[Tallguy]

Show people who breed for looks alone have nearly lost the instincts and attributes that made the breeds what they originally were. And I've been there.

I have seen all the flaws in the breeds that you mention, and then some. But I have also seen my own breed standard get 'adjusted' by AKC judges making a concerted effort to penalize certain physical & tempermental characteristics that have become excessive or undesireable. The interpretation of the breed standard does change over time. I guess you know that the breed ring is not the place to evaluate instinct -- trials are for that kinda thing. We trial our terriers to evaluate hunting instinct.

[HairOfTheDog]

I thought my post clearly qualified my criticism. I love dog shows, I love show dogs. But in the realm of talking about responsible breeding, constant attention needs to be paid to keeping the breeds strong, healthy, and capable of doing the job the standard describes. Show dogs have had their share of problems, and getting a pup from a 'show dog' breeder is no guarantee that it does not come with faults caused by their breeding. It's a tough job trying to design the perfect dog, and people have made a lot of mistakes in trying... That's all.