10/05/2026
Sharing for reference and I know this is a lab but it goes for all breeds. Great read!!
WHAT DO YOU KNOW? … TWO “GOOD” PARENTS DO NOT GUARANTEE OFA GOOD HIPS!
I hear some version of this quite often from people reaching out to me, as thousands do every year through our Chambray Canine Community and my personal page, Vincent Sandy Herzon pages.
“My dog’s OFA results came back, and its hips didn’t pass. But both parents are rated ‘Good’!”
After a few questions and answers with the understandably upset and disappointed owner, it often becomes apparent that they are relatively new to breeding dogs.
So, rather than repeat this explanation individually, here is a little information for those just getting started.
It may not be what you wanted to hear, but it is something you need to understand before making breeding plans or promises.
Here is the supposed shocker: Even two dogs with OFA “Excellent” hips can produce offspring with hip dysplasia!!!
OFA’s 2018 published breeding data reported the following percentages of dysplastic offspring among evaluated dogs:
• Excellent × Excellent: 3.6%, approximately 4%.
• Good × Good: 9.6%, approximately 10%.
• Fair × Fair: 19.8%, approximately 20%.
• Dysplastic × Dysplastic: 36%.
These are historical results across breeds, not a prediction for your particular litter. They concern hips, not elbow results. And yes, Excellent, Good, and Fair are all normal OFA hip ratings.
Cue the wrinkled forehead, the dropped jaw, and sometimes the tearing eyes. Then comes the anger directed at the breeder, because surely someone must be responsible for this unexpected outcome!
The disappointment is understandable. The assumption that passing parents must produce only passing offspring is the part that needs correcting and understanding.
Hip dysplasia is thought to be inherited through multiple genes. A passing hip evaluation does not reveal every genetic contribution a dog might make to its offspring. That is why looking beyond the sire and dam to siblings, grandparents, and previously evaluated offspring matters.
Then comes another statement I hear:
“My breeder guarantees that every puppy will pass!”
Well, let’s examine what that actually means.
A written guarantee if given, may promise a refund, replacement, or another remedy if a dog fails its evaluation, subject to the contract’s terms. This is not a standard, 'throughout' the breed practice and varies greatly between breeders.
That is a promise about what that individual breeder will do, not a promise that biology will cooperate.
If the claim is that every puppy will unquestionably develop normal hips, someone is talking through their hat. Genetics has apparently neglected to read that sales pitch!
And before anyone decides to “blame it on the Boogie,” or more conveniently, the puppy’s owner or the breeder, let’s keep the facts straight: nutrition, growth, and other environmental influences can worsen the expression of hip dysplasia.
That does not automatically establish that the owner caused the failed result, however, since the longest period of time for harboring a puppy once it leaves the breeder's possession is typically with the owners, the likelihood rises significantly towards the owner's side.
A failed result alone is neither proof of breeder negligence nor proof of owner mistreatment.
Responsible breeding means using the available information to reduce risk, being honest about the risk that remains, and standing behind the commitments you actually made.
For the Betterment of the Breed... breed with knowledge, explain with honesty, and leave the crystal-ball guarantees to the fortune-tellers!
For those with differing opinions, please post on your social media page for your friends and followers to read.
©2026 V. Sandy Herzon. Copyright claimed in original human-authored text, photographs, and creative design contributions.
ADDENDUM:
OFA 2018 publication OFA supports the distinction between normal hip ratings and genetic risk, recommends considering relatives and progeny, and states that environmental factors can exacerbate inherited hip dysplasia.
