The problem isn’t breeders, they are the symptom......
The problem is the AKC and other “show” promoters that increasingly allow these grotesque physical proportions be the standard for breed to win “shows”....
If the AKC issues new guidelines, then the problem goes away in just a few generations....
>> The problem is the AKC and other “show” promoters <<
Absolutely. A decrease in genetic diversity has resulted from the AKC’s standards, meaning that an increase in disorders from recessive genes has been the inevitable result. As with inbred and isolated human groups, so with canines.
A friend who runs a grooming business say that she now encounters cocker spaniels and golden retrievers with nasty dispositions. These formerly “sweet” dog varieties have been over-bred for certain AKC-desired characteristics like long ears and shinny coats, while too many breeders have paid scant attention to things like disposition, hip displasia, cancer, etc. They are literally ruining some breeds.
So what to do? Go for a mutt or mixed breed dog. They are much less likely to inherit the double dosages of recessive genes that are ruining so many of the pure-bred lines.
For the life of me I don’t get the point of dog shows.
It’s like having a Miss Universe contest where all the French contestants look like Bridgette Bardot, the Irish like Christina Hendricks, Italians like Sofia Loren, Americans Marylin Monroe, etc, etc and the winner is the one that looks the most like their country’s “standard”.