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Health Testing Guide
Which tests are mandatory, how to spot responsible breeders — and what it costs when things go wrong.
For the Barbet we've compiled 2 tests required by Verein für französische Vorstehhunde – VBBFL e.V. and 3 additionally recommended tests, drawn from breed-club regulations, the University of PEI (CIDD), and OMIA — weighted by severity and heritability.
View verified breedersWhat this grade means
In the Barbet, health prevention is primarily determined by orthopedic risks such as hip dysplasia (HD) and elbow dysplasia (ED), as well as hereditary eye diseases such as progressive retinal atrophy. The Verein für französische Vorstehhunde – VBBFL e.V. makes radiographic examinations for HD (limit: HD A–C, C only with conditions) and ED (ED 0–1) as well as a tooth and bite evaluation mandatory for breeding approval. Responsible breeders additionally test their parent animals for progressive retinal atrophy and Von Willebrand disease type I. Before buying a puppy, have the official HD and ED X-ray evaluations presented to you, as well as the genetic test results, where carriers may only be mated with proven clear partners.
Every breed is susceptible to certain inherited conditions. Just like humans, dogs inherit predispositions from their parents. Responsible breeders screen their breeding dogs for these conditions and make informed mating decisions to reduce the risk passed on to puppies.
No — but it's the strongest tool we have. Diet, exercise, environment, and genetics all contribute to whether a dog develops a condition. When breeders use the right tests to identify risk in potential parents, the likelihood of many conditions appearing in the puppies drops significantly.
There's no one-size-fits-all here. For the Barbet, Verein für französische Vorstehhunde – VBBFL e.V. requires 2 tests for breeding approval, plus 3 additional recommended tests. The specific tests and passing thresholds are detailed further below.
Keep in mind
Reliable screening tests still don't exist for many hereditary conditions, and tests for complex polygenic conditions don't always predict severity in the puppies. Even so, they're a powerful tool of responsible breeding.
There are two main types of health tests:
Screen the dog's DNA for known disease-causing mutations. Can be performed from puppyhood and give a binary result (clear / carrier / affected).
Clinical and imaging exams like X-ray, ultrasound, or ophthalmoscopy. They show how a predisposition actually manifests — usually only conclusive after 12–18 months.
We group breeding programs into three levels based on testing depth. Ask your breeder directly which level they meet.
A breeder at the Great level meets the Good level and performs 3 additional clinically recommended screenings that reduce risk in this breed.
In addition to Good:
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)(PRA)
Augen
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) is an inherited eye disease that affects the retina, which is the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye. In this condition, the specialized cells responsible for detecting light, known as photoreceptors, gradually degenerate and die. Because these cells cannot recover or be replaced, the disease slowly but inevitably leads to complete blindness.
Passing: clear or carrier
Epilepsy(IE)
Nervensystem
Epilepsy is a chronic disorder of the brain and nervous system where abnormal electrical activity causes sudden, temporary disruptions in normal brain function. These disruptions lead to repeated seizures, which are involuntary changes in body movement, sensation, or behavior. Because the underlying cause is often complex, the brain's electrical signaling remains permanently prone to these sudden misfires.
Physical examination
Von Willebrand disease type I(vWD1)
Stoffwechsel
Von Willebrand Disease Type I is an inherited bleeding disorder that affects the blood's ability to clot properly. It is caused by a deficiency in von Willebrand factor, a specific protein that helps blood platelets stick together to plug damaged blood vessels. Because this is an autosomal-dominant condition, a dog only needs to inherit one copy of the mutated gene to potentially show symptoms.
Passing: clear or carrier
Not health tests, but required for breeding: the club asks for these results too. They don't count toward the risks or the rating.
DNA-Identitätsnachweis
Required by Verein für französische Vorstehhunde – VBBFL e.V.
Lockennachweis (Barbet)
Required by Verein für französische Vorstehhunde – VBBFL e.V.
Acceptable result: Nicht im Text angegeben
Dental and bite evaluation
Required by Verein für französische Vorstehhunde – VBBFL e.V.
Acceptable result: Nicht im Text angegeben
D-Locus (d1) (D-Lokus)
Required by Verein für französische Vorstehhunde – VBBFL e.V.
Acceptable result: clear or carrier
These levels are a comparison framework, not an official certification. They help compare breeding programs at a glance.
A complete checklist with every core-standard and additionally recommended test, plus identity and rearing questions — take it with you.
Open the full checklistFor breeders
Machine-readable mating rules, minimum ages, scoring schemes, and what's required for HonestDog verification — as a printable guide.
Example rule — Elbow Dysplasia
Both parents must be ED 0–1 or better.
We take mandatory tests from official breed regulations, build the recommended health standard from veterinary databases — and cross-check every uploaded certificate against the dog's profile using AI.
L1 = core standard: the club's required tests where its rules set them, otherwise the recommended health standard for the breed. L2 = additionally recommended or clinically indicated. L3 = lower prevalence. Every assignment carries a source and confidence rating.
VDH breeding regulations, CIDD (University of PEI), OMIA (University of Sydney), curated veterinary input.
Uploaded certificates are read by AI and checked for date, result, and consistency with the dog's profile — our team reviews anything inconclusive.
The Barbet is not currently listed in our extreme-breeding overview. That does not mean it is free of hereditary disease: which ones are typical, and which tests the parents should have, is on this page.
Self-check
Answer 6 quick questions about your everyday life and see how well the Barbet fits you — including an honest cost estimate per month, per year, and across the dog's lifetime.
See breeders who have already uploaded their health test results for verification.
View verified breeders