Why is that? A lot of working dogs are very badly constructed. Can I point something out without you being offended?

http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=113869
In this thread of yours, its shows your dogs feet turning out and the front legs somewhat bowed in appearance, they are not straight. This is common in working type spaniels, they often also have very wide fronts. You wont get legs like that on a show bred one, so can I ask why you think working "types" look better?

Totally agree! in so many working bred dogs the physical type of the breed is lost. Many aspects of what a breed SHOULD have for working are totally absent in some working bred dogs. I used to do gundog work with my Lab and it made me chuckle at how many completely field trial bred dogs sat there shivering; why? because they had very soft, thin single coats. A Lab should have a thick, waterproof, course DOUBLE coat for working purposes; ironic that many fully working bred dogs lack these physical traits that are suppose to aid them in working. Also, many of them were poor swimmers; why? because they didn't have a correct otter tail, again designed to help them work.

If I wanted another Lab I'd want it to look like a Lab, not a Greyhound or Whippet mix.

This is my show dog.




This is my working dog. (only retrieve shots )









Same dog!

I don't doubt that it could physically, but will it have the same work ethic (mentally) as the other? I am not saying it won't (as I don't know a great deal about the differences between working and show Labs), just interested. It seems that if show dog to show dog to show dog etc is bred, then the work ethic disappears after a few generations (in collies anyway).

Fab pics as ever Dawn. I adore your borders and if all breeds could work (first) and still show then I would be happy, but I do think in certain breeds that the work should come before the show (I suppose I am just talking about border collies here really, but anyone who has to rely on a working dog each and every day will say the same).

It does Seem to go quite quickly in Collies, But in my Experince it can Pops back up again all over the place in different lines, 5 gen removed etc

Although Because of the Work/Terrain Etc, Your Dogs need to be Very full on, if you had fewer Softer sheep in a field or two, then a less intense dog may be ok.

In all dogs i like intensity & Drive & power. I actually quite like the piccy of the working lines lab, looks bloody fast but dosent look much like a lab!

Im Training a working Lines Lab at the moment, OMG shes so Smart, as switched on as a collie!!!!!

lol you could always call that breed type?

for me its gota be both, work and show, whats the point in aiming for anything less?

I think people set there opinions in these threads on a few breeds, in this thread, labs, springers and collies,
but you have to keep in mind there are hundreds of breeds out there, are show or working better in those breeds?
what are my dogs? show or working? or both?

Devils Advocate:

Is it easier for some breeds to be dual purpose than others, due to the kind of work they do?

Most breeds don't have a massive split though do they, to the point where working and show types look like entirely different breeds. Do Rotties have a breed split in terms of physical difference between working and show types? I don't know...

that could be right, I think how we respond to these threads depends on the dogs we own and what we do with them,

I will go and google show rotties and working rotties and see what I come up with,

personaly for me the biggest problem we have in the breed just now is BYB, those dogs can be spotted a mile off,

most breed/working ones are very much the same,

but in many breeds there is a vast diff, such as collies,

I understand the view point in the breed, such as moobli may be hard pushed to find a show collie that would be great with sheep,