Congrats Bulldog owners; you're one of us now ;-)

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/mutts/blog/2008/01/_the_american_kennel_club.html




Top Dogs: Bulldogs hit No.10

The American Kennel Club today released its annual list of the country's most popular dog breeds -- and the biggest news was that Bulldog had muscled its way into the top 10.

Labrador Retrievers, for the 17th straight year, topped the list, which is based on the previous year's AKC registration figures.

"This is the first time the Bulldog has made it onto the top ten list since 1935,” said AKC spokesperson Lisa Peterson. “This breed appeals to a very wide range of dog lovers so it’s no surprise that it is a favorite amongst AKC’s 157 breeds. The Bulldog is both docile and adaptive, and can thrive in small or large homes. It’s an excellent all-around family pet.”

The Bulldog was first recognized by the AKC in 1886 – just two years after the organization’s founding – and was most popular in 1915 when it peaked in fifth place. The breed’s popularity ebbed and flowed throughout the mid-20th century, but since hitting a low of 41st place in 1973, its ranking has steadily increased.

Here are the AKC's top 10 dog breeds for 2007:

1. Labrador Retriever

2. Yorkshire Terrier

3. German Shepherd Dog

4. Golden Retriever

5. Beagle

6. Boxer

7. Dachshund

8. Poodle

9. Shih Tzu

10. Bulldog

Posted by John Woestendiek on January 16, 2008 2:14 PM | Permalink

Welcome Bully Dogs... :)

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f261/rebelement/Photo0026.jpg

E-mazing
Tonka says..........Welcome to the list

No greyhounds?

I'm surprised German Shepherds rank so high. I hardly ever see one that's not a K-9 in the backseat of a police car or bomb-sniffing.


:neutral:

Dexter's happy at #35 :)

One of his best friends at the dog park is a Bulldog puppy.

It would be interesting to see how EOC dogs match up with this demographic . . . I do know there are a LOT of labradors riding around in Elements. :)

Mixed breed would be probably be # 1 ??

i want to kiss that bulldog all over his face

I wonder where the Saint falls in the 'popularity' listing? I looked on AKC but really couldn't find any listing other than the 'top 10' anyone know if there is a list of the other breed ranked by popularity?

But yea, I'm certain mutts would be #1 on the EOC popularity list. :)

Here they are! Saints are 39th for 2007!!!!! Wolfies are 80th!


http://www.akc.org/reg/dogreg_stats.cfm

RANKING
BREED 2007 2006 2002 1997
Retrievers (Labrador) 1 1 1 1
Yorkshire Terriers 2 2 6 9
German Shepherd Dogs 3 3 3 3
Retrievers (Golden) 4 4 2 4
Beagles 5 5 4 6
Boxers 6 7 7 13
Dachshunds 7 6 5 7
Poodles 8 8 8 5
ShihTzu 9 9 10 11
Bulldogs 10 12 18 26
Miniature Schnauzers 11 10 11 14
Chihuahuas 12 11 9 12
Pomeranians 13 14 12 10
Pugs 14 13 14 19
Rottweilers 15 17 13 2
BostonTerriers 16 15 17 20
Spaniels (****er) 17 16 15 8
Pointers (GermanShorthaired) 18 19 22 24
Maltese 19 18 20 21
Shetland Sheepdogs 20 20 16 15
Doberman Pinschers 21 21 23 22
Pembroke Welsh Corgis 22 22 25 37
Great Danes 23 24 28 29
Siberian Huskies 24 25 21 16
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels 25 27 40 70
Miniature Pinschers 26 23 19 18
Spaniels (English Springer) 27 26 27 25
Mastiffs 28 32 34 41
Brittanys 29 31 30 33
Weimaraners 30 30 29 39
Basset Hounds 31 28 24 23
Bichons Frises 32 29 26 28
Australian Shepherds 33 34 35 40
French Bulldogs 34 36 58 76
West Highland White Terriers 35 33 31 36
Papillons 36 35 38 52
Havanese 37 38 64 -
Collies 38 37 32 30
St. Bernards 39 39 37 38
Bullmastiffs 40 40 47 53
Bernese Mountain Dogs 41 41 51 62
Vizslas 42 43 46 50
Bloodhounds 43 45 49 55
Newfoundlands 44 44 45 49
Scottish Terriers 45 42 44 43
Chinese Shar-Pei 46 47 39 32
Retrievers (Chesapeake Bay) 47 50 42 42
Cairn Terriers 48 48 43 45
Lhasa Apsos 49 46 36 31
Pekingese 50 49 33 27
Akitas 51 53 41 34
Chinese Crested 52 52 62 68
Rhodesian Ridgebacks 53 54 57 56
Border Collies 54 56 63 74
Airedale Terriers 55 55 48 47
Alaskan Malamutes 56 57 53 46
Great Pyrenees 57 58 50 44
Bull Terriers 58 61 79 82
Italian Greyhounds 59 59 52 54
Brussels Griffons 60 63 78 91
Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers 61 62 56 63
Whippets 62 60 60 66
Chow Chows 63 64 54 35
Australian Cattle Dogs 64 67 71 65
Portuguese Water Dogs 65 69 73 84
Setters (Irish) 66 68 59 59
Shiba Inu 67 65 55 58
American Staffordshire Terriers 68 66 61 67
Spaniels (English ****er) 69 74 75 75
Pointers (German Wirehaired) 70 73 76 73
Japanese Chin 71 72 74 78
Old English Sheepdogs 72 71 67 60
Samoyeds 73 76 69 48
Silky Terriers 74 70 66 64
Parson Russell Terriers - Jack Russell Terriers 75 75 65 -
Beaucerons 76 157 - -
Dalmatians 77 85 68 17
Cardigan Welsh Corgis 78 79 82 88
Belgian Malinois 79 90 90 95
Irish Wolfhounds 80 77 83 77
Border Terriers 81 81 86 87
Fox Terriers (Wire) 82 78 70 61
Giant Schnauzers 83 83 80 81
Bouviersdes Flandres 84 86 81 71
Staffordshire Bull Terriers 85 80 91 100
Schipperkes 86 82 72 51
Swedish Vallhunds 87 156 - -
Toy Fox Terriers 88 89 - -
Basenjis 89 84 77 69
Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs 90 97 97 111
Setters (Gordon) 91 88 84 79
Tibetan Terriers 92 95 92 90
Setters (English) 93 98 93 86
Afghan Hounds 94 87 89 83
Norwich Terriers 95 94 102 108
Norwegian Elkhounds 96 92 87 72
Welsh Terriers 97 91 94 93
Borzois 98 96 88 80
Keeshonden 99 93 85 57
Retrievers (Flat-Coated) 100 100 98 102
FoxTerriers (Smooth) 101 102 95 85
Standard Schnauzers 102 99 101 98
Belgian Tervuren 103 107 104 97
Tibetan Spaniels 104 101 100 105
Wirehaired Pointing Griffons 105 105 113 121
Pointers 106 103 99 92
Bearded Collies 107 104 96 89
Australian Terriers 108 113 106 99
American Eskimo Dogs 109 109 103 94
Retrievers(Nova Scotia Duck Tolling) 110 110 - -
Anatolian Shepherd Dogs 111 111 126 -
Norfolk Terriers 112 115 110 112
Manchester Terriers 113 106 107 96
Kerry Blue Terriers 114 114 105 104
Neapolitan Mastiffs 115 112 - -
Plotts 116 108 - -
Spinoni Italiani 117 117 114 -
Salukis 118 116 108 106
Belgian Sheepdogs 119 122 109 101
Petits Bassets Griffons Vendeens 120 119 116 113
English Toy Spaniels 121 120 121 114
Spaniels (Clumber) 122 121 120 120
Briards 123 118 115 107
Spaniels (Welsh Springer) 124 124 112 116
Affenpinschers 125 125 117 124
Irish Terriers 126 123 111 110
Miniature Bull Terriers 127 129 132 128
Tibetan Mastiffs 128 51 - -
Bedlington Terriers 129 128 118 118
Lakeland Terriers 130 127 123 122
Black Russian Terriers 131 134 - -
Spaniels (Field) 132 126 131 132
Greyhounds 133 136 124 125
Kuvaszok 134 130 127 109
German Pinschers 135 143 - -
Black and Tan Coonhounds 136 131 125 119
Scottish Deerhounds 137 135 122 117
Spaniels (American Water) 138 133 119 115
Lowchen 139 132 130 -
Ibizan Hounds 140 138 144 133
Pulik 141 140 129 123
Polish Lowland Sheepdogs 142 142 134 -
Retrievers (Curly-Coated) 143 137 128 126
Komondorok 144 148 141 130
Pharaoh Hounds 145 141 135 131
Sealyham Terriers 146 149 137 136
Spaniels (Irish Water) 147 139 133 129
Dandie Dinmont Terriers 148 144 139 134
Glen of Imaal Terriers 149 153 - -
Harriers 150 154 146 140
Finnish Spitz 151 147 143 135
Skye Terriers 152 146 142 127
Canaan Dogs 153 150 138 103
Spaniels (Sussex) 154 145 136 138
Foxhounds (American) 155 151 140 137
Otterhounds 156 152 147 139
Foxhounds (English) 157 155 145 141

thank you!

Aussies are happy at the mid-30's. Not everyone can handle them! :razz:

Another thing to look at is that for a bunch of these breeds (especially some of the herding breeds), the AKC is not the main registry for them. I know Aussies are actually registered through the ASCA (Australian Shepherd Club of America). There's actually a ton more purebreed working Aussies than the AKC recognizes.

Either way, love the pics! Tonka's got his lazer beam eyes on!!

Thank Heavens the Belgian Sheep dogs are 'way down the list - if the dog is too popular, the quality of the breed can decline with too many dogs. For whatever reason, the three Belgian breeds don't place well in dog shows - politics as usual.

Thank Heavens the Belgian Sheep dogs are 'way down the list - if the dog is too popular, the quality of the breed can decline with too many dogs. For whatever reason, the three Belgian breeds don't place well in dog shows - politics as usual.

Same with Aussies - I was as floored as apparently everyone else was when the Australian Shepherd won the big Christmas dog show!!

The more popular the breeder the more likely a pup will come from a puppy mill. Also the more popular the breed the greater the chance it will have genetic health problems.

Never by a puppy from a pet store. Always check out the breed club and find a responsible breeder for your purebred pup.

Its hard to find a a GSD who can do what it was bred to do herd and tend sheep. The current desrie for an exaggerated top line makes it difficult for these dogs to herd or to police work.

AKC registered Border Collies can not compete with their bred for herding Border Collies registered with the American Border Collie assoc. Poor AKC BCs just cant comepte on an open course. And are referred to as Brabie Collies.

In my own breed rough and smooth collies we are seriously considering splitting from the Collie Club of America because collies who breed for beauty pageants ie conformation just cant herd or do other performance events.

The AKC has done more damag to pure bred dogs in the working, sport and herding groups than anything else. They are not the friend of the pure bred dog.

Fred

how so Fred? i had never heard this b4

I just bought a bulldog yesterday, ok well my wife did. He'll be here at the beginning of February.

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/Mccoys06/spike.jpg

how so Fred? i had never heard this b4


I will give an example in the herding breeds if you are selecting a dam and sire for a litter of puppies and your criteria is you are breeding these two to get the perfect head especially true in collies you are hurting the breed. You are not selecting first off for herding ability, or for intelligence or for physical soundness or for biddability but for some nebulus standard set by judges in the conformation ring ie beauty pageant. It would be like selecting Hollwodd's most handsome actor and hottest, sexiest starlet and haing them mate in the hope of having the next Miss Usa or Miss America.

You do know that the AKC will never do anything against puppy mills who sell AKC registered puppies because AKC registration of these puppies generates a major portion of their income. They would go belly up w/o these fees.

Another example border collies there are AKC border collies for conformation and then American Border Collie Assoc(ABCA) Border Collies bred solely based on the parents herding ability. On criteria and standard for a ABCA border collie is herding. Ear set, height, coat dont matter. Now for an AKC border collie they do. An ABCA border collie can run out a 500 to a 1000 yards and pick up 10 sheep and then repeat the same thing in another direction and pick up 10 more sheep and drive them through a United States Border Collie Handler's Assoc Open course. An AKC bBorder collie cant because it wasnt bred for herding ability.

My collies work a 10-14 hr day 7 days a week depending on the time of year. Lambing season has started so their days start before dawn and will end in about another hour when we go out to check on the sheep for the evening. My collies are from herding lines and there are less than 100 collies in US and the UK that can do this sort of work. Usually BC s do it. Very few Aussies or Belgian Mal, tervs or Sheperds can do it. I raise organic lambs for sale for the best restaurants from NC to MA.

Compare a herding dog from real working lines to one from conformation lines. There is no comparision.

Fred

Cuda says. Welcome to the E-lite!

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k136/ninacan/DSC01237b.jpg

I just bought a bulldog yesterday, ok well my wife did. He'll be here at the beginning of February.

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/Mccoys06/spike.jpg

That is absolutely adorable. Congrats on the new addition to your family...

thanks fred--i understand now

as for the baby bulldog how about a warning b4 you post something that cute

Wolfhounder,

You may want to check out the Jack Russell Terrior's group's stance see Why We Fight Application to the AKC. (http://www.terrier.com/jrtca/noakc.php4)

From their web page:
" ... kennel club registries accept dogs which are the product of brother/sister, mother/son, or father/daughter matings. This sort of inbreeding has contributed to the physical and mental downfall of many breeds, making them unsuitable for work or companionship.

If one takes a little time to research breeds that are recognized, it would not take long to compile long lists of genetic physical and mental faults in many breeds. The list is long of original working breeds who no longer work, or no longer even resemble their working ancestors in physical or mental characteristics."

...

"The UKC (a for-profit national dog registry of hundreds of breeds) accepted the Jack Russell Terrier for registration in 1992, against the advice of the JRTCA. The JRTCA views this as a clear and present danger to its efforts of preserving and protecting the Jack Russell Terrier, and in no way endorses recognition of the Jack Russell Terrier by the UKC or any other all-breed registry."

FredMertz -- Thanks for bringing this up.

Uno

Never buy a puppy from a pet store. Always check out the breed club and find a responsible breeder for your purebred pup.



So true. I wish more people did this.

Fred, great to hear you have a real working BC who's doing what it was born to do! My Aussie just herds frisbees and balls, but being a rescue she wouldn't have been any use on a farm anyway - way too skittish even now. But I love to watch them doing their jobs!

From what I've seen from researching herding dogs and talking to a lot of farmers, BC's are by far the majority for sheep and cattle, along with a few Aussies and occasional odd rough collie or corgi. Aussies tend to be used more for herding ducks/geese, rabbits, and other fragile stock since they tend to be gentler on the animals. There are also a lot of the herding breeds that don't really herd so much as guard, such as German & Anatolian Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, cattle dogs, and kelpies.

If you've never seen a corgi herd cattle, it's quite an experience! :razz:

but this is horrible--i thought the whole purpose of the AKC was to PROMOTE the best qualities of the breed, and support the ongoing lineage of the finest.

what about the westminster dog show--is this the same thing? are they affiliated?? i don't know anything about any of this..

I tend to agree with the AKC comments so far . . . Because Labradors are so popular it is a real challenge to find a breeder that is in it for the dogs and not the money. Took 6 months to find a breeder I trusted and then ended up waiting almost a year for the litter :cool:

I also saw no point in giving the AKC a pile of my money to register my dog knowing he would be neutered and not shown or bred . . . 2 1/2 years later I still have his original uncompleted AKC "puppy papers".

Along the way I had bumped into the "Silver Lab" controversy . . . many sides to this discussion. :x

But to make a long story short . . . The AKC will register a Silver colored Lab as a Chocolate even though it directly conflicts with the conformity standard for the breed :confused::confused:

Many believe the "Silver" is a Lab/Weim mix:

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/silverlabs.html


The LRC (not-for-profit Labrador Retriever Club) is in direct opposition to the AKC' s position on Silvers yet is listed as the official "AKC Parent Club". Go figure.


http://www.thelabradorclub.com/


(p.s. - no disrespect intended towards family companion/home-pet Silver EOC labs or their EOC owners . . . breeders are another story :rolleyes: )

but this is horrible--i thought the whole purpose of the AKC was to PROMOTE the best qualities of the breed, and support the ongoing lineage of the finest.

what about the westminster dog show--is this the same thing? are they affiliated?? i don't know anything about any of this..

Unfortunately, from the AKC's stance the "best qualities" of the breeds are their looks. A dog show as most people know them is simply testing how closely your dog's appearance matches the written breed standard. Hence why they're called conformance competitions - in other words, how closely the dogs conform to the standard. The AKC itself is unconcerned about the breed's overall health or genetics. Technically they have nothing to do with it. To get a breed registered with the AKC, the rules state there must be a parent club for the breed that is actively working on improving and spreading the breed. To the AKC, that parent club is fully responsible for the breed and has complete control over its direction. If the parent club wants to breed more AKC champions, they will willingly inbreed dogs with desirable traits in order to "lock them in" for future generations and to be closer to the standard.

As Box4Rox said, I have no issues with pet dogs, be they purebreed, mutts, or whatever. I just want to see the breeding responsibly managed for the good of the dogs. Gisele and RocketDog have seen firsthand recently what not doing this can end up with...

I also saw no point in giving the AKC a pile of my money to register my dog knowing he would be neutered and not shown or bred . . . 2 1/2 years later I still have his original uncompleted AKC "puppy papers".

Yeah, I never saw the point of sending in those papers either. I knew I was never goind to breed him and I good thing I didn't. I got my dog (a boxer) from a "backyard breeder". They went on about how all their dogs have papers, yada yada... I really makes no difference if the dogs have papers or not; it doesn't mean that they're any healthier. Well, 7 years later, I find out my dog has a rare genetic condition called Wobblers disease. The opening in his neck vertibrae is a little too small for his spinal cord so last year when we were playing fetch, he reached out a little too far with his neck and his back legs went paralysed in a second. He's OK now but he's got a bit of a limp in his back right. It looks like he's got a peg leg. I call him the Capt'n :) He also has hip diplasia and bad food allergies. He dosen't know the difference and we still love him anyway. So long story short do your homework.

You would not believe how many AKC papers we have. :mad: Sadly a registered dog has no more of a chance at having a happy forever home than any other.
Not to mention the health issues. But I will be the first to say that the AKC registration is no where near as bad as the CKC - and no I'm not talking about our friends to the north...

Recently we got a letter from a vet school back east asking if we would interested in participating in a study of diabetes in Australian Terriers. They had gotten some funding, I believe through the AT AKC affiliated club, and need blood samples from ATs without diabetes. I believe the school got our address from the AKC registration nearly 10 years ago.

This is one example of an AKC club, and the whole umbrella organization, being interested in the overall health of a breed, not just the outward conformance. And in a minor way, a reason for registering a dog, even if it is a neutered pet. AKC registration is part of the paper trail that make genetic studies like this possible.

By the way this bread currently ranks 108.

From what I've read, the worst of the health and temperament problems appear in 'puppy mill' dogs, not those bred for show or by breed fanciers. Yes, inbreeding to meet breed standards has raised the incidence of genetic problems. But these problems are worse in popular breeds, where there is a greater temptation to 'crank out the puppies' for profit. I think the best bet for getting a health puppy is to buy from a breeder who is in good standing with the breed club (e.g. on the list of recommended breeders provided by the club). Next best is someone who advertises in dog magazines but also shows (but doesn't necessarily win the big ones). Just having papers is not enough.

paulj

From what I've read, the worst of the health and temperament problems appear in 'puppy mill' dogs, not those bred for show or by breed fanciers. Yes, inbreeding to meet breed standards has raised the incidence of genetic problems. But these problems are worse in popular breeds, where there is a greater temptation to 'crank out the puppies' for profit.

Exactly what a lot of people on here are saying. The more popular a breed gets, the more questionable breeders there will be. Also the more popular a breed is, the more pressure there is on breeders to have a "champion" line. This in turn can greatly increase pressure to inbreed to win conformance shows in order to have a respected bloodline. Certainly this will happen more in puppy mills, which in turn increase in number when a breed is popular.

I would definitely agree about finding a breeder through the main breed club. The breeders and breed rescue know the dogs the best and they can work with you to find one more suited to your personality and lifestyle, as well as mentally and physically healthy.

By the way this bread currently ranks 108.

Whole grain? :lol: :lol:

Whole grain? :lol: :lol:

nice to know that someone else reads my posts more carefully than I do!
paulj

nice to know that someone else reads my posts more carefully than I do!
paulj

Twilightzero, English Nazi (tm) at your service :D

[QUOTE=Twilightzero;536747]Fred, great to hear you have a real working BC who's doing what it was born to do!

Not BC a rough collie like Lassie.

Fred

[QUOTE=Twilightzero;536747]Fred, great to hear you have a real working BC who's doing what it was born to do!

Not BC a rough collie like Lassie.

Fred

Even more impressive!! I don't recall ever having seen an actual rough collie who could do real herding work. My hat's off to you! :D

Judah's in at 63. Not a papered dog, but a pound puppy. I always feel sooo horrible for the adorable little dogs in the windows at pet stores... Everyone just wants to be loved...

Maybe we'll see some of these breeds before long...

Collie + Lhasa Apso
Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transport
Spitz + Chow Chow
Spitz-Chow, a dog that throws up a lot
Pointer + Setter
Poinsetter, a traditional Christmas pet
Malamute + Pointer
Moot Point, owned by....oh, well, it doesn't matter anyway
Great Pyrenees + Dachshund
Pyradachs, a puzzling breed
Pekingnese + Lhasa Apso
Peekasso, an abstract dog
Irish Water Spaniel + English Springer Spaniel
Irish Springer, a dog fresh and clean as a whistle
Labrador Retriever + Curly Coated Retriever
Lab Coat Retriever, the choice of research scientists
Newfoundland + Basset Hound
Newfound Asset Hound, a dog for financial advisors
Terrier + Bulldog
Terribull, a dog that makes awful mistakes
Bloodhound + Labrador
Blabador, a dog that barks incessantly
Collie + Malamute
Commute, a dog that travels to work
Deerhound + Terrier
Derriere, a dog that's true to the end
Bull Terrier + $hitzu
Bull..... Oh, never mind

* Terrier + Bulldog
* Terribull, a dog that makes awful mistakes
that would defiantly be a terrible mistake :-)

Always buy from a breeder who does OFA, thyroid, eyes and other testing that is appropriate for that breed. Testing does not guarantee a healthy puppy, however, the parents are healthy. Healthy parents usually produce healthy puppies.

You need to consider temperament as well as structure. A beautiful structure is nothing if the dog cannot be safely handled by people and live with people.

Do your homework before adopting a puppy.

Also, I would not buy any 4-legged animal from the pet shop. There are many dogs, ferrets and other pets in the rescues, waiting for their forever homes.

Get in the E b!tch! http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f230/m1zz1ke/29140541_1248741.gif

Also the more popular the breed the greater the chance it will have genetic health problems.

That's not quite true, Fred. It would be much more accurate to say the more trendy the breed, the more health problems. The main reason that popular breeds have health issues is due to inbreeding. Because of the large number of breedable dogs, well established popular breeds such as labs and golden retrievers don't seem to have significantly more health problems then mutts do. Of course, this still assumes that you buy from a reputable breeder. With puppy-mill pups, all bets are off.

And of course, some breeds (such as bulldogs) are so far gone that even buying from reputable breeders, you can be pretty sure you will have significant health issues. Generally speaking, if your breed of choice has to have its puppies by cesarian section, it's probably a good idea to consider a different breed.

In my breed of choice the German Shepherd. The AKC has done their best to ruin this breed by promoting side gait as the number one breeding criteria. Have to laugh when they have the dog shows on TV and tell us all about the working abilities the German Shepherd in the ring is capable of performing. The temperament, working ability, nerves and structural problems are plainly visible as they gait around the ring. In the states we generally do not like to be told by anyone what to do with our breeding program. That has allowed dogs to be selected for breeding based on their movement only. The AKC makes me jump through so many hoops when I register dogs and litters from Germany. These dogs have documented hip, working titles, breed surveys, DNA and have a tattoo that matches their paperwork. While my neighbor may have two dogs with questionable back ground, no hip rating and kinda looks like a German Shepherd. He will have paperwork for his puppies in a few days to continue the cycle of poorly bred dogs. What ever breed of working dog you select, do yourself a favor and consider purchasing one from the working line breeder that actually is working dogs.

In my breed of choice the German Shepherd. The AKC has done their best to ruin this breed by promoting side gait as the number one breeding criteria. Have to laugh when they have the dog shows on TV and tell us all about the working abilities the German Shepherd in the ring is capable of performing. The temperament, working ability, nerves and structural problems are plainly visible as they gait around the ring. In the states we generally do not like to be told by anyone what to do with our breeding program. That has allowed dogs to be selected for breeding based on their movement only. The AKC makes me jump through so many hoops when I register dogs and litters from Germany. These dogs have documented hip, working titles, breed surveys, DNA and have a tattoo that matches their paperwork. While my neighbor may have two dogs with questionable back ground, no hip rating and kinda looks like a German Shepherd. He will have paperwork for his puppies in a few days to continue the cycle of poorly bred dogs. What ever breed of working dog you select, do yourself a favor and consider purchasing one from the working line breeder that actually is working dogs.

It's funny you should mention this. My wife and I both love watching the dog shows on tv, but both of us really dislike the fact that visual conformation is the only thing looked for. We just watch them to see all the dogs (and cheer for the Aussies!). Lately we've both really been noticing that in many breeds (and especially working/herding breeds), the dogs you see in the ring have little in common with the dogs you'll see out actually working.

One we've both noticed a huge difference in is the German Shepherds you mention, especially their odd gait. That gait would never have developed naturally and especially not in a working dog. It would be a detriment to a dog at work since it puts a huge amount of strain on the hips and back joints.

Another one we've been noticing is the show bred Australian Shepherds look very different now than the working Aussies. Sure, they have nice long flowy coats for show, but it's the structure underneath that's most different. The head shape has changed a lot and the hips and gait look different also. This is largely a result of the ASCA (Australian Shepherd Club of America) refusing to join the AKC and going on with their own breeding program. The AKC lines now tend to be bred for show and looks and the working lines are bred for...well working.

Anyway I'll stop babbling (shaddup with the smart comments) and get back to my regular mayhem-causing :D