Is it ethical to breed bracycephalic and other sickly breeds?
Is it ethical to breed bracycephalic and other sickly breeds? Dog Breed Discussions
This question has bother me for a while now. I'm all in support of good, ethical breeding. A outstanding example of the breed that has been titled, won numerous championships, passed all genetic health tests, is just really an amazing example of the breed. Of course we would want to pass that on to better the breed.But then you get some breeds that are just sickly because of how they are. English Bulldogs are my best example. Here is a dog that can hardly run. Common respiratory problems, even in well bred examples, just because of the nose shape. A breed that overheats extremely fast. A breed that can't even mate naturally because of the shape and size of the body. A breed that can't give natural birth because of the shape and size of the pups. Is it ethical to breed such unhealthy dogs in the first place? IMHO, if a dog can't breed for itself, then why are we breeding it?This brings me to another question. Are conformation shows ruining breeds. English bulldogs couldn't of been like this 100 years ago, when there was really no option for AI, and C-Sections. So the breed standard has obviously been modified and changed to create the breed as it is today, and similar breeds, all to fit what we find visually appealing for the breed. Do you feel largely conformation organizations (like the AKC) ruins breeds? Do you think an obsession with JUST conformation titles ruins breeds? Just look at german shepherds, for an example. I strongly believe the AKC has KILLED american lined shepherds. At the same time, in my search for a quality bred APBT through the UKC, I have found many great dogs that have been both conformation champions and weight pull champions. Agility champions. Some kind or working title. Not just focusing on form, but function as well.The roached back is an interesting point, seeing as how I've noticed that the roached backs in shepherds first starting popping up in west german SHOW lines, which just helps my point that being so focused on only conformation can ruin a breed. Besides, when trying to look at good breeding in the shepherd, I definetly would not start looking at ENGLISH lines. Get down to the very root of the breed. Well bred, GERMAN german shepherd. Even the surrounding countries.Yes, maybe the standard hasn't exactly changed, but if these gangly sloped backed dogs in america didn't continue to win, then they would not continue to be bred like that. It is the judges picking these dogs, choosing them for wins. I've RARELY seen an AKC conformation champion german shepherd that would ever amount to anything on the schutzhund field or in a K9 unit, physically or mentally. Just for the fun of it, I'de love to throw in a well bred DDR shepherd into the ring. Do you think it would win? Probably notAnd to state that the bulldog standard has not changed is just ignorant and naive, frankly. Maybe not in recent decades, but do you really think the bulldogs of today could grab onto a bull and be swung around? Or even be agile enough to catch onto a bull in the first place? No, they can't. And even though baiting is illegal now, as it should be, this breed was still bred for that function. Just like pit bulls and other bully breeds. Original bulldogs looked a lot closer to those dogs then your breed does now. The reason it changed? They wanted fat lap dogs, so they bred in pugs. Shorter faces, stouter body. The bite can not even properly grab and hold on like it was originally bred to do. So yes, the standard has changed GREATLY.