AKC actually has many working tests for various breeds. I see this same opinion all of the time. If a breed loses the traits that allow it to do whatever it was intended for, that is not the fault of the registering body. It is the fault of breeders.
susie
The breeders breed what the judges pin. When the breeders focus exclusively on what the judges pin, they lose other important characteristics (especially working ability).
I used to breed Siamese cats, and we saw it there too. When the judges started rewarding the extreme, long headed, very fragile body type, the big breeders bred exclusively for that, to heck with temperament, health, etc.
That's why a couple of breakaway organizations are now breeding the "apple head" Siamese. My cats were never apple heads, but they weren't the extreme elongated type either. I took my best boy to Champion, but he would never have gotten any further than that, no matter how often I showed him. And the person who is in it seriously (I was just a hobby breeder) is going to breed what the judges like as quickly as they can.
Yes the AKC has working tests, but it is mainly a beauty contest. If you look at Labs, an actual working "field Lab", looks nothing like the Labs you see in the show ring. Same with Goldens. In defense of the AKC, my Bulldog is AKC and has the confirmation of the Bulldog standard. I hate seeing Bulldogs with long legs, narrow head and chest and protruding nose, to me it's not a Bulldog. With a Bulldog you breed for health and looks. A walk to the mailbox is about all they're gonna do, they get the rest of their exercise going from one napping area to another.