This gets me recently i read that breed standards are left to a person to interpret the standard in there own way, well what happens when a person is well off the breed standard in their opinion and the breed is ruined, has this ever happened to a breed?  I dont mean people who exploit breeds for money i mean people who are deadly serious about breeding the best dogs in there opinion.

Warm regards Susan

Well there are some things that are not open to interpretation liek height limits, colour ear or tail set etc.  it will only be the details that can be open to interpretaion and also when judging you are having to put dogs in order of merit.  Bearing in mind that all teh dogs will ahve faults to a varying degree it is your interpretaion of which faults and virtues place a dog above or below another in quality.

A breed can and does change if a dog or kennel become very influnetial in everyone going for that type.  But genrally there is enough variance within acceptable that will keep a breed on an even keel.

Just as an example say a breed shoudl be strudy but athletic.  soem people will elan toawrd the sturdy and youn end up with chunky dogs tedning to the heavy if your not carefuyl.  Others will be concentrating in athletic and may end up with some dogs that are a bit light in mass.

As long as both types are still around you can stop the breed from going too far one way or the other.

Thanks Brainless, your always very informative.

Warm regards Susan

Here's an example of interpretation Susan.  Some years ago I went to a Rough Collie seminar.  The experienced breeder was talking about exactly that - the interpretation of the breed standard.  Our standard calls for "an eye of medium size, almond shaped, set obliquely"  He set 8 almonds obliquely on a sheet and put a mirror down one side, so that each almond was made into a 'pair' like eyes.  Now as you looked down the line, each almond was a slightly different shape, the different from top to bottom was quite great.  And his comment was "Which one is almond shaped?" and of course, the answer was "All of them" but they were all quite different!! ;)
The Breed Standards are a written description of the picture of the dog in front of us.  And whilst we should all agree that a sound dog is a sound dog, our important of the finer points may well vary.

How do you find out about seminars Val in the breed your interested in?

Warm regards Susan

They're usually run by breed clubs Susan.  You can either join (we have rather a lot all over the country so I tend to belong to about 6) or you can contact the secretaries and ask to be advised if they are planning any.