There are several health schemes relevant to the Labrador Retriever breed. You may be familiar with the hip scoring, elbow scoring and eye testing schemes, but with continuing advances in genetics new ways of screening for hereditory defects are being introduced.
Hip scoring is done to check on the degree of Hip Dysplasia (HD) present, and is a one off procedure. Ideally a dog should have a total score (i.e. both hips added together) of around the breed mean of 15 to be suitable to be bred from. Elbow scoring is increasingly common, with each elbow being graded from 0 to 3. Eyes should be tested on an annual basis to ensure that there are no hereditary defects emerging, which could be passed on to progeny.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) refers to degenerative conditions that cause impaired vision and eventually blindness. Centronuclear Myopathy (CNM) is an incurable disease that presents from 2 to 5 months and severely inhibits muscle development. With the advent of relatively simple testing it is becoming more common that breeders screen for these conditions.
The Kennel Club is working with the Animal Health Trust to develop a more sophisticated approach to analysing health data. Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) take into account not only data from progeny, but also from ancestry and related dogs. All genetically relevant test data is used to calculate the EBV. Some aspects of hip scoring are environmental rather than hereditary, so only the hereditary aspects contribute to the EBV.
A danger with any scoring scheme is that prospective breeders may focus too much on the 'best' scoring dogs, with the resultant risk of narrowing the gene pool. To help counter this the Kennel Club is developing a system called Mate Select that will take into account not only EBVs, but just as importantly how closely related the prospective dog is to the bitch.
None of these schemes measure temperament. A responsible breeder seeking to ensure the best temperament in their puppies will take the trouble to get to know prospective dogs in order to assess for themselves the qualities that they are looking for.