[Britster]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

However, the large majority of dogs now serve as companions today. Most dogs do not serve their original function. What's wrong with breeding dogs that are sweet, cute, smart, and good with families?

The best argument I've seen for breed standards is that you know what to expect when the puppy is grown (though you could do this pretty easily anyway, say, adopt an adult dog). There are a lot of good arguments *against* maintaining standard, primarily that you reduce the robustness of the gene pool. Imagine if instead of coat color, the primary characteristic of a yorkie was long life. I wonder if these little guys would have such marked problems with LP, liver shunt, hypoglycemia, etc.

Anyway, if you have healthy dogs that can mix well, such as poodles, malteses, yorkies, and s**tzus, I say, let 'em rip. Responsibly, of course.

Great post!