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I personally think we'll never get the IMPORTANT part of the dog under control

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

Just for the record, I have titled dogs in obedience and hunt tests in addition to conformation. I agree that dogs SHOULD be doing other things, however, that is available.

MOST people I know who show in conformation have dogs who are trained, so I don't see how requiring something like a lower level obedience title is going to improve the gene pool somehow. Virtually ANY dog can get a CD. So, what does that prove?

If you are interested in multi purpose dogs, by all means,use that as a gauge when looking for a puppy. Of course, be aware that a CD title does not really mean much. (OK, except when you get one you feel pretty darned good about it!)

Accept AKC for what it is. A registry. They are not the dog or breed police.

susie

Talk about CD . . . we were prepping for our very first obedience trial (Shelley was I think six months old) when our trainer said, "You know, I think this dog will be a lot happier in agility."

And she was. Maybe now that she's a steadier five-year-old instead of an absolutely loony-tune six month old, we can go back and put a CD on her, just for fun.

(Shoot, she'll go up without a leash to the line now at heel and not even break on a walkup bird. I think she can manage a CD . . . )

"If you are interested in multi purpose dogs, by all means,use that as a gauge when looking for a puppy. Of course, be aware that a CD title does not really mean much. (OK, except when you get one you feel pretty darned good about it!)"

In America? Actually having a self-controlled obedient dog is a *rarity*! (I mean in the real world, not just those who actually go to shows.) Most cannot handle a CD (and only part of it is on lead, so there's no way most dogs in the US can do it - if only because their owners have let it be so). IMO, there are dogs who are virtually incorrigible, and if they truly can't manage a CD, they probably DO have a mental/emotional flaw (I can just see my Tara fitting in there). This is a minimal test - so is it so much to ask it be a requirement?

Agreed the AKC is technically "just a registry". However, they sure get their hands in a heck of alot of stuff to be just that. And there's no reason they could NOT expand their scope. Heck, FTM, if they're only a registry, why do they even come up with rules for conformation or any performance at all? Why have they forbidden "schutzhund" until the last month or so? They have alot of power for just a registry.