[MyFairLacy]

Originally Posted by ketters12

I am confused...most yorkie owners aren't using their dogs to catch "vermits" right?? and most border collies aren't used to round up some cattle...?? Am i correct? MOST is obviously the key word here, some people do use their dogs for tasks and I actually think that is awesome! Dogs are happiest sometimes doing what nature intended.... But your AVERAGE breeder doesn't breed their dogs for the tasks for which they were originally created.. correct? I mean, of course, if yorkshire terrriers are bred correctly, they should IN THEORY have the same traits as their ancestors...correct? (NOTE: I keep saying CORRECT? because I am not a breeder, and I only own one yorkie, so I do not claim to be an expert on the subject, but I think it is HIGHLY interesting to discuss!!) I think people in 2007 breed dogs either to be pets, to breed, or to show. Correct? Does anyone know what started the showing of dogs? That would be interesting to know (sorry if it's been said before, i've only been a yorkie owner since jan)

Most dogs are not being used as working dogs any longer although some still do. As for the yorkie, the standard today is far from the original yorkie that was bred to hunt rats. Those yorkies were larger and didn't have the long, silky coat that our yorkies of today have. But eventually an actual standard was written and of course has changed some over the years to what it is today. For most breeds, the reason to breed is to meet that written standard of confirmation. There are some dogs bred as working dogs (ex. hunting dogs, field-working dogs, herding dogs, tracking dogs, sledding dogs) that prove themselves worthy to be bred by excelling in their work. They may not necessarily be comformationally perfect but come from a line of great working dogs so they are bred as working dogs. For instance, huskies bred for sledding do not necessarily look like the huskies being shown in conformation. Anyway, back to yorkies - our yorkies don't work any longer so they are bred for conformation.