… “Ask Yourself These Questions”

• Why do breeder judges put dogs with handlers when they know the animal does not represent breed excellence?
• Why do handlers accept such dogs knowing once they finish, they will be “petted out”?
• Are you kennel blind and do you breed to standard?
• Should breeders and newcomers read the standard prior to stud and bitch selection?
• When will more mentors open up to newcomers?
• And lastly, are “gas money” and “filler” dogs destroying our sport?

Today we share a link to an article Preferred Breed Type: Why the Stand-Out Dog Can Be a Loser! written by Edna “Katie” Gammil, it can apply to any breed, including our Gordon Setter. Good food for thought concerning breed type and common trends in breeds, raising issues that every serious breeder should consider as we’re making our breeding choices.

Katie writes…“When “current type” does not equal correctness, the best dog can lose because in many rings, the fatal flaw is being a stand-out.  A dog show friend, absent from the sport for several years, attended some local shows with me. Welcoming the opportunity to view dogs in general after her sabbatical, she became visually distressed. Her despair increased when a “less than average” class dog received BOB. The waning quality in her beautiful breed breaks her heart. She stated it would be wasted effort to show a dog correct to the standard today, as some judges feel compelled to award dogs conforming to the majority of the entries.” 

“Observing other breeds, she remarks on the lack of neck, restricted front movement and the lack of rear follow through; we discuss “gay tails” and breed type variances. We watch faulty movement and see coats dragging the ground. Weak pasterns and sickle hocks complete the picture. She wonders what causes this to happen to functional dogs in such a short time. It seems the correct dogs have fallen victim to what one may refer to as the “Perfection of Mediocrity”.   Read the entire article by clicking here…

Preferred Breed Type: Why the Stand-Out Dog Can Be a Loser! by Katie Gammil

Photos by Bob Segal from the 2015 North Country Specialty.

Photos are for your viewing pleasure and are not intended to illustrate any point related to this article.