By Abhai Kaul | VAGSD.com
Acknowledgment
This perspective was further shaped by a recent podcast discussion with Mr. Christian Lang, internationally respected SV judge and breeder, whose long-standing experience in population-level breeding and functional evaluation echoed a key concern addressed below: that dogs with a3 hip ratings are not cliniclly sick dogs, and that policy decisions must consider not only genetics and surface selection, but also how dogs that are already born and the future generations to come are percieved, valued, and treated.
His insights reinforced the importance of precision in language, responsibility in communication, and care for the reputation of the German Shepherd Dog beyond the breeding and competition context.
Also See: Understanding Hip Dysplasia in the German Shepherd Dog
Listen to the edpisode: The State of the German Shepherd Dog: Christian Lang on the global shift in the GSD World.
Introduction: When Policy Outruns Science
The recent decision to remove A3 hips and certain elbow evaluations from the breeding pool has been positioned as a progressive step toward improving orthopedic health in the German Shepherd Dog. On the surface, this appears intuitive: stricter selection should equal healthier dogs. However, current veterinary and genetic research does not support such a linear conclusion. Hip dysplasia (HD) and elbow dysplasia (ED) are not single-gene diseases, nor are they conditions that can be meaningfully eliminated through increasingly narrow radiographic thresholds alone. By treating A3 hips as a categorical failure rather than a contextual data point, we risk replacing science-based breeding with administrative simplification.
HD and ED Are Polygenic and Multifactorial. This Matters.
Modern research is unequivocal on one point: HD and ED are both polygenic and multifactorial.
This simply means:
- There is no single gene responsible
- Multiple genes interact (primary, adjacent, and modifying genes)
- Environmental inputs play a decisive role in expression and severity
The 2025 paper “The Complexity of Hip Dysplasia (HD) in Dogs” (Wayosi et al.) summarizes this clearly:
Genes increase readiness. Environment determines realization. In other words, Genetics set the position; Environment decides the course.
This view is consistent across major veterinary studies (Mäki et al., Malm et al., Oberbauer et al., Ginja et al.), all of which conclude that genetic predisposition is not deterministic.
Heritability Is Moderate: Not Absolute
Large population studies consistently place heritability estimates for HD and ED between 20–40%, varying by breed and population.
This has two important implications:
- More than half of the risk is non-genetic
- Eliminating dogs based solely on radiographic thresholds ignores the majority of contributing factors
Key non-genetic contributors include:
- Rate of growth
- Nutritional energy density
- Weight management
- Muscle development and coordination
- Early stress loading
- Surface and footing during growth
- Micro-trauma to immature joints
- Management during sensitive developmental windows
These are not marginal variables, they are central.
Why A3 ≠ “Bad Genetics”
An A3 hip rating does not indicate:
- A pathological hip
- A guaranteed producer of dysplasia
- A lack of functional ability
What it does indicate is a borderline structural evaluation at a fixed moment in time, without context for:
- Muscular support
- Growth history
- Weight at evaluation
- Environmental management
- Functional longevity
Research shows clearly:
- Dogs with genetic predisposition may never develop HD under optimal conditions
- Dogs without strong genetic predisposition can still develop HD under poor management
Removing A3 hips assumes causality where science shows interaction.
The Unintended Consequences: What Happens to A3 Dogs?
One important aspect that often goes unspoken in policy decisions like this is what happens to the dogs already labeled A3: dogs that are no different from any other in terms of lived experience, temperament, and potential quality of life. An A3 rating is a momentary assessment of radiographic appearance. It does not mean clinical disease. Many dogs with an A3 hip:
- Never show pain
- Never develop clinical lameness
- Live long, happy, active lives
- Excel in sport, work, or companionship
Yet by removing these dogs from the perceived “breeding pool,” policy language alone can cause them to be seen as less desirable, unhealthy, or unfit for life as a companion. This is not a medical truth, it is a narrative consequence.
For the average dog buyer, or family considering a German Shepherd, labels matter. When a dog is officially described as excluded from breeding due to “hip concerns,” the public interpretation is often:
“This dog is sick.” “This dog will be unhealthy.” “No one wants a sick dog.”
This plays directly into a long-standing and unhelpful narrative that the German Shepherd Dog is a “sick breed.” In reality, the breed’s orthopedic challenges, like hip dysplasia, are largely developmental, multifactorial, and influenced heavily by nutrition and growth management, not destiny.
In other words, we may have fed our critics exactly the narrative they wanted by default, simply by the way policy labels dogs because we cannot get out of our own way. Instead of seeing an A3 dog as a potential companion with normal function and temperament, the public may now see A3 as a problem, a risk, and i cringe as I write these words, defective.
None of these are scientifically justified, and each creates unnecessary stigma for dogs who may never show clinical signs of hip dysplasia in their lifetimes. The ethical question becomes:
Is it fair to quietly relegate perfectly capable dogs into a category that the public interprets as “sick” , when in fact they may be no less healthy or functional than their peers?
The answer matters not just for breeding decisions, but for:
- Adoption interest
- Owner confidence
- Breed reputation
- Public perception of German Shepherd health
We must be careful that in attempting to improve the breed, we don’t unintentionally harm the lives of dogs already here, many of whom are wonderful, pain-free companions.
Why This Matters
Because hip dysplasia is polygenic and multifactorial, and because environmental influences (including controlled growth and nutrition) play a major role in whether radiographic signs ever become clinical disease, an A3 rating alone is not a reliable predictor of future pain or disability.
An A3 dog may, just like any other dog:
- Thrive with good weight management
- Never need pain control
- Enjoy normal activity
- Exhibit normal gait and function
Yet the way policy has been communicated can cause people to erroneously assume otherwise.
What Responsible Communication Should Look Like
If we insist on stricter breeding standards, we also have a responsibility to communicate clearly to the public that:
- A3 is a radiographic designation, not a diagnosis
- Most if not all A3 dogs live normal, healthy lives
- Radiographs do not measure pain or function
- Environment, nutrition, and activity significantly influence outcomes
This is not just an academic point, it affects whether an entire generation of German Shepherds is seen as undesirable, risky, or devalued.
The Genetic Cost of Over-Restriction
When selection pressure becomes overly rigid, especially in a numerically limited breed population, several predictable consequences follow:
- Loss of genetic diversity
- Increased risk of bottleneck effects
- Higher incidence of other heritable problems
- Selection drift toward cosmetic or exaggerated traits
- Reduced emphasis on temperament, working ability, and resilience
History has shown repeatedly that health does not improve when selection focuses on a single metric divorced from function and context.
Orthopedic health is not improved by exclusion alone, it is improved by balanced selection paired with informed management.
Prevention Is Active, Not Passive
Perhaps the most underutilized insight from modern research is this: We can actively influence more than 50% of HD and ED risk factors.
Effective prevention includes:
- Controlled, age-appropriate movement
- Deliberate muscle development
- Balanced calcium-to-energy nutrition
- Weight discipline during growth
- Avoidance of early repetitive impact
- Environmental footing awareness
- Early functional and biomechanical assessment
This reframes HD and ED not as “fatal diseases,” but as developmentally conditioned outcomes.
A More Scientifically Honest Approach
Rather than blanket exclusion of A3 hips, a more responsible framework would include:
- Longitudinal tracking of progeny outcomes
- Emphasis on functional soundness over static imaging
- Pairing decisions that consider total pedigree health
- Environmental education for puppy buyers
- Breeder accountability beyond certification thresholds
Radiographs should inform breeding decisions, not replace them.
Conclusion: Precision Over Simplification
The desire to improve orthopedic health in the German Shepherd Dog is shared by all responsible breeders. But progress requires precision, not simplification. Removing A3 hips from the breeding pool may appear decisive, but it rests on an outdated, deterministic view of genetics that modern science no longer supports. If we are serious about health, longevity, and function, we must move beyond binary classifications and embrace the complex, interactive reality of canine development.
Science does not ask us to breed narrower. It asks us to breed smarter.