How many of you have?

Question

Actually looked up your dogs Breed Standard and compared your dog to it? What did you learn?

The object of the standard is to get as close to it as you can. No dog will ever meet the standard. All dogs have faults.

I have three Saints, one that couldnt come close to the standard if she tried (had her spayed) one that is not grown yet and another that in my opinion is close. He still has some maturing to do.

Answer 1

It's true that all dogs have faults...and while some dogs may not display DQs as called for in the standard, unless they have virtues, they are mediocre...And there is PLENTY of mediocrity out there as it is...

My oldest male is finished, but I'm not going to breed him...he's a wonderful dog temperament wise and working wise, balanced...but just not what I'm looking for...

My young male, Lynyrd, has beautiful breed type, and to quote several judges and breeders "one of the most sound dogs I've ever seen"......His faults: He is not enough dog for a lot of people....so, perhaps more substance...although he is within the standard on size....it's a matter of preferance.

As with most males in my breed, sometimes "full" maturity isn't reached until 4 or 5 yrs in some lines.
But, this next year, we have big plans...!!!!

Answer 2

I checked the standards before getting my dogs, I wanted to know what I was supposed to be looking for. Although I have no interest in showing my dogs and don't really care if they measure up as far as looks go, I wanted to make sure they were healthy animals.

My Doberman is all over the place when compared to the standard. He's too tall, too long and his chest isn't wide enough. His hips aren't wide enough either. He's a tall, thin dog. His tail was also docked too short. Amazingly, he's still a beautifully elegant animal. I love the neckline on a Doberman and that gait they have when they jog or trot always puts a smile on my face. My Dobie is an overgrown baby, I just wish everyone could see how affectionate he is.

My Sheltie hits the nail on the head. He looks smaller than a lot of Shelties you see, but a lot of Shelties you see are over their height/weight limit. Since we have no interest in breeding we had him fixed and because the surgery was much more invasive than expected his belly had to be shaved....like a female dog. His fringe fur never grew in as heavily as it should have because of the shaving and I do find that disappointing, but I wouldn't trade him for the world. He's the dog I dreamed of for years!

Our other dog is a mutt, a Yellow Lab/Chow/GSD/? mix. When I compare her to the standards for the breeds that are in her lineage I'm amazed to find so many similarities. She looks like a Yellow Lab with a Chow's tail, but of course she really fits no standard at all. Her similarities fall into the temperament categories. It's so easy to see the Chow and Lab in her personality. She's a good ole mutt and very intelligent and playful.

Thanks for the fun question!

Answer 3

Yes, I knew the breed standard before I bought my dog.

As far as how my dog compares (my dog is a pet-quality dog from show stock), here it is:

- She has white on one of her ears, which is not allowed. The rest of her coloring (coat, nose, pads, etc.) all are within the breed standard.

- She is tall for her breed, she's exactly 11", which is the upper limit of allowed size (8-11" is the height allowance). So she is right on the verge of the fault of being over 11". (Over 12" is disqualification.) She wasn't expected to grow this tall, she's actually bigger than both her parents. But since I didn't get her for conformation, I don't really care. Taller papillons tend to be great for agility anyway, which is why I got her.

- She has fabulous, big ears that are set at the 45 degree angle that the breed standard calls for.

- She has a correctly proportioned head/skull. and her structure is good.
.

Answer 4

I would... in fact, I have a minute now!

I'm going to guess that she's 50% Golden Retriever and 50% German Shepherd, although I doubt that.

Her general look is about a quarter GSD... she's fairly well-balanced and I think she looks feminine. She isn't angled, but doesn't look strong or agile. Her temperament totally fails as a GSD - she's not aloof or necessarily approachable - she's skittish. I'm guessing that will win her NO points with any breed. She's anxious to new sounds, another strike. She's a bit short for a GSD, I think (but I don't have her here to measure). Her ears disqualify her, and I think her eyes are the wrong shape. You know, the more I look at this, the more I wonder if she's really part GSD. I have no idea, but she doesn't match much at all. If she is, she does NOT come from good lines. Now I think one of her parents was a shepherd mix.

Golden Retriever:
She's a bit long-legged, but hasn't finished filling out (I think). She's a bit light (weight-wise) to be a Golden as well. Her face and head features match a lot more closely with the Golden standard. Her coat isn't quite right. As I don't have her here in front of me to examine her fore and hindquarters and body, I don't know the exact comparison, but I'm guessing she doesn't come from a well-bred Golden either. However, she's closer to the standard of the Golden than of the GSD, especially regarding her gait. Her temperament, again, is a bit too anxious.

Awesome question!

Answer 5

Yes, and I have most of it memorized, and did before I ever got into this breed (Dachshunds).

What have I learned? That my dogs would be laughed out of any show ring, but I knew this from the day I got them. My oldest has good physical conformation (a few minor faults at most), but parts of her personality are not "correct" by the breed standard. My youngest on the other hand has fairly poor physical conformation, but her temperament fits the breed standard to a tee.

I picked both for their personality, not their appearance. They are my pets, and were never intended to be shown or bred in the first place. They are both sweet, loving, well-behaved, and playful, and would likely have pups with great personalities. However, not being exceptional examples of their breed, they are both spayed, of course.

Answer 6

All of my adults are within breed standard. However, I have two puppiest that I am concerned with. One may very well be too small. (under 9 lbs) and the other may have some poor coloring. (However, that may be explained if she is a "blue".)

I have owned other Shih Tzu that couldn't reach the breed standard if their lives depended on it. Once it was determined that they were not, they were fixed. The first one had a very poor temperment and was too small for breed standard. (She was only 7 lbs and could be nasty as heck!) The second one was too large, the tail didn't sit right, and his nose was too long. He was also dumber than a box of rocks, but I loved him anyway!) Both are in wonderful homes that love them for the dogs that they are.

Answer 7

That I'm good at picking out a chihuahua? lol. Both my chi's noses are a smidge long not bad though, and only noticable if you're picky about noses, and my little girl has slight bat ears, but other than that, they are a good match to the standard. Though I don't think my little boy's color is that great, he's mud brown with a razorback black stripe down his back and a cute black mask. I didn't buy them for breeding though, bought them mostly based on personality, though I won't buy a ratty looking chihuahua, I'm pretty firm on wanting the chihuahua that matchs the one you see on the breed book, or at akc. They are a good representation of their breed other than their minor flaws. She's almost perfect, but those ears... Doesn't matter, she's so small, there's no way I'd breed her. At 3 lbs, I'd rather have her for another 15 yrs or so, than risk her for a litter of pups. I just can't, in good concience, breed something that small and that valuable to me. All the "what ifs" petrify me just thinking about it. Heck, at this point I can't even get her spayed, I'm so worried about her size and possible anesthesia reactions/risks. Guess I need to get sewing on some panties for her, as that time is coming soon. She's 8 months now, and isn't even close to hitting 4 lbs.

Answer 8

My dog isn't fully grown yet so I'm not sure if he will fit the breed standard for a Pomeranian. He is 6 months and 6 lbs. The breed standard for a Pom is 3-7 lbs so he will probably be larger than the AKC breed standard. But who cares?? I love my dog no matter what he looks like. I don't plan on showing him so the breed standard means nothing to me.

Answer 9

My American Pit Bull Terrier is a rescue, but she fits very closely to the breed standard, according to the UKC. It makes me feel good, but it really doesn't matter, my dog has not, and will not ever produce puppies. I have NO experience with breeding, but I know how much work goes into being a responsible breeder, so I'm not going to try to be one.

Answer 10

I have. I have had several dogs that were supposed to be pure breeds, all of which had been rescues. I found out what faults they had. Right now I have a female German Shepherd that was the last pup & the guy couldn't get rid of her so I took her. Her angulation is not right. She doesn't have the typical sickle hocks, she is too boxy, her ears tip at the top, she is too large for a female, her markings are not right, at two yr.s she has arthritis, displsysia is not an issue yet.

I knew none of them came from competent breeders & expected to find all the faults I did.

A couple of Great Danes, both male.
A couple of Airedale sisters.
4 Dobies
1 Border Collie

& many, many mutts.