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Are we helping or hurting our pure breeds. whole artical |
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| CannonFarms |
| Posted 2/22/2008 11:31:19 AM |
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Active: 08-13-2006
Posts: 3061
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by Tam Cordingley
How many times have we, as purebred Dog fanciers, heard someone say mutts are smarter, or mutts are healthier? We scoff and disregard such comments, but there may be a kernel of truth to them.
In Dog training we teach something every time we handle a dog, it may be something good or it may be something bad, but we teach something. There is a cause and effect for every action. The purebred Dog world, and Dog shows, focus on the physical. It is necessary to have numbers of animals to breed and improve the physical appearance. It cant be done with one dog. Therefore we must keep numbers. In keeping numbers manageability becomes important. Quiet in the kennel. Good eaters. Clean in the kennel. Not destructive.
In breeding for easy manageability are we sacrificing brains? Think about the social lives of dogs. They were supposed to live in a pack. We take them and put one, or at the most two, in a separate pen. This becomes their territory. We expect them to not bark to guard their territory, not bark to warn off other dogs, not bark out of boredom, definitely not to bite the kennel help if we are lucky enough to have such a thing. We expect an animal who is programmed by God to hunt for food and run great distances for that food, to be quiet, not pace, not tear up the kennel. At best we give them a toy or two, at worst they are to live peacefully in a concrete jail living out a life sentence. Most dont even have a patch of dirt in which to dig, dirt looks messy dont you know. We expect them to act like cows. Existing quietly with bovine stoicism rather than canine intelligence. Only a dumb or terminally dull Dog will live like this. A really smart Dog either has to have activity and human input or it will go crazy. There are many Terriers and Border Collies who indulge in endless circling or weaving. Interestingly enough these same behavior traits are found in Thoroughbred and Arabian horses, never in Coldbloods, draft horses, or Warmbloods. Only in the so-called hot blooded horses. The best part of this dogs day is the food bowl.
Continued upon aproval. |
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| gbat1stop |
| Posted 2/22/2008 3:12:48 PM |
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Forum Moderator
 
Active: 11-21-2004
Posts: 3701
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I will allow this as long as the original website is not posted. |
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| CannonFarms |
| Posted 2/22/2008 3:23:35 PM |
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Active: 08-13-2006
Posts: 3061
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| Quote gbat1stop: I will allow this as long as the original website is not posted. |
ok, thank you, continued now...
same author of course....
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| beaglebrat |
| Posted 2/22/2008 3:24:30 PM |
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Active: 05-01-2006
Posts: 919
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Interesting. A lot of breeders disagree, because they do CLOSE line breeding, but I think that GREATLY effects intelligence and temperament. I think it creates hyper, wound-up dogs. |
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| CannonFarms |
| Posted 2/22/2008 3:24:45 PM |
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Active: 08-13-2006
Posts: 3061
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Another thing we expect our dogs to do is to show well. By show well, most mean to gait easily and to stack and bait. Lets think about stack and bait for a second. Of course a Dog should be able to stand still to be examined but why would any reasonable Dog stand stock still and at attention with his object of attention being a piece of liver? dogs are hunters. If the Dog stood and stared at his food source he wouldnt live long. The food source would run off, as prey animals do, and the Dog would starve to death. This mindless attention to a piece of liver sickens me. As a quick attention getter, sure, do what you must, but the minutes long focus on a dead piece of meat? Please! You will notice in the activities where a Dog must think and be intelligent to function, drugs, police, guide, handicapped assistance, the Dog is rewarded with fun. A ball, towel, rag, or whatever the active mind and body really wants, not on a dead piece of meat. I like to show my Terriers with a squirrel tail, or a piece of rabbit fur. They dont gaze endlessly and mindlessly at it, in a motionless trance, but they do stack and show beautifully with light in their eyes, for a little while. Usually terminating by either me popping the tail back in my pocket for another quick peep later or the Dog jumping and grabbing it to kill it over again. Either way this is the embodiment of the Terrier, the essence of the breed, the quick, lively, and active hunter. If I wanted statues I would have them, no expense feeding them, no picking up, no barking, no fences. Maybe that is what Ill have in my next life, but in this one I have live dogs to enjoy.
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| CannonFarms |
| Posted 2/22/2008 3:25:47 PM |
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Active: 08-13-2006
Posts: 3061
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What is breeding better dogs about? Is it for the ribbons? Surely not, anyone can buy all the ribbon they want much cheaper than showing dogs to get it? Is it about Championship Certificates? Well, they are pretty, and satisfy the ego by saying our dogs are better than someone elses. One hopes, at least this one does, that we breed dogs, hopefully better dogs, for the love of the breed. Certainly it follows that you cant improve a breed by creating dogs that cant breed yet modern science has given us methods to do so. If God intended them to breed they would be able to do so. Have you ever noticed that if a bitch cant or wont breed, she usually also has trouble whelping, often wont mother the pups, and her pups have the same problems. What difference does it make if she is pretty if she cannot perform the most basic function of a brood bitch, breeding? How can any of us found a line on animals that cant breed. This doesnt only apply to females. If a male wont breed he isnt worthy of breeding. End of story. I dont care how many Best in Shows he has won or who owns him, if he cant breed he shouldnt be bred. |
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| CannonFarms |
| Posted 2/22/2008 3:26:56 PM |
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Active: 08-13-2006
Posts: 3061
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This is not to say we cant try diet, exercise, or stress reduction techniques, but the bottom line is the same ---if they cant breed naturally they shouldnt be bred. In our county there is a man who breeds Boston Terriers. Most of us would look down on him as a puppy factory, backyard breeder, or worse. He has two bitches and breeds each bitch once a year. He has never shown a Dog or won a point. He has, however, enriched the lives of many people with his wonderful and healthy Bostons. They breed naturally, free whelp, raise their Puppies. breathe normally, and he has never had one returned for health or temperament. Now then, I ask you, are the show dogs better?. They must be forced to breed, held and restrained, often have caesarian sections, often wont or cant raise the pups, are prone to breathing and stifle problems. I have, in my home, a Dog from this man. He is one of the nicest looking Bostons I have ever seen. Strong, healthy, pretty, and, of course, neutered. When I go to a show I always look at the Bostons because they are so neat, Ive yet to see one I like as well as Bounce. He shows the character of the breed to a T.
And then there are the overprotective breeders. Not just concerned about the welfare of their dogs but so obsessed with control that they cant sell or place a dog. Everything must have strings. A breeding animal, with papers, cant be bought, they must be co-owned. These people feel that only they, and a select few friends, are good enough to own a purebred Whiffle Hound. Purebred Whiffle hounds are so special that the common person could never understand them. If these concerned owners do not protect the breed it will go to hell in a handbasket, propelled by the common rabble that might want to own one. Well I hate to break it to you folks, but if no one is allowed to own a breeding Wiffle Hound, the breed will become extinct when the controlling ones die, or a breed specific problem requiring an outcross occurs. Where are the next generation of Whiffle Hound fanciers to come from if one cant be bought? And where will the pet buyer go when he reads about a Whiffle Hound and would like to have one? He will go to one or two of these holier than thou breeders, who preach from every car bumper about buying from a breeder, and he will be grilled and insulted. He will give up and go to a backyard breeder or pet store, where he can buy a Dog and not marry the breeder.
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| CannonFarms |
| Posted 2/22/2008 3:29:14 PM |
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Active: 08-13-2006
Posts: 3061
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This is not to say every breeder should sell to every buyer. Far from it, BUT if we, as breeders, refuse to sell to anyone we are writing our own death knell. Yes, screen buyers and homes, be sure your pups go to good homes, but let some of them go. No breeder has 100% show pups, everyone has some pets, spay or neuter if necessary, but let them go.
Educate, educate, educate but let them go. In My Opinion the current crop of show breeders arent doing any great favors for the breeds they profess to love. They are, in the main, creating dogs who couldnt begin to do the job for which they were intended. Many are procreating weaklings and dogs with poor survival instincts. I implore you to remember always that almost all breeds of dogs have a function. The generic showdog is pretty but seldom correct. If you truly care about the breed you love, concentrate on producing a healthy, typical, and sound specimen first. Winning comes second. The Dog should be the object of a breeding program, not our ego.
end artical
This is not to say I agree with everything said but it does touch allot of subjects that have got out of hand while trying to breed the closest to perfect dogs and when that vision gets out of hand |
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| kathystone |
| Posted 2/22/2008 10:26:46 PM |
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Active: 11-18-2007
Posts: 124
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EXCELLENT ARTICLE!
I confess I haven't been to a AKC show since about 1981 when a st bernard/ akita cross took the specialty. The standard says ears small and erect. The handleer had the collar so tight that his big floppy ears had no choice. The standard says tail curls over the back and at least touches it. His streamed out behind him as he ran. He had a huge bearlike head and drooled like a sick cow the whole time he was shown. he stood overf 36 inches at the shoulder. My little 29 inch ,male couldn't compete so we went into obedience and utility trials. He did very well and got all his degrees in less than a year( UDTX)
What about the GSD with the point of hip lower than 12 inches from the ground? or the beautiful cocker spaniel? Let's see that Dog go through to brush in a show coat.
I don't think much of Dog shows.( does it show?) A better dog, like your neighbors, may not win in the ring but he owns the hearts of his people. He is healthy and sound of mind. Mot like the english bull dogs, many of whom have skin problems,eye problems, and have to be bred artificially. |
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| arachyd |
| Posted 2/22/2008 10:54:56 PM |
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Active: 05-09-2007
Posts: 199
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I disagree with the notion that mutts are smarter or healthier than purebreds. A mutt is not brighter than a purebred because of some myth about constantly adding new blood being good for the breed. Line breeding has no more to do with"hyper wound up dogs" than any other breeding practice where the breeder does not care to research the temperaments of the dog's ancestors (or does not care that they are breeding dogs that may pass on problems).
Why do people think a purebred Dog only came about because of its looks? Purebreds are only bred for conformation by some (sadly, a lot of) breeders who only care about looks. This is not done by responsible breeders who strive to breed a well-rounded, trainable, intelligent and healthy next generation of pups. Many breeds are only developed through generations of working and improving skills and fine-tuning of their natural instincts as in the hunting and herding breeds. A herding or hunting Dog must be extremely healthy, athletic and intelligent and demonstrate skill to place in its breed's traditional working type of competition. |
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| CannonFarms |
| Posted 2/22/2008 11:51:57 PM |
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Active: 08-13-2006
Posts: 3061
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Alot of the show examples of the breed are far from able to due their duties they where designed for.
I hear over and over again breeders saying that one day they will breed for brains and not looks alone.
The dane Im handling now has one of the most impressive pedigrees fawns have to offer, shes one of the sweetist dogs, but not much on brains, the dane that I own that has nice lines but nothing special now as they have been out crossed and lost repubility shes just as easy to train as my shepherds have been in the past, now thats not saying its all like that but there are several breeds that have broken off from conformation and go twards working titles more than conformation.
Hounds and terriers have their show counter parts and some can work as well as look good, but based on my general observation and personal feelings conformation and working handlers/owners are two different types of people and normally dont go back and forth, once again, im not saying all are like that. |
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