[AnAmericanMother]

I bet the cooler and damper weather up your way means that a big heavy dog suffers less stress in work.

The hunt tests are now requiring HUGE distances (getting more and more like the field trials). A big dog would absolutely kill himself on a 200-plus yard triple.

[HairOfTheDog]

They like them bigger because they can crash through heavy brush easier than a smaller dog, and swim better with a goose in a fast current, I guess.

I dunno. I've been out of it too long to know what the current fad is.