should the breed standard be changed? - Page 3

my appoligies mr allabout the dawgs, comment wasn't a hostile one just different sense of humors i guess.....im just a newbie. ;-), i believe that many show dogs that get placed highly, do not conform, cus they couldnt work a propper day for all the scooby snacks they could eat, then youve got strong working dogs (who just because their colours and paterns arnt what many judges would called pretty) that get thrown out with the rubbish, put us in a working catorgory and let the world see what a working dog is all about, and how it should behave, and why it is the shape it is ect..

The FCI/SV breed standard is actually very good as is.  The problem is with the judges not following it exactly, which leads breeders and other buyers down the wrong road.  The standrad exists as it is for good reasons.  The problem is that there has been a "world market" which is controlled by the "in crowd" set of top GSD breeders in Germany who also control the judging.  This is true also for WL as it is for SL all though the prices tend to be a bit lower.  Often GSDs that are near perfect to the standard are placed back in the line because they are not extreme enough which can mean, oversized, long lower thighs, sickle hocks, rump-rollup and roachbacks.  WL dogs that are excellent performers get no credit if they are built to closely match the standard.  This is a mistake also as far as breeding the correct GSD in structure and temperament. The changes will have to come from a new desire by SL judges to select the mid-sized, correct males with balanced movement and good agility, and with correct GSD temperament.  In the past 20 years, top judges have become biased by their unconscious but real need to control the world market.

thankyou, the thread got off to a wonky start but it got there in the end, do you think this WILL change?

The standard in the USA that has no choice but to change is the AKC standard in order to conform to the international standard. My understanding is that the SV/WUSV has given the GSDCA a series of deadlines for being in compliance.

What the heck do you you think is behind the Working Dog Sport program? It certainly is not a hoop created by the rank-in-file GSD specialty breeder--other than as a means of survival. Many AKC breeders would prefer not to breed dogs with working drive because drivey pups are more difficult to sell to pet buyers.

Should the height limit be increased? Absolutely not!

Good question.  I have never understood how it works in WDA SV shows since they are a member of GSDCA and the AKC standard, judging (really everything) is so different.  It must be an uncomfortable alliance.