Serious cranial and muzzle abnormalities are becoming increasingly common in dog breeding, partly due to the growing popularity of dogs with short snouts. Research by Utrecht University showed that due to the shape of the skull and snout, these dogs are more often confronted with harmful health and welfare problems such as bulging eyes, inability to close their eyes, trouble breathing, continuous headaches, and overheating.

Dutch law already prohibits passing on external characteristics through breeding that could have harmful consequences for the parent animal or offspring. The new criteria will enable the Dutch food and consumer product safety authority NVWA and the national animal protection inspectorate LID to better enforce this existing legislation, according to the Minister. Veterinarians and breeders can also use these criteria to select healthy parent animals.