Breed standards question?

Question

Do you understand the function of your breed, and how the standards reflect that?

For example - most terrier standards call for "strong, muscular jaws", and a foreface that doesn't fall away too much below the eyes - this is because a properly constructed jaw allows the terriers to do what they were bred to do - kill vermin. The standard is not written that way just to have the terriers all have a certain appearance - form follows function.

So - take a trait from your breed standard - and tell me why!

Answer 1

AKC has absolutely nothing ot do with breed standard or with "working" or" show" types...it is entirely up to the breeds parent club on what is accepted as standard and what is not..The AKC is nothing more then a registering body plain and simple.

Danes...there are too many that are "greyhoundy" in appearance. Many lack good bone & substance which is sad. Too many people are going for height instead of good conformation, temperament, longevity and health.

Danes were a hunting dog, they needed stamina, bravery & good conformation. Give that I like the part of the standard that says " The Great Dane combines, in it's regal appearance, dignity, strength and elegance with great size and a powerful, wellformed, smoothly muscledbody." and the part "A Great Dane must be spirited, courageous, never timid always friendly and dependable".

Answer 2

GAIT: The gait should be smooth and effortless.

FEET: The feet should be strong and of moderated length. The toes of the rear feet should be slightly longer and less knuckled-up than those of the front. Webbing should be present between the toes. Dewclaws may be present or removed.

FAULTS: Dogs that are cat-footed (up on tip-toes) or coon-footed (standing on heels) shall be penalized. -

They want a flat footed animal that can turn mid run when working cattle,hunting and treeing coons or going after wild hogs.

ADD: The UKC is the only BIG KC that recognizes Catahoulas the only change they made to the standard is where color is concerned. The ACA club standard says no color is to be penalized and  'leopards' are not to be favored over solids even though they are the predominant colors.

The UKC however states a strong fault is a dog with 70% or more white on its body and a DQ for 90% or more, a white head or albinism(duh). That being said I have seen more than a few majority white Catahoulas who could still do their jobs and had perfect vision and ears.

This is one of the reasons why the majority of club members are firmly against AKC recognition, like many breeds there would a working line and a show line as opposed to just a show/work line.

Answer 3

The function of my breed, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, is to herd different farm animals, especially cattle.  The breed standard calls for a short and sturdy frames.  Their torso should actually be the size of a medium dog.  Their legs should be short but strong, so that they can keep up with the animals they are herding.  

Some faults of the breed include- "Fluffies" and Blue eyes(This one has both, obviously a BYB)-http://www.geocities.com/siancof/fluffy....

Other colors besides the ones allowed, like blue merle or black and white. http://www.dragonpatch.org/images/compre...

(That pic is actually of a Cardigan, and that color is allowed, but not in pembrokes.)

Answer 4

My Breed of choice is The Bernese Mountian dog.

One trait that is noticed straight away is the size of the dog, they were bred to be a large dog (now classed as a giant breed) in order to be a draft working dog. In Switerland (their home turf) they were used by farmers primarily as dogs to pull cart loads of stuff around such as milk churns.

When you are being pulled down the road at the wrong end of the lead by two of them you know that they really could pull a few milk churns along.

Rich

Answer 5

Afghan Hound-The neck is of good length, strong and arched, running in a curve to the shoulders which are long and sloping and well laid back. Faults - Neck too short or too thick; a ewe neck; a goose neck; a neck lacking in substance.

This particular part of the standard describes a part of the Afghan hound that is very important in doing it's job, which is to chase down and catch game animals, rabbits, antelope, and even birds, (seen mine do it!) The neck needs to be long, well arched and strong to reach, catch. and hold prey without injury to the dog. Besides, it is one thing that makes them so beautiful in my eyes, the long arched neck, carried proudly is part of the general "outline" of the Afghan and helps make the breed recognizable from a distance.

Answer 6

Pomeranian is cocky, commanding, and animated as he gaits...If not I think she would just be a walking teddy bear

the cuteness needs an attitude!

Answer 7

This is an excellent question, one that I'm sure the majority of dog owners can't answer.  I'm still learning my own breed's breed standard.  But, here's what I do know for sure:

1.)  The dogs must have webbed feet- just like other water retrievers- to aid in swmming

2.)  The coat texture must be coarse- the coat texture is designed to protect the dog from the harsh cold waters.

3.)  The nose should be long enough to allow the dog to hold/carry a duck

4.)  The shoulders should have sufficient angle and layback in order to keep the dog from tiring while working- running, swimming, etc.

Answer 8

There are a few in my breed that bug me.  One being how big some Golden are!  

It is clearly stated in the standard that they should not be over 24 1/2 inches tall with a bit of a give up to 1 inch.  Yet I see a lot of hugh tall Golden's. Weight being  for a male's up to 75 pounds.  Yet again I see some golden's in excess of 100 pounds. Bone and body structure does play a big role but to that extreme is just way out of standard.  They were bred for hunting in the fields with their owners.  It would seem to me that the over sized Golden's would not be able to do their jobs!  It would be like watching an elephant storming through an open field.  If they could even run fast enough.

I also have ear & eye placement as one of my pet peeves too.  But I'm sure you dont a book here! :)  

Answer 9

My favourite parts of our breed standard are:

"Well balanced"

&

"Capable of arduous work".

The words

"Moderate", "without exaggeration" and "medium" are mentioned no less than 5 times.

All there to ensure a natural looking dog capable of running up & down mountains over rough terrain all day  - and then some!