Dogsey

The PWD has been a very popular dog in the states for a lot longer than the Obama`s had a dog, I think, they are more recognized now due to the Obama`s, but from my understanding they have been popular for many many years.

You did not say it, but your post implied you do not think much of them, hence my response .

Rising popularity sadly does not mean they are suitable for every household, we see far to much of that when dogs end up in rescue , because people buy a dog for the wrong reasons.

And yes, everyone says their dog is intelligent, but some breeds are far smarter than others, and the PWD is one of the smartest on the planet..

You get best dog, and best bitch, then they go up against each other, the runner up will be "best opposite sex"

I don't "not think much of them" I simply don't get their allure. Even if I did not think much of them, that's my right, is it not? Do you like every single breed? I doubt it.

I'm not a fan of how they look, they all look dirty and scraggy to me, and I'm just not a fan of their general appearance. In a cognitive test done here, the Labrador did far better than the PWD so there goes the subjectiveness of intelligence again. As if a dog breed being "one of the smartest" holds any real meaning anyway.

Sounds more like an opinion than fact based on how it's worded. I never questioned the breeds intelligence, since I'm not well acquainted with them... but it's whatever. I am simply not surprised that this dog is a favorite... he's the cousin of Sunny, which as much as you say holds no meaning, it holds VERY much meaning IMO.

Did I exclude labs from smartness, no I don't think so,

I think you are giving the connection to the presidents dog a little to much credence, do you really think the show world is going to judge one dog over the thousands dogs entered who are at the top of their tree, simply because it is a cousin of their dog.... You obviously don't understand how it works...although I can see why someone with little knowledge of the show world can make such assumptions.....

Oh ok,thanks for that Jackie.

Actually Jackie, although your question was posed to Myra not to myself, I will say a resounding yes!! I do think that judges could be influenced by the fact that the President of the U S of A - THE most powerful man in the whole world ... owns Sunny, the cousin of Matisse! Influenced, not totally ruled by, but definitely influenced ... the dog would still have to have all the correct merits, for what they are worth, but judges are only human.

I have little respect for the show world because it bases the worth of a dog on its conformation, instead of its function. Which is why Mark Evans described Crufts as a parade of mutants, I totally agree with him. And who suffers? Not the fat-cat owners, but the poor dogs. That beautiful Crufts champion, the Llasa Apso I think he was, (or Shitz Zu?) he was never allowed to get dirty or muddy ... that absolutely STINKS IMO.

Actually NIkki, the thought that a dog winning a show could be influenced by the president of the USA is laughable, but it's your opinion , wrong but yours anyway, so nothing more to say on that.

It's your prerogative to have little respect for the show world, but something to point out..a dog can't function without the correct conformation, conformation is paramount for a dog to function at the job he was bred to do. As for mark evens, well the less said about him the better.

Actually Jackie, the thought that a dog winning a show could be influenced by the president of the USA IS laughable!! And it is NOT what I said.

I said that the Judges could be influenced BY THE FACT THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE USA happens to own Matisse's cousin ... there is a world of difference in the phrasing!

Conformation in its simplest form is important ... but as you know as well as I do, the breed standards frequently demand a particular physical characteristic which has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not a dog perform the function for which it was originally bred.

Mark Evans (with an A, not an E) is a man of principle who stuck his neck out and said what he thought ... I could not agree with him more in his statements that Crufts is a parade of mutants and many breeds are fatally flawed.

Thanks for the spelling lesson Nikki, could always count on you.

Regarding influencing the judging, you implied a judge would be influenced by Obama owning a breed he is judging, which means a dog wins because the judge is influenced by the president owning own...so however you or I phrase it, it's the same outcome.