dogs bred for looks lose mental bite - Page 1

 check out this article in todays british times newspaper online addition..looking forward to hearing everyones opinions....

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5536800.ece

seems like a no brainer to me.  look at what  americans have done with the doberman, german shepherd,  and countless other breeds so they can do real good for conformation.   this is why it is so important to maintain working ability in the german shepherd dog.  titles may not be everything, but its better than breeding for conformation alone.

john

You mean to say that Mind & Body are not connected? If your body is beautiful isn't your mind too beautiful? Is this study refuting this age old wisdom? Please enlighten me. I want to know if what applies to human does not apply to dogs. This is highy interesting point. regards Vikram

As a deeper thought what is the breeder doing in intervention of Nature that this Mind / Body connection is broken?

Why can't what is beautiful outside also be beautiful and strong inside?

regards

or do you mean to say that too much focus on physical beauty has an imbalancing act? I want to know How?? If someone can share this insight.

regards

yet , still is beauty in the eye of the beholder? Is the working Line more beautiful than the show line?;-)

cheers

"You mean to say that Mind & Body are not connected? If your body is beautiful isn't your mind too beautiful? Is this study refuting this age old wisdom? Please enlighten me. I want to know if what applies to human does not apply to dogs. This is highy interesting point. regards Vikram "

Mind an body are connected, but not in the way you obviously think. The problem is that when ones priorities make one select for "beauty"(i.e. exterior preferances), one easily loose mental strength/working abilities. After just a few generations of wrong priorities, one can have lost what makes the GSD the best allround dog. The priority should be 1. health, 2. mentality/working abilities, 3. conformation, 4 "beauty"(i.e. colour, big/small ears> everything that is of less importance to make the dog function, but might be appealing to the eye).
Of course a beautiful body won't necessarily exclude a beautiful mind, but then a new question arises; what is a beautiful mind? Is it the kind, dossile "good-to-everyone" kind of dog, or is it the kind that can, do and will work?

I will take temperment and working abilty over looks any day. What you see on the outside doesn't always go with what is on the inside.

Denise

GSD's in Australia by a large majority are bred from show lines with importance placed on temperament resulting in soft dogs who are people friendly and naturally sociable. Due to the large amount of soft show line dogs produced, people assume that a quality GSD should have a temperament like a Labrador or Golden Retriever.

Our male GSD although bred from primarily show lines, has a German imported father that produces harder dogs with working capabilities, not I imagine to the extent of a full working line, but a much higher level of working potential than the average show lines.  The father of our boy has produced dogs for military, police work and protection.

Due to our boy's display of early stranger aggression and protective drives from 6 months old, he was labelled a problem dog with a viscious streak by many including a vetinarian???. It wasn't until my wife spoke with a police K9 trainer asking his advice about the temperament of our boy, he said "that's how I would expect a GOOD Shepherd to be!!!". He went on to say that too many breeders are ruining the qualities that make the dog a GSD in favour of softness and conformation???.

The Mind/Body connection is most directly related to processes of the body, than its physicality.  Consequentially, these processes can later evolve into longer term functionality of physical form, and potentially provide the leading cause for passable hereditary qualities. The dogs that do the work, will have the greatest impact on any following generations potential of doing the work.  Environmental influences can have a long term influence on genetic attributes.  Selection for outward appearance, is essentially just that.  Standardizing the appearance, and not the ability, which is entirely subjective of working potential.  Working ability, for the greater part, is temperament.