interesting article, show dogs and health Options

[Liz P]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jht...ftcrufts107.xml

[juliepoudrier]

Good article. Thanks for posting it. It's nice to have a counter viewpoint to the claim that kennel clubs are the "protectors" of purebred dogs.

J.

[KrisK]

the lastest "Dogs in Canada" magazine also had an article regarding the number of obese dogs being shown at Crufts. Since I don't attend any conformation shows, I can't say if CKC or AKC is any better except from watching Westminister, it seemed to me that the Labs ALL looked fat

[KathyF]

From any of the "show" dogs that I have seen, they are over weight. I know someone who had to keep extra weight on her dog for the conformation ring. Extra weight that she then had to get off of the dog, once she was through showing, so that she could trial her in agility.

I cannot tell you how many people comment on on skinny my dogs are. Even the vet I used to work for made a comment about one of my dogs and how she was in such good condition and I looked at him and said that she could use to lose a couple of pounds, that she had gotten a bit heavy. Now, the last week I had to bring a dog in to have his eye looked at and this time the vet made the comment to another client about how my dogs are working dogs and that this dog is in very good condition. He just needed to educated a bit. The probem is that in this country there way too much obesity happening and it has spread to our pets. (no pun intended)

So, yes, a lot of conformation/show dogs are fat.

JMO
Kathy

[Rosanne]

Good article.

I, too (sadly), have known dogs who were fattened up for breed ring showing, then had to lose it for agility. I think it's not just labs, at this point. it's ALL of them. Wouldn't want a judge to bruise their hand on a hard-edged muscle after all.

I like when it says they should ban the dog show
A brave sentiment!

[bc friend]

Excellent article. Unfortunately, the health problems seem to be only too true. Anyone who has ever owned a cocker spaniel can attest to this - I was lucky enough to have one with a beautiful temperament but the skin, eye, ear problems were never ending. She lived to a ripe old age and cancer killed her but I have to wonder if all of the meds necessary to keep her comfortable due to the genetic health problems contributed to the cancer.

[Kat's Dogs]

Great article, if only EVERYONE in the world would get to read it.

So many people don't know, so there they go saying "oh cool, lets get a dog that's mom and dad won a lot of dog shows!" rather than look at health. If anyone has a basic understanding of genetics it becomes very obvious that you are better off getting a complete mutt then a show dog.

THIS is how the AKC affects breeds other than border collies. Kennel Clubs are not good for anyone (except the people raking in the bucks from them)

[Eileen Stein]

Nice to see something like this in the popular press. Maybe Rosettes to Ruin and Jeffrey Bragg's articles (such as Purebred Dog Breeds into the Twenty-First Century) are having some effect on attitudes -- at least outside of the dog show world.

[ShoresDog]

Thanks for the link to Jeffrey Bragg's article, Eileen. It's very interesting. It was published several years ago. Did it stir up much discussion at the time? (having four cats and no dogs at the time, I wouldn't know!) Did it have any influence? His example of the Siberian Huskies was shocking! Imagine a human population subjected to that kind of inbreeding, and it's not a pretty picture.

I have some questions that belie my ignorance, so patience please.

In a general sense, how much genetic diversity do border collies (not AKC ones, but working ones) have?

Are border collies more or less subject to genetic disorders than AKC purebred dogs?

Is the border collie studbook "closed," whatever that exactly means?

Thank you!