Published: 12 Jul 2024 | Last Updated: 16 Jul 2024 14:44:27

The International Collaborative on Extreme Conformations in Dogs (ICECDogs) has released new guidance for advertisers, heavily informed by research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), that advises on which images of dogs should be avoided in advertising and social media based on the dog’s extreme body shape.

The ICECDogs is a multinational group formed to address the escalating global welfare issues and suffering caused by extreme conformations (body shapes) in dogs. ICECDogs defines extreme conformation as a physical appearance that has been so significantly altered through selection by humankind that affected dogs commonly suffer from poor health and welfare, with negative impacts on their quality of life. Examples of common dog breeds that are often affected by health issues linked to extreme conformation include the French Bulldog, Pug, English Bulldog and Dachshund.

This new guidance calls on all advertisers and users of social media worldwide to immediately stop using images of dogs with extreme conformation in public communications unless these images are aimed at protecting canine health and wellbeing. Instead, ICECDogs recommends that advertisers focus on using images that promote physically healthy conformations in dogs.

The guidance outlines the basic physical attributes and abilities that any dog must have to ensure their capacity to enjoy a full life without limitation from health issues linked to extreme conformations. Common examples of health and welfare issues linked to extreme conformation include chronic pain (e.g., eye ulcers because of protruding eyes) or physical incapacity (e.g., unable to sleep or exercise fully due to breathing difficulties from being flat-faced).

Unfortunately, over the past decade, more and more owners are choosing to acquire dogs with extreme conformations, such as excessive skin folds, short tails, short legs and flat faces. RVC VetCompass research has estimated that there were more than half a million French Bulldogs and a quarter of a million Miniature Dachshunds owned in the UK in 2023, along with more than 180,000 Pugs and 130,000 English Bulldogs.  Much of this increased public demand is believed to result from the commonplace use of images of dogs with extreme conformations as promotional aids in advertising and social media, which has normalised these harmful body shapes in the public’s perception.

This new ICECDogs guidance is therefore designed to inform advertisers and social media users about the potential welfare costs caused by the inappropriate use of images of dogs with extreme body shapes and aims instead to encourage public sharing only of images of physically healthy dogs.

ICECDogs is advising advertisers to err on the side of welfare caution and avoid the use of any images of dogs where there is uncertainty about whether the dogs have an extreme conformation. ICECDogs is also advising members of the public who identify advertisements contravening the guidance to report it to the relevant advertising standards agency in their country and also to contact the advertisers directly.

Dr Dan O’Neill, Chair of the UK Brachycephalic Working Group, Associate Professor for Companion Animal Epidemiology at the RVC and co-founding ICECDogs member, said:

“Millions of dogs continue to suffer worldwide every year from extreme and unnecessary body shapes. This new ICECDogs message calls on advertisers to play their part in ending the normalisation of suffering from extreme body shapes and will hopefully contribute to the ongoing worldwide movement to instead celebrate healthy body shapes in dogs.”

The full ‘ICECDogs - Guidelines on Advertising Using Imagery of Dogs with Extreme Conformation’ is available at https://www.icecdogs.com/.

Link to guidelines infographic image - ICECDogs Infographic

Notes to editors

For media enquiries, please contact:

• Jasmin De Vivo at jasmin.devivo@plmr.co.uk or rvc@plmr.co.uk        
• Press Line: 0800 368 9520

About the RVC

• The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is the UK's largest and longest established independent veterinary school and is a Member Institution of the University of London. 
• It is one of the few veterinary schools in the world that hold accreditations from the RCVS in the UK (with reciprocal recognition from the AVBC for Australasia, the VCI for Ireland and the SAVC for South Africa), the EAEVE in the EU, and the AVMA in the USA and Canada. 
• The RVC is ranked as the top veterinary school in the world in the QS World University Rankings by subject, 2024. 
• The RVC offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing and biological sciences. 
• The RVC is a research-led institution, with 88% of its research rated as internationally excellent or world class in the Research Excellence Framework 2021. 
• The RVC provides animal owners and the veterinary profession with access to expert veterinary care and advice through its teaching hospitals and first opinion practices in London and Hertfordshire. 

About ICECDogs:

Further information is available at https://www.icecdogs.com/

The International Collective on Extreme Conformations in Dogs (ICECDogs) is a global multi-stakeholder group that works together to minimize welfare issues resulting from extreme conformations in dogs by seeking out and applying evidence-based canine and human approaches.

The current focus of the ICECDogs is to support national/regional multi-stakeholder groups engaged in the issues raised by extreme conformation in dogs and to act as a leader in the development and dissemination of policy and guidance on minimizing extremes of conformation and promoting moderate, healthy conformation in dogs.

ICECDogs collaborates with (multi-)stakeholder groups in the following countries:

1. Australia
2. Canada
3. Denmark
4. Germany
5. Ireland
6. New Zealand
7. Sweden
8. United Kingdom