CHIC Certification for Dogs: What It Means and Why It Matters for Breeding

When you see a stud dog listing that says "CHIC certified" or "has a CHIC number," it means the dog has completed all health tests required by its national breed club and had those results published in the CHIC database. It is the gold standard of health documentation for breeding dogs.

What Is CHIC?

CHIC — the Canine Health Information Center — is a centralised database managed jointly by the OFA and the AKC Canine Health Foundation. Each breed's national parent club establishes a specific set of health tests required for CHIC certification. A dog that completes all of those tests and agrees to make results publicly available receives a CHIC number.

Why CHIC Matters

CHIC is more than just a number. It means:

  1. Comprehensive testing: The dog has been evaluated for the conditions most likely to affect its breed — not just the most convenient or cheapest tests
  2. Public transparency: Results are available to anyone who looks up the dog's CHIC number at ofa.org — good AND bad results are published
  3. Breed club recognition: The testing requirements are set by veterinary geneticists and breed health committees who know the breed's specific disease risks

A CHIC number does not guarantee a dog is free of all health issues — a dog can pass its CHIC requirements and still have undetected problems. But it establishes a documented baseline that is far more valuable than a listing that simply says "health tested."

How to Get a CHIC Number

  1. Complete all tests on the breed's CHIC requirements list (found at ofa.org/chic)
  2. Submit results to OFA for each test
  3. Agree to make all results publicly available — even unfavourable ones
  4. OFA issues a CHIC number once all requirements are met

How to Verify a CHIC Number

Go to ofa.org, click on CHIC, and search by the dog's registered name or AKC number. The database will show all tests on file, their results, and the date they were completed.

Common CHIC Requirements by Breed

Labrador Retriever: Hips, elbows, cardiac, eyes (CAER) Golden Retriever: Hips, elbows, eyes, cardiac French Bulldog: Hips, CAER, cardiac, trachea Poodle (Standard): Hips, eyes, sebaceous adenitis (SA) German Shepherd: Hips, elbows, degenerative myelopathy (DNA) Australian Shepherd: Hips, eyes (CAER), HSF4 cataracts (DNA), MDR1 (DNA)

For your specific breed, look it up at ofa.org/chic to see the exact current requirements.