If you really want to hear something weird go to this website and read up on the FCI standard. They claim that way back the ancestors of these little angels lived in the ports and maritime cities and hunted mice and rats!! Can you imagine our little darlings doing that?? I sure can't as their temperament of today is a very loving, gentle and affectionate pet. I haven't been curious enough till now to really do any research into this. Perhaps you, (sorry I haven't been on the forum long enough to figure out everyone's name) have come across this in your research into this breed?
There is so much to learn about any breed and show dogs are different than pets (thank God). Most show dogs live a very different life than do our babies. My show dog, had to live with nothing to help him teethe as they aren't supposed to chew on anything cause they may break the hair around their face. I did that but to my detriment. He found his own chew toys by gnawing on chair rungs, my buffet corner, toy boxes and anything else wooden he could find till it just about drove me crazy! I let him run around and play with my others and do everything they did too without putting too many restrictions on him as I thought it was too restrictive a life for him if I didn't. Show breeders go to great lengths to make hair really nice by wrapping up the ends of the coat, moustache and topknot. Some also "put them oil" and then they will attract so much dirt they have to restrict where they are allowed. Some keep them in raised floor kennels so that the hair will not break. They are not allowed on many surfaces including carpet, concrete and grass. I know all this about the breed because I did do showing there but it looks to me that just about all the same restrictions would be put on show dogs. All I know is that I got all my dogs from breeders because I wanted them healthy and a fairly good looking dog as I would be at shows where all the "beautiful" dogs would be and I didn't want to stand out like a sore thumb,lol. I think they in turn gave me fairly good dogs as their name is in the show catalogue with my entry. I love all my dogs equally whether they have lots of faults or very few. I'm just glad that we humans don't have to be in "breeding programs" as so many of us wouldn't make the cut I'm sure! |