Quote:
Originally Posted by WinstonMom  It looks like I opened a fine kettle of worms yesterday when I posted that only a dog that possessed the qualities to make it outstanding in the show ring should be bred. That is not exactly what I meant, I did not want Danny to feel that I thought his dogs were inferior in any way to mine. My problem is with the reasons that people breed. I think that your dogs must be your passion. I love to show my dogs, however, I also do agility and obedience with my dogs. If I can breed for the entire package, beauty, brains and athleticism and health, that is my goal. Would I breed an excellent agility dog that did not have the qualities needed for the show ring, maybe, but only if my goal was to produce the next great agility dog for myself, not to produce pets for others. Also the whole package tends to go together. Dogs with poor structure don't tend to do well with athletic pursuits. If your passion is obedience and you have a yorkie with exceptional brains, by all means go ahead and breed. Once again if that dog has poor structure or health problems, chances are that it won't excell in obedience either. Producing puppies just because your dog is cute, or Auntie Joan would like one just like it, or so your children can have the experience, or because your female dog needs to be fulfilled, or your male dog needs to experience a sex life, or because you want to recuperate the money you spent on your dog or make a quick buckand then send a bunch of puppies out into the world where others are going to do the same thing
well that is just wrong. Forgive the last sentence, it rambled on forever.
Audrey |
If you did open up a can of worms, it was a can that needs to be opened.
You bring up an excellent point. The breed standard shouldn't be mistaken for an arbitrary list of physical attributes that are only important for looks or beauty.
The way a dog is put together is very important to it's overall health. A straight topline and legs that don't turn in or out, etc. are important to the overall soundness of the dog. Bad knees in the back put stress on all the other joints and can cause skeletal changes and arthritis later on. A dog whose back is too long can have disc problems as he gets older.
The standard for any purebred dog is the blueprint that should be faithfully followed in order to produce a healthy dog who looks and acts like the breed is supposed to. The hallmark of a reputable breeder is someone who loves the breed enough to carefully breed to its standard.