Monday, June 25, 2012

Boxers are Herders and Yorkies are Earthdogs?



The American Kennel Club is chock-full of pretenders and fantasists.

Three examples of where that gets you:




I love the boxer as a herding breed.   In fact, I think the AKC should classify all the butcher dog breeds as "herding" dogs:  Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dogue De Bordeaux, Dogos, etc.  Breeds bred for "very strong jaws and a powerful bite ideal for hanging on to large prey" are just perfect for herding.  What could go wrong?
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6 comments:

HurricaneDeck said...

Wow are you behind the times! The group realignment has been bantered around for over a year now by AKC. You also missed that they made the Italian Greyhound into a sighthound - well, at least it LOOKS the part!

It didn't pass, by the way. Most of us couldn't believe what the hell they were thinking either.

HurricaneDeck said...

AH! I see it now. Not quite as fun as the realignment crap. But truly, is Earthdog, Lure Coursing, or their Herding tests any test of a REAL ability? It is a test of instinct and a willingness to play a game, but not actual work... but really, I *do* hope that it encourages people do get out and do more with their dogs.

Of course this is an opinion of the lady who has been running her Toy Fox Terrier in Go To Ground. I hope to have his AWTA certificate at our trial this year. So far he is running tunnels like a champ and working rats like no other.

PBurns said...

Donald McCaig writes:

I don't know any sheepdogger who objects to people playing with their dogs. Although AKC "herding" (misnomer) is often sheep abuse, only old sheepmen like me are bothered by that.

People can't bear to think that what they spend time and money on is essentially meaningless. So we urge football players to "set a moral example" and frame meaningless titles on our walls and when someone says they need a dog for sheepwork we modestly admit that our Fluffy has his "herding started" title.

This is irritating and charming at the same moment. As Dr Heidegger taught us, the essence of mankind is caring. He didn't say what we should care about.

PBurns said...

No, Donald, you are right; it probably does not harm other than reduce the whole thing to a joke and make it transparent than the goal is that everyone get a rosette. It's like the 6-years doing ballet at the church recital, but with no prospect that any of the children will ever get any better, and the assurance that all the kids will get a ribbon to boost their self-esteem. Plus, everyone wants to have a story for their dog. No harm in that either -- I have even made up a few for dogs I thought needed a story!

PipedreamFarm said...

There is also a huge difference between "school sheep"/caged rats vs. commercial sheep/groundhogs that can bite back.

Mark

Iggie said...

Actually, in Peru, the "Perros sin Pelo del Peru" is considered a working/hunting dog and is used as such. Just like in the US, some dogs are kept as pets and some are worked and some fall somewhere in between. It depends on the owner. In Peru, there are three sizes (small, medium, large). The mid-size is the one that that is called "Peruvian Inca Orchid" in the US per the AKC, but everyplace else uses their actual (Peruvian) name.

This isn't a myth - it is a current fact that can be ascertained by referring to Peruvian sources. Regardless of whether you prefer them or not, they are a rugged dog and do like to work - they aren't lap dogs.

Historically, dogs of this type - we can't say breed - were around since before the Incas and were used for many purposes as all dogs were back then.

The Kennel Club Peruana classifies the breed as a single-breed group -probably for historical/cultural reasons. Obviously, the AKC isn't inclined to do that. The decision to place this breed with the sighthounds is not at all so far-fetched as you imply.