Do you know what a Breed Standard is?
The American Kennel Club is an association of individual dog breed clubs…Pug clubs, German Shepherd Dog clubs, Doberman clubs, Golden Retriever clubs, etc.
Each club has a defined standard for what its breed should behave and look like. That standard then defines what that breed is, and which dogs are considered the epitome of that breed, suitable for breeding purposes.
Well, these breed standards are now being used AGAINST law abiding dog owners and breeders.
New dog breed bans and using these standards to define which dogs they want to get rid of, and they are using these breed standards to prove that these dogs are “vicious” by their very nature and description.
Take the American Staffordshire Terrier (the show dog version of the American Pit Bull Terrier). Here’s what the official Breed Standard says about what this dog is:
“General Impression The American Staffordshire Terrier should give the impression of great strength for his size, a well put-together dog, muscular, but agile and graceful, keenly alive to his surroundings. He should be stocky, not long-legged or racy in outline. His courage is proverbial.”
So, what do we get out of this? We have a courageous, powerful dog.
That type of definition hurts this breed more than you might realize.
Here’s what it should say:
“General Impression The American Staffordshire Terrier should give the impression of great strength for his size, a well put-together dog, muscular, but agile and graceful, keenly alive to his surroundings. He should be stocky, not long-legged or racy in outline.
The American Staffordshire Terrier is people friendly, loyal, animated when at play or working, calm when at rest, intelligent, highly trainable, and a fine family companion dog which is good with children and protective of the family and home from threatening criminals. His courage is proverbial. The American Staffordshire Terrier excels at many jobs, including high level obedience competitions, search and rescue services, weight pulling competitions, therapy work, and narcotics detection, bomb and fire detective work, and police work. The American Staffordshire Terrier is not eligible for breeding unless it has qualified as a family dog, and for one of the above mentioned types of job, through appropriate temperament testing and qualification guidelines set out by the breed clubs.
The judge shall dismiss from the ring any shy or vicious American Staffordshire Terrier.
Shyness: A dog shall be judged fundamentally shy if, refusing to stand for examination, it shrinks away from the judge; if it fears an approach from the rear; if it shies at sudden and unusual noises to a marked degree.
Viciousness: A dog that attacks or attempts to attack either the judge or its handler, is definitely vicious. An aggressive or belligerent attitude towards other dogs shall not be deemed viciousness.”
We have the same problem with a lot of other breed standards.
Take the Doberman breed standard:
“General Appearance The appearance is that of a dog of medium size, with a body that is square. Compactly built, muscular and powerful, for great endurance and speed. Elegant in appearance, of proud carriage, reflecting great nobility and temperament. Energetic, watchful, determined, alert, fearless, loyal and obedient.”
This breed standard could be changed for the better. Here is my suggestion:
General Appearance The appearance is that of a dog of medium size, with a body that is square. Compactly built, muscular and powerful, for great endurance and speed. Elegant in appearance, of proud carriage, reflecting great nobility and temperament. Energetic, watchful, determined, alert, fearless, loyal and obedient.
The Doberman is people friendly dog, loyal, animated when at play or when working, calm when at rest, intelligent, highly trainable, and a fine family companion dog which is good with children and protective of the family and home from threatening criminals. The Doberman excels at many jobs, including high level obedience competitions, search and rescue services, therapy work, and narcotics detection, bomb and fire detective work, and police work. The Doberman is not eligible for breeding unless it has qualified as a family dog, and for one of the above mentioned types of job, through appropriate temperament testing and qualification guidelines set out by the breed clubs.
The judge shall dismiss from the ring any shy or vicious Doberman.
Shyness: A dog shall be judged fundamentally shy if, refusing to stand for examination, it shrinks away from the judge; if it fears an approach from the rear; if it shies at sudden and unusual noises to a marked degree.
Viciousness: A dog that attacks or attempts to attack either the judge or its handler, is definitely vicious. An aggressive or belligerent attitude towards other dogs shall not be deemed viciousness.”
If we were to start defining objective, measurable standards for each breed, then these standards could be used to prove they aren’t related to the wacko dogs that backyard breeders create and sell. We need to be able to say: THAT DOG ISN’T A ____________ (Pit bull, Doberman, Rottweiler, American Stafforshire Terrier, Akita, etc.) because it isn’t related to any QUALIFIED dog, and doesn’t display the temperament characteristics of the breed.
We can’t do that now with the way the Breed Standards are being written and published.
We could also use better breed standards to improve the breeds and their reputations in the community as useful dogs. We need to define measurable, and positive, behavioral traits in our breeds. Not only to provide a guide to breeders, but as a way of defining what each breed is and what it is useful for in society.
The current Breed Standards are being written INTO LAW, and used to define which dogs to ban.
The current Breed Standards are being used in LAWSUITS to prove the dogs are dangerous.
The current Breed Standards are being used BY LEGISLATURES to write anti-dog legislation.
The current Breed Standards are being used to DISCRIMINATE AGAINST MANY BREEDS in insurance policies, and homeowners association rules.
We need to turn these methods around and use them to our benefit, and for the benefits of our dogs.
The American Kennel Club is an association of individual dog breed clubs…Pug clubs, German Shepherd Dog clubs, Doberman clubs, Golden Retriever clubs, etc.
Each club has a defined standard for what its breed should behave and look like. That standard then defines what that breed is, and which dogs are considered the epitome of that breed, suitable for breeding purposes.
Well, these breed standards are now being used AGAINST law abiding dog owners and breeders.
New dog breed bans and using these standards to define which dogs they want to get rid of, and they are using these breed standards to prove that these dogs are “vicious” by their very nature and description.
Take the American Staffordshire Terrier (the show dog version of the American Pit Bull Terrier). Here’s what the official Breed Standard says about what this dog is:
“General Impression The American Staffordshire Terrier should give the impression of great strength for his size, a well put-together dog, muscular, but agile and graceful, keenly alive to his surroundings. He should be stocky, not long-legged or racy in outline. His courage is proverbial.”
So, what do we get out of this? We have a courageous, powerful dog.
That type of definition hurts this breed more than you might realize.
Here’s what it should say:
“General Impression The American Staffordshire Terrier should give the impression of great strength for his size, a well put-together dog, muscular, but agile and graceful, keenly alive to his surroundings. He should be stocky, not long-legged or racy in outline.
The American Staffordshire Terrier is people friendly, loyal, animated when at play or working, calm when at rest, intelligent, highly trainable, and a fine family companion dog which is good with children and protective of the family and home from threatening criminals. His courage is proverbial. The American Staffordshire Terrier excels at many jobs, including high level obedience competitions, search and rescue services, weight pulling competitions, therapy work, and narcotics detection, bomb and fire detective work, and police work. The American Staffordshire Terrier is not eligible for breeding unless it has qualified as a family dog, and for one of the above mentioned types of job, through appropriate temperament testing and qualification guidelines set out by the breed clubs.
The judge shall dismiss from the ring any shy or vicious American Staffordshire Terrier.
Shyness: A dog shall be judged fundamentally shy if, refusing to stand for examination, it shrinks away from the judge; if it fears an approach from the rear; if it shies at sudden and unusual noises to a marked degree.
Viciousness: A dog that attacks or attempts to attack either the judge or its handler, is definitely vicious. An aggressive or belligerent attitude towards other dogs shall not be deemed viciousness.”
We have the same problem with a lot of other breed standards.
Take the Doberman breed standard:
“General Appearance The appearance is that of a dog of medium size, with a body that is square. Compactly built, muscular and powerful, for great endurance and speed. Elegant in appearance, of proud carriage, reflecting great nobility and temperament. Energetic, watchful, determined, alert, fearless, loyal and obedient.”
This breed standard could be changed for the better. Here is my suggestion:
General Appearance The appearance is that of a dog of medium size, with a body that is square. Compactly built, muscular and powerful, for great endurance and speed. Elegant in appearance, of proud carriage, reflecting great nobility and temperament. Energetic, watchful, determined, alert, fearless, loyal and obedient.
The Doberman is people friendly dog, loyal, animated when at play or when working, calm when at rest, intelligent, highly trainable, and a fine family companion dog which is good with children and protective of the family and home from threatening criminals. The Doberman excels at many jobs, including high level obedience competitions, search and rescue services, therapy work, and narcotics detection, bomb and fire detective work, and police work. The Doberman is not eligible for breeding unless it has qualified as a family dog, and for one of the above mentioned types of job, through appropriate temperament testing and qualification guidelines set out by the breed clubs.
The judge shall dismiss from the ring any shy or vicious Doberman.
Shyness: A dog shall be judged fundamentally shy if, refusing to stand for examination, it shrinks away from the judge; if it fears an approach from the rear; if it shies at sudden and unusual noises to a marked degree.
Viciousness: A dog that attacks or attempts to attack either the judge or its handler, is definitely vicious. An aggressive or belligerent attitude towards other dogs shall not be deemed viciousness.”
If we were to start defining objective, measurable standards for each breed, then these standards could be used to prove they aren’t related to the wacko dogs that backyard breeders create and sell. We need to be able to say: THAT DOG ISN’T A ____________ (Pit bull, Doberman, Rottweiler, American Stafforshire Terrier, Akita, etc.) because it isn’t related to any QUALIFIED dog, and doesn’t display the temperament characteristics of the breed.
We can’t do that now with the way the Breed Standards are being written and published.
We could also use better breed standards to improve the breeds and their reputations in the community as useful dogs. We need to define measurable, and positive, behavioral traits in our breeds. Not only to provide a guide to breeders, but as a way of defining what each breed is and what it is useful for in society.
The current Breed Standards are being written INTO LAW, and used to define which dogs to ban.
The current Breed Standards are being used in LAWSUITS to prove the dogs are dangerous.
The current Breed Standards are being used BY LEGISLATURES to write anti-dog legislation.
The current Breed Standards are being used to DISCRIMINATE AGAINST MANY BREEDS in insurance policies, and homeowners association rules.
We need to turn these methods around and use them to our benefit, and for the benefits of our dogs.
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