[Disney]

Originally Posted by gemy

It's really interesting when you show two very different breeds of dogs. Razzle our Yorkie is being shown (because our breeder wants him to be and we agreed to that) he is also being trained as an agility dog - cause that is what I wanted ..llol So it is interesting for me to learn about this toy breed.

For our working breed - Black Russian Terrier. Things are a bit different and also depends on if as a breeder which side of the scale you are breeding for/to. Some breeders are as avid at working their dog - obtaining working titles, and are less avid for conformation titles. They will get one/maybe two championships - then spend most of their time in competing in the performance events. As a rough rule of thumb this type of breeder is less likely to special their dog, instead they will go for top obedience dog, or top draft dog, or work their dog in Schutzhund etc.

Some of the attritubes of working and show are the same: as young pups 6-7 wks old they are temperament tested, this will give the breeder a better understanding of the character/nature of the dog. So for a working breed, you want to see, medium to high drive, confidence, inquisitiveness, and steadiness stableness. this breed should not be submissive at all. Sound structure is a must, for the dog must be able to `do`` what it was bred to do. After this initial testing at 6-7 wks old, the young dog over one year old - I think some organizations ask for 15months + are then formally tested and if pass earn the TT title. This is what a lot of working breed folks look for. This is a very important working test. Looks at stableness of the dog, innate ability to defend, confidence, socialability of dog. and Basic obedience commands. AS the owner - breeder you then will have at least a second opinion on where to train with your working dog.

Back to the conformation aspect: We look at the movement, does the pup (for a pup) have good movement - a pup that moves very poorly is likely to grow up to a dog that moves poorly. Good moving pup baring accident or injury is more likely to be good moving adult.
Topline: level and slightly ascending Angulation : Rear and Front : the balance with good angulation Head (very important in our breed) We measure ankles to get a rough idea of good bone (ie medium boned density). Toeing in or out Coat is important but adult coat is hard to predict in a puppy (best indicator is parents coat). Chest depth, rib spring is looked at as well.
Of course we have DQ;d in this breed and obviously if a pup has one of those (for eg: any color other than black) by definition can not be a conformation show dog. Some Dq`d s you just have to watch the pup mature to see .. for eg: any bite other than scissor, missing adult teeth, etc.

Now there is another thread in Other discussions or some such that talks about some breed clubs don`t want their breed to be recognzied by AKC. The nub of the argument is --- given the setup the requirements for a CH that doesn`t provide and even insist on working titles, then the breed willl be ruined as the breeders will breed to only `beauty standards`. There is some substance for that argument.

Hope you enjoyed the read about another breed ...

Have a great day all

Wow thank you, I hope you don't mind me copy/paste this for reference!