[allmendream]

KEEP THE AKC AWAY FROM WORKING DOGS.

Working dogs are exactly that, a worker. Their breed standards should be based upon performance first, looks second. The AKC “beauty pageant” can absolutely RUIN a good working breed of dogs.

Witness what they are trying to do to the Bull-mastiff. The entire point of having a “Bull”Mastiff was that it was smaller, and more active, than a Mastiff. But people want a “big” dog to look BIG, so the standards have crept upwards. Now instead of an active guard dog, you have a gorgeous big and lazy dog that doesn't want to go on patrol with you if it means abandoning its comfy bed.

The more the AKC ignores a working breed, the better for the breed.

Field trial champion hunting dogs over AKC beauty pageant dogs any day of the week, and twice on Sunday.

[Varda]

Thank you for the ignorant rant. The AKC is a collection of clubs with the primary function of keeping records. One of those clubs is the Bullmastiff (not “Bull-mastiff”) club . The clubs are composed of the owners who want to join. They're the ones who decide what the standards are. While I've never owned a Bullmastiff the ones I've met are serious guard dogs and really haven't changed in size in the 40 years since I first saw one.

The beauty pageant aspect is what people see when they don't know what's going on. There is no doubt that the best dogs are beautiful. That's because humans interpret symmetrical form, seamless conformation and apparent health and vigor as beauty. People who are at the top of their game in working dogs, competitive field trials, competitive herding understand the relationship of form (conformation) to function.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

amen.