Season 4, Episode 2: The Dog Expert Podcast. IHA - Innate Health Assessment Tool

In this episode of The Dog Expert Podcast, we’re joined by Dan O'Neill, Marisa Heath, and Vanessa Barnes from APGAW to discuss the recently launched Innate Health Assessment (IHA).

Since its release in December 2025, the IHA has generated strong reactions across parts of the dog world. Some have welcomed it as a much-needed welfare tool. Others have raised concerns about scope, science, impact and implementation.

Rather than amplifying noise, this episode creates space for something more useful ... an evidence-led and constructive discussion about what the IHA is and what it isn’t.

We explore:

The purpose and vision behind the Innate Health Assessment

How it was developed and who contributed to its framework

Whether a checklist model can meaningfully influence breeding standards

The scientific thinking underpinning the approach How voluntary welfare tools interact with regulation and public perception

What the creators hope will happen next

Importantly, this conversation is not about hostility, point-scoring or social media rhetoric. It is about animal welfare and how we, as professionals and guardians, navigate reform in a sector that is both emotionally charged and deeply complex.

Strong feelings often reflect how much people care. But meaningful progress requires thoughtful dialogue, not polarisation.

If you work in behaviour, training, veterinary science, breeding, policy, or simply care deeply about the future of dogs, this episode offers insight into the intentions behind the IHA and an opportunity to engage with the debate in a measured and informed way.

As always, we invite listeners to reflect critically, think scientifically, and keep welfare at the centre of every conversation.