– If you breed for bad traits, you get bad dogs. That’s what Snorre Skistad, test judge at Hund helt pa grensen AS, says. They live on a farm in Austmarka in Kongsvinger and offer mental tests for dogs. Since last summer, they have experienced a strong increase in the number of people who want to test their dog – and never before have so many been recommended to put it down. Skistad believes that rogue breeders who are looking to make money are a large part of the problem. Now he is calling for stricter requirements for breeders. Tests hereditary characteristics The mental test, which is carried out on the farm in Austmarka, is a pure assessment of the characteristics of adult dogs. The dogs are exposed to strong pressure through a series of exercises. The aim is to find out how much the dogs can tolerate and what characteristics they have. – If the dog is a danger to itself or others, or if it does not feel good about itself and we see that it cannot be corrected, then we recommend euthanasia, says test judge Snorre Skistad. news has been in contact with the Norwegian Police Directorate, which writes in an e-mail that they have no statistics of their own on the number of people who have been killed or injured by dogs. They have previously given an estimate of 5,000, but say there is reason to believe that the number is higher. SCARY FIGURE: The dogs are put in stressful situations during the mental test. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news Sometimes the dog’s mentality can be bad because of its upbringing. The owner is then advised to relocate the dog. – We do not say that dogs should be euthanized because we think it is fun. We want to find solutions for the dogs and the owners, says Skistad. But most often the problems are out of the owner’s control. Want stricter requirements Skistad says that hereditary characteristics are often the reason why a dog does poorly in the mental test. He believes that rogue breeders who are only looking for money are a big part of the problem. – They breed on bad, hereditary traits. It creates worse and worse dogs. Skistad is now proposing to set stricter requirements for the breeders. UNSERIOUS: Skistad believes that unscrupulous breeders who care more about money than animal welfare are a large part of the problem. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news He believes that if a dog bites, for example, there should be a requirement for it to be mentally tested. If they then discover that hereditary characteristics are behind the behaviour, the dog’s parents and siblings should also be tested. – Then we get demands on breeders that they actually have to take a mental test on their animals, says Skistad. Testing the dog before breeding Dog owner Linn Amalie Brekke is one of those who has chosen to send her dog through a mental test. She has a rottweiler, and plans for more litters in the future. – The most important thing is to test the dog mentally before I start breeding. With this breed, everyone should pass a mental test, she says. Brekke has always believed that her dog is stable, but says that she could not be sure until she saw him on the trail. Fortunately, they passed the test with flying colours. – I received very good feedback, so he is as good as gold. FULL POT: Linn Amalie Brekke is very satisfied with the rottweiler’s effort in the mental test, and says he got full pot. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news Working with new regulations Kristel Halvorsen Foss is acting section head for animal welfare at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. She says that there is no registration obligation for either having a dog or breeding a dog. – That is why the Norwegian Food Safety Authority does not have an overview of all dog farms or all those who breed dogs, says Halvorsen Foss. But that is about to change. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority is now working on two different regulations relating to dogs. One is a regulation on the welfare of dogs in connection with breeding. – Among other things, it will help ensure that dogs have the necessary genetic prerequisites for good health and welfare, says Halvorsen Foss. The second is a regulation on identification marking and registration of dogs. It will help ensure that dogs can be identified and linked to registered persons. Drafts of both regulations were sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food in June for clearance for consultation. BOYLE TO BEST FRIEND: In the news program “From bully to best friend”, Maren orders a mental test for the dog Conan.
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Snorre Skistad in Dog completely on the border AS recommends more people euthanize their dog now – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
