OFFICIAL SITE OF THE BREED CLUB, FOUNDED IN 1898,
AND AFFILIATED WITH THE SOCIÉTÉ CENTRALE CANINE
OFFICIAL SITE OF THE BREED CLUB, FOUNDED IN 1898,
AND AFFILIATED WITH THE SOCIÉTÉ CENTRALE CANINE
The BREATH and TAN test explained on video (September 2025).
Another presentation, filmed on Réunion Island, with David Morau, and produced by Frédéric Laup, of Animazone Réunion (March 2025).
A summary sheet on the original TAN and BREATH format (functional test) was published in the CBF e-newsletter, no. 75, 20 February 2020, p. 15.
A new version of the TAN was presented in the CBF e-newsletter, no. 96, 20 April 2022, p. 12-13.
The information on this page was last updated on 22 April 2022 (for the TAN only).
Animal welfare and health are now at the heart of the concerns of the dog world. With this in mind, the CBF Committee has decided to develop and strengthen the French Bulldog's TAN tests.
The CBF removed the veterinary certificate requirement once it began organising BREATH sessions.
Even a pampered French Bulldog remains a dog, and since it is a companion animal par excellence, the tests aim to determine whether the candidate is well-balanced and sociable towards people and other dogs, so that it behaves as a pleasant companion dog in everyday life and, notwithstanding the vagaries of genetics, does not pass on a defective temperament to its offspring.
The CBF is the only breed club authorised to do so for the French Bulldog.
They are held in various regions as decided by the CBF Committee.
To enter your French Bulldog, check the list of sessions on the forecast calendar, published and regularly updated on the cbf.asso.fr website, and complete your registration on Cedia.
The exhibitor receives a confirmation email for their registration. The evaluation form, pre-filled beforehand with the exhibitor's and dog's personal details, is held by the CBF expert, who brings it on the day of the session.
Please note that the veterinary certificate confirming the dog's fitness to take this test is no longer required, since the TAN now takes place as part of the sessions organised for the BREATH, which are held under veterinary supervision.
It must always take place AFTER the functionality test, also known as the BREATH.
Elimination in one test means the dog cannot continue with the following tests.
Passing the BREATH is mandatory before taking the TAN.
The dog, held on a lead by its handler, walks onto an unusual type of ground, then along a course marked out with various unusual or noisy objects.
Still on the lead, with the handler walking alongside but outside the course, the dog moves through a corridor leading to a moving curtain, which it must pass through without showing panic.
Before beginning the tests, the dog is handled by a tester who checks its identification (tattoo or microchip), and it is handled again after coming out of the corridor.
It must show no fear or aggression.
The dog, on a lead, weaves without showing aggression among the other dogs present, who are also on leads and gathered with their handlers while waiting to take the tests themselves.
The dog is held by the expert and rejoins its handler about ten metres away. This recall test, which requires a minimum of training, much like walking on a lead, does not eliminate the dog if failed, but earns a bonus for a dog that passes it.
The dog must be able to walk on a lead.
A dog may be presented for the TAN tests from 15 months of age.
The dog must have successfully passed the BREATH.
To pass the TAN, the dog must succeed in the first three tests. It will then be declared FIT.
If the dog fails a test, the examination stops and it cannot proceed to the following tests. It will be declared REFUSED or ADJOURNED for the TAN.
A refusal decision is final; the dog may not retake the TAN tests.
In the event of an adjournment, the dog may retake the TAN tests once, and only once, at any other session, after a waiting period of 6 months.
A pass in the TAN is recorded on the pedigree; a failure is not.
A pass in the TAN is required for access to champion titles and to rating 2 (and above).
BREATH stands for BRachycephalic Exercise Aptitude Test for Health, the SCC's functional test.
This test was created and implemented by the SCC to demonstrate the functional health of brachycephalic breeds.
BREATH sessions are organised for brachycephalic-type dogs of the following twelve breeds: bulldog, French bulldog, pug, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Dogue de Bordeaux, Japanese Chin, King Charles Spaniel, Pekingese, Griffon Belge, Brussels Griffon, Shih Tzu, and Boston Terrier, by the SCC-affiliated breed clubs responsible for those breeds.
These clubs may welcome, at their sessions, not only dogs of the breeds they are responsible for, but also dogs of the other breeds concerned. For example, a Pug may take the BREATH at a session organised by the CBF, a French Bulldog at a session organised by the SADB, an English Bulldog at a session organised by the CCTF, and so on.
CBF sessions will be held in different regions depending on availability, on days specially dedicated to the TAN/BREATH.
A French Bulldog may take the BREATH from 15 months of age.
For the French Bulldog, it consists of covering a distance of 500m, indoors or outdoors, in under 6 minutes, at a temperature between 10° and 25°C.
This test is conducted under the responsibility of a veterinarian, who checks heart rate at the start and finish, and if necessary 10 minutes after finishing, as well as the dog's gait.
Both a pass and a failure in the BREATH are recorded on the pedigree.
A failure does not entitle the dog to retake the test.
A pass is required for the award of rating 3 and 4 and of champion titles.
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