ENCI: From 1 April 2026, Your Labrador’s Health Records Enter the Studbook
ENCI has activated a new feature in the online Studbook: every owner can now voluntarily upload their dog’s health records, creating a history that anyone can consult. An important step forward for transparency in Labrador Retriever breeding.
The ENCI update in brief
As of 1 April 2026, the ENCI – Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana (Italian Kennel Club) has introduced a new section dedicated to health documentation within its online Studbook.
The service is accessible from the reserved area of the official website by following the path Studbook → Health Documentation (reserved area).
The new feature allows every owner of a dog registered in the Studbook to digitally upload and store veterinary certificates, diagnostic tests and other medical records, building a complete and up-to-date health history that can be accessed directly online.
How it works: everything you need to know
The process is straightforward and designed to be flexible. The owner logs in with their ENCI credentials and, for each dog in their ownership, can upload whichever health documents they consider appropriate to share.
This is not a requirement: publication is entirely voluntary and remains at the owner’s sole discretion.
Once uploaded, the documents become visible to anyone consulting that dog’s profile in the public Studbook.
This means that anyone considering purchasing a Labrador puppy, or interested in a particular stud dog or brood bitch, will be able to access health records directly without having to request them separately from the breeder.
Why this matters for the Labrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular breeds in Italy, but it is also a breed subject to several well-documented hereditary conditions — above all hip dysplasia (HD) and elbow dysplasia (ED), as well as inherited eye conditions such as PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy).
For this breed, health certification of breeding dogs is not a formality: it is a cornerstone of responsible selection.
Until now, verifying the health status of a Labrador registered in the Studbook required contacting the breeder directly and trusting the documents they provided.
With the new ENCI area, that same documentation can be verified independently, directly from the institutional source — a change that significantly strengthens transparency within the Italian cynophile system.
What owners can upload
ENCI specifies that the section accepts veterinary certificates, diagnostic tests and other health records. In practical terms, for a Labrador Retriever the most relevant documents that can be uploaded include:
- Official hip dysplasia (HD) certificate with radiographic assessment
- Official elbow dysplasia (ED) certificate
- Ophthalmological report for PRA and other hereditary eye conditions
- DNA tests for hereditary diseases confirmed in the breed
- Any other diagnostic test the owner considers useful to make public
The benefit for those looking to purchase a Labrador puppy
For anyone approaching the purchase of a Labrador puppy, this update provides a concrete verification tool. Before completing a purchase, it will be possible to search the parents’ profiles in the ENCI Studbook and check directly whether health records have been uploaded, and of what type.
It is worth noting that the absence of uploaded documents does not mean the absence of certifications: many responsible breeders, especially in the first weeks following the service’s launch, may not yet have completed the upload.
Over time, however, this feature will become a useful indicator for distinguishing breeders who are committed to health transparency from those who are less proactive in this regard.
The benefit for Labrador breeders
For serious breeders, the new health section of the Studbook is a valuable opportunity. Making the certifications of their breeding dogs publicly accessible strengthens the kennel’s credibility, sets apart those who invest in the health of the breed, and simplifies communication with prospective puppy buyers.
In a market where trust is built through transparency, having a verifiable health history directly on ENCI is an added value that is difficult to overlook.
How to access it: practical instructions
- Go to the official ENCI website: www.enci.it
- Log in to the reserved area with your credentials
- In the menu, select Studbook
- Click on Health Documentation (Reserved Area)
- Select the dog in your ownership and upload the documents
The direct link to the section is available on the ENCI website at the page dedicated to Health Documentation (Reserved Area).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is uploading health documentation mandatory?
No. The feature is entirely voluntary. Each owner independently decides whether and which documents to upload for each dog in their ownership.
Can anyone view the uploaded documents?
Yes. Once uploaded, the documents are accessible to anyone consulting the dog’s profile in the public ENCI Studbook.
What type of documents can be uploaded?
Veterinary certificates, diagnostic tests (dysplasia assessments, DNA tests, ophthalmological reports, etc.) and any other health document the owner considers appropriate to share.
Does this update apply only to Labradors or to all breeds?
It applies to all dogs registered in the ENCI Studbook, regardless of breed. However, for breeds such as the Labrador Retriever — where the health of breeding dogs is particularly critical — the practical impact is very significant.
What if a dog has no uploaded documents?
It does not necessarily mean the dog has no certifications. It may simply mean the owner has not yet used the new feature. It is always advisable to ask the breeder directly.
Conclusion
The new ENCI health documentation area represents a concrete step forward towards greater cynophile transparency in Italy.
For the Labrador Retriever world — a breed in which health has always been a central concern — having an institutional tool that makes it easy to verify dogs’ health records independently is genuinely positive news.
If you are a Labrador owner or breeder, we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity: uploading the health documentation of your dogs is a gesture of transparency that strengthens trust across the entire community.
Do you have questions about how to interpret your Labrador’s health records? Leave a comment below or visit our dedicated section on Labrador Retriever health.
