but breeders aren't telling me why they breed and people who show aren't telling me why
I'm not a breeder, but I think I can answer your question. Reputable breeders do genetic health testing on their dogs. This includes (I'll use a Doberman for example) testing for inheritable diseases such as Von Willebrands Disease, (a bleeding disorder) and they check the pedegrees (histories) of the lines they are breeding from for longevity, what dogs died of and at what age....cancer, dilated cardiomyopathy, Cervical Vertebral Instability (Wobbler's syndrome). They look at ancestor's temperament and don't breed from any dog who had a temperament problem. They weed those out. They look at conformation, the way the dog is put together. Does it adhere to the written standard of the breed club? There has to be a standard or the breed would become mish mash. Particular traits must be watched for and if they come out with too many faults, they should not be bred because the shape, size, color, temperament and all kinds of things will become washed out if substandard dogs are bred. Who determines if someone's dog meets the breed standard? Not everyone is expert at recognizing a 45 degree angle from the shoulder blade or a strong underjaw or a correct top line or the angles/incline of the head matching the angle of the muzzle, in the case of a Dobe. A judge determines this in a show. That is what conformation shows are for. If a dog receives titles, it means the dog meets the standards set forth and judged by an expert in that breed. It may not always be perfect, but it's the only thing there is as far as order goes.
Why do people show their working dogs in obedience, Schutzhund, agility? Becasue it's fun to compete with other fanciers. Fun. Getting prizes or titles shows that the dog is capable of doing what he was bred to do. A Doberman, for instance must be agile, quick, atheletic, fearless, obedient, have correct temperament. These shows with these classes demonstrate a correct dog who conforms to the standard.
It is these dogs who are considered worthy of being bred.
Because someone has a "cute" dog who has pretty, fluffy fur and is sweet, and there's a neighbor with a cute, fluffy dog, it does not validate breeding them. That's irresponsible and that's the kind of people who are contributing strongly to the over population problem, not reputable breeders. The numbers are infentesimal of reputable breeder's output of puppies compared to irresponsible dog owners who are clueless, who breed mix breed dogs on purpose or because they're too irresponsible to fix their dogs. The number of homeless dogs and the number of purebred dogs bred by reputable, responsible breeders cannot even be mentioned in the same breath. It's a ridiculous comparrison.
Why do people breed purebred dogs? You'll have to do some reading, because this post is already too long. But suffice it to say, that selective breeding is done to bring out and exentuate certain traits which will serve mankind in certain jobs or activities. Hunting dogs have attributes that a Doberman may not have. Bloodhounds excell at finding lost people. GSD's excell at police work and many other things. Dobermans excell at protecting their owners. Chihuahuas excell at being the smallest dog in the worldfor people who want a companion who doesn't weigh more than 6 LBs.
Sure there are lots of great dogs in shelters and I applaud anyone who adopts one. I probably will again one day. I had a shelter dog once. But I've had purebreds from breeders for quite a while. I was looking for specific traits, as RD described in her post. I wanted a dog with exceptional obedience aptitude, who tended to stay glued to his owner, who is highly intelligent, who is atheletic and good at agility, whose personality is indescribably lunatic, goof ball, big sense of humor. I wanted as a fringe benefit a dog who is known to be protective of his owner. I love the looks of a Doberman, short hair, not much mess, handsome. He's a pleasure to look at.
Dogs were selectively bred and domesticated to suit mankind. And in turn, they were provided for too and shared companionship, we both being a specie who forms strong social bonds. If mankind hadn't been selfish and created these dogs through artificial selective breeding (although natural selection played into it too) we would not have the domestic dog at all.
So, go with it.
LOL...we must have all been typing away at the same time.
Good post Melanie.