeders who are trying to improve the health of dogs while maintaining a standard.

The Canine Health Information Center (OFA) works with Breed Clubs to record potentially risky health concerns that can crop up in various breeds and gives dogs CHIC number to keep track of those tests. Here is a link to their page on respiratory health: https://ofa.org/diseases/rfgs/

If you select “Browse by Breed” on the OFA website, you can see that each breed has health concerns that good breeders will avoid. Again, crossbreeding is not the automatic answer to this because if dogs are being bred without intention or health checks done, a puppy is just as likely to inherit all the bad things from both lines of parentage as all the good things.

No. Many veterinarians often view all brachy breeds as unhealthy and this is partially due to the fact that most veterinarians have not seen a well-bred brachy dog from a reputable breeder so the dogs they do see are going to have more health concerns than one whose parentage was health tested, proven and carefully paired.

Dogs that come from ethical breeders are, by and large, very healthy dogs. Like any dog there are things to keep in mind when caring for them, such as not letting them get overweight, avoiding extreme weather or temperature and ensuring both their mental and physical needs are met, but they are wonderful companions that don’t have to send you to the vet each month.

Brachycephalic breeds can impregnate naturally and give birth naturally. Many reputable breeders take advantage of artificial insemination (not just brachycephalic breeders) because it allows them access to a larger gene pool than stud dogs in their immediate vicinity when a female is ready.

While brachycephalic dogs can give birth naturally, some breeders elect to have a c-section planned in the event of an emergency. This goes for both brachycephalic breeders and breeders of other types of dogs.

Troubles during birth are not limited to head type. Sometimes a puppy is poorly positioned, or uterine inertia might occur. For some breeders finding someone to do an emergency c-section is stressful and scary versus having a birth plan in place.

Birth is hard on all mammals. Humans need c-sections about one-third of the time. Limiting a dog's medical care is not considered good practice.