From December 1, 2020, the new IT system of the Board of Directors (IT4dogs) has been put into motion. You can read more about this on the website of the PRTCN and on the website of the Raad van Beheer, among others under “breeding with the standards matrix”.

The Parson Russell Terrier is one of the first five terrier breeds for which a matrix has been put together. A standard matrix is ​​now available for 100 varieties, with all other varieties to follow.

The standards matrix is ​​an initiative of the Raad van Beheer, which makes it possible for each breed to see which health tests are made compulsory for parent animals of each breed. If parent animals have passed these tests and the result satisfies the breed in question, this will be visible on the (new-designed) pedigree of the offspring of these dogs.

The standards matrix of the Parson is now available and the control on this will start on May 1, 2021 and applies to all parent animals of breeders, member or not member of the PRTCN, who request pedigrees for their puppies.

This standards matrix also immediately raises questions.

-Because how did this matrix come about?

The Board of Directors initially based it on our VFR, but has the freedom to make adjustments.

-What about the use of foreign stud dogs, because nothing is said about that in the matrix.

Foreign stud dogs often do not have the examinations required and recorded by the Board of Directors. The standards matrix does not, however, know the article included in our VFR, whereby foreign stud dogs must “preferably” meet the requirements of the VFR. This is not the case with any variety and is not considered desirable. However, it is possible to use other equivalent studies. These studies are divided into 5 categories:

1. The investigations used by the Board of Directors
2. Equivalent examinations eg the ECVO eye examination, which is also used in various other countries and where identification of the dog has taken place.
3. The studies mentioned in B. without ID control
4. Non-protocol examinations and DNA tests but with ID control
5. The studies mentioned in D., but without ID control

When all these studies are used, a pedigree indicating that the parent animals meet the requirements for the breed (pedigree with green “tick”) is possible. Only the use of completely untested foreign stud dogs does not give this possibility. Then the offspring will receive a pedigree without a green tick (parent combination does not meet the requirements)

-Where has the exception, mentioned in our VFR, for the parent combination, where one parent has an eye disorder MPP iris, gone. Again, the impossibility of the term “preferably”. We have indicated that a sufferer of MPP iris is "preferably" paired with a free partner and that is therefore not possible in the matrix. Perhaps an adjustment in the standards matrix will follow here.

Changes or adjustments to the standards matrix are not inconceivable. The person with ultimate responsibility is the Board of Directors, which requests advice from its health committee.

Naturally, the rules from the Basic Welfare and Health Regulations of the Board of Directors apply to all parent animals, which are also included in the Kynological Regulations and the VFR of each breed club.

At our next GMM, both the VFR and the standards matrix are on the agenda and you can always contact us for questions.

On behalf of the Board
Joke Bode-van de Meeberg, secretary PRTCN