Visible Exclusion Criteria
In the list of “externally recognizable exclusionary characteristics” below, the organizer has added a list of dog breeds where special attention must be paid to the specific characteristics mentioned. However, we would like to point out that these characteristics must be observed for all participating dogs.
The presence of these characteristics will be checked on-site during the vet check by the state association’s veterinarians at the event.
At this point, we also explicitly draw attention to the hidden exclusion criteria applicable to certain dog breeds and ask that these also be observed.
| Exclusion Criterion | Explanations | |
|---|---|---|
| Exophthalmos | Exophthalmos is an abnormal protrusion of the eyeball from the eye socket. There is no exact, generally applicable limit for the presence of exophthalmos. Relevant criteria for diagnosing exophthalmos include a visible protrusion of the eye, an enlarged palpebral fissure, and difficulty closing the eyelids. | |
| Entropion | Entropion is an eyelid malposition in dogs where the eyelid margin rolls inward towards the cornea, causing hair or eyelid skin to touch the eye surface and potentially leading to mechanical irritation or even painful corneal damage. The presence of entropion is usually accompanied by clinical symptoms such as increased tear production, squinting, or conjunctival redness. | |
| Ectropion | Ectropion refers to an eyelid malposition where the eyelid margin turns outward away from the eyeball, so that the inner side of the eyelid (conjunctiva) becomes partially visible and the eyelid margin no longer fits correctly against the eye. There is no clearly measurable limit for the presence of ectropion in either veterinary or human medicine. According to the responsible veterinary office, exhibition is permitted “if the eyelid can close completely and securely covers the entire globe, without any conjunctival mucous membrane remaining visible.” | |
| Dermoid Cysts / Dermoid Sinus | A dermoid cyst is a cyst lined with skin tissue that forms during embryonic development. It can appear as a small bump along the midline of the back. A dermoid sinus is a tube-like, inward-pulling skin malformation that extends as a narrow tract into deeper tissue layers. It can present as a small opening, dimple, or nodule along the midline of the back. While rare, it can occur in all dog breeds, but is primarily described in the Rhodesian Ridgeback. An exhibition ban also applies to animals that have undergone surgical treatment. | |
| Missing or Impaired Vibrissae | An exhibition ban applies to dogs with missing or atrophied vibrissae, as well as to dogs whose vibrissae have been clipped. | |
| Partial or Complete Hypotrichosis/Alopecia | Alopecia refers to pathological or excessive hair loss, while hypotrichosis is a reduction in hair density. We particularly ask exhibitors of Xoloitzcuintle, Perro sin Pelo del Perú, and Chinese Crested Dog breeds to ensure compliance with this criterion. | |
| Albinism | Albinism is a genetic disorder of melanin formation in which the body produces little or no pigment, so that fur, skin, and eyes appear significantly lighter or unpigmented (recognizable by pure white fur, blue eyes, unpigmented mucous membranes). This genetic trait does not occur in dogs from VDH/FCI breeding. | |
| Excessive Skin Folding | An exhibition ban applies to animals with folds that impair sensory organs, body orifices, movements, and/or species-typical behavior, or that show skin fold dermatitis (inflammation in skin folds). | |
| Color Dilution Alopecia (CDA) | Color Dilution Alopecia is a hereditary skin and coat disorder in dogs that occurs in dogs with diluted coat colors (e.g., blue, gray). Affected dogs show irregular, patchy hair loss, especially on the back or flanks. Healthy dogs with dilute coat color are permitted to participate in the event. | |
| Excessively long drooping ears | The Veterinary Office establishes the exclusion criterion ‘excessively long drooping ears’ and defines it such that “dogs whose ear tips touch the ground as soon as the muzzle has contact with the ground” shall be excluded.
Only the pinna is decisive for the assessment; the hair on the ears is not taken into account. We particularly ask exhibitors of the Basset Hound and Bloodhound breeds to ensure compliance with this criterion. |
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| Brachyuria / Congenital Shortening of the Tail | The tail must cover the anal region and, in females, also the external genitalia. The tail must be freely movable and without bony changes to the vertebral bodies. For dogs whose tails have been amputated for medical reasons, this must be documented by a veterinary certificate. For hunting dogs whose tails have been amputated, proof of hunting use and the necessary certificates must also be submitted. We particularly ask exhibitors of Bulldog, French Bulldog, and Boston Terrier breeds, as well as exhibitors of other dogs with naturally short tails (Natural Bobtail), to ensure compliance with this criterion. |
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| Brachycephaly | An exhibition ban applies “if the length of the muzzle (measured from the tip of the nose to the stop) is less than 1/3 of the total skull length (measured from the stop to the occipital bone).”
In the illustration below, this would correspond to the quotient a to b .
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| Stenotic / Narrowed Nostrils | Exhibition ban for dogs whose nostrils are so severely narrowed that the wall of the nostril touches the inner nasal septum. This problem is almost exclusively observed in extremely short-nosed dogs. | |
| Protruding Tongue | Exhibition ban for dogs whose tongue “hangs out of the closed mouth.” | |
| Dogs with Severely Sloping Hindquarters | For affected animals, a “veterinary certificate stating that a freely patent vertebral canal and freely patent nerve root exits without stenoses are present radiographically” is required. |
Regardless of the characteristics mentioned here, dogs with relevant diseases as defined in § 10 No. 2 TierSchHuV may be excluded from the event by the veterinary office or the organizer at their discretion.
