Is it considered responsible breeding if...
- Thread starter Citrus007
- Start date
Dan- the only way I can see the situation you're describing with that Sheltie actually occurring, is if a breeder supported an entry with their OWN dogs, and then purposely mis-handled them in an effort to make easy points for the dog they wanted to win.
While this DOES happen every once in awhile, you'd better believe it's an expensive and unreliable way to get points on your dog- and I can't see how anyone could seriously FINISH a dog doing that. You could get a couple points here and there, but the whole 15, majors included? Incredibly unlikely- especially in a breed as popular and competitive as Shelties. Most people don't have breeding programs big enough to make a major themselves. And of course, good judges can pick this ruse from a mile a way. I've seen the "wrong" dog take points it didn't need more than once! If the judge really knows their breed, a truly awful specimen will never get put up, no matter how poorly the other (better) dogs are handled.
I guess the other thing I could see is that someone paid a lot of money to get a well-known pro handler on the dog. Granted, most serious pros wouldn't look at a really poor specimen twice, but there are a few that would do it for good money. And there are enough judges looking at faces instead of dogs, that such an animal *might* be able to finish. It wouldn't come cheap, though.
At any rate, it is 100% impossible to put a SINGLE point on your dog without any competition at all.
As far as the main topic- I don't agree with anyone JUST breeding for pets, EVEN if they're doing all the health-testing. There are pet-quality puppies born in every litter of working/show/performance dogs, that it simply isn't warranted. If said people really cared about the *breed,* they would be doing everything in their power to make sure that the dogs they used for breeding stock fit the standard to the highest degree possible. And the only way that can truly be done is by having your animals evaluated by an impartial 3rd party. We all suffer from *some* degree of kennel blindness- dog shows and performance events help us to battle that.
While this DOES happen every once in awhile, you'd better believe it's an expensive and unreliable way to get points on your dog- and I can't see how anyone could seriously FINISH a dog doing that. You could get a couple points here and there, but the whole 15, majors included? Incredibly unlikely- especially in a breed as popular and competitive as Shelties. Most people don't have breeding programs big enough to make a major themselves. And of course, good judges can pick this ruse from a mile a way. I've seen the "wrong" dog take points it didn't need more than once! If the judge really knows their breed, a truly awful specimen will never get put up, no matter how poorly the other (better) dogs are handled.
I guess the other thing I could see is that someone paid a lot of money to get a well-known pro handler on the dog. Granted, most serious pros wouldn't look at a really poor specimen twice, but there are a few that would do it for good money. And there are enough judges looking at faces instead of dogs, that such an animal *might* be able to finish. It wouldn't come cheap, though.
At any rate, it is 100% impossible to put a SINGLE point on your dog without any competition at all.
As far as the main topic- I don't agree with anyone JUST breeding for pets, EVEN if they're doing all the health-testing. There are pet-quality puppies born in every litter of working/show/performance dogs, that it simply isn't warranted. If said people really cared about the *breed,* they would be doing everything in their power to make sure that the dogs they used for breeding stock fit the standard to the highest degree possible. And the only way that can truly be done is by having your animals evaluated by an impartial 3rd party. We all suffer from *some* degree of kennel blindness- dog shows and performance events help us to battle that.