Original jobs for working dogs

Now that so many breeds' original functions are extinct, is it feasible and acceptable for breeders to breed a "diluted" version of a breed to fit in to a pet lifestyle?

Discuss

Most breeders do don't they?

Pet and companion dogs are what 99% of people want..

I think people who breed their pets may do and perhaps BYB or puppy farmers, but most reputable breeders in the working and show sphere breed to the standard (bar the ISDS) which, for working breeds, in theory, requires the dog to retain inherent working instincts, does it not?

I wonder how many working or sport homes there are ...
Not enough for all the pups bred with those tasks in mind i bet ...
Your Zak was bred for???

I would guess not as many as the pet /companion home.

Most working breeds are still bred to standard, the Northen breeds, Dobes, Rottis Boxers , GS, and so on are bred to standard, as when they were created.

Most go to pet homes, don`t they ?

Personally, I dont have a problem with it. If the original role of the breed is totally defunct, and for many breeds their original role required traits which wouldnt fit into modern society (i'm thinking fighting dogs, baiting dogs etc) then by all means, dilute the breed.

If the original role of a breed is still required, but the market has diminished, then I dont mind diluted lines existing, as long as working lines can still be found should you need that kind of drive.

So many people have pet gundogs and sheepdogs and havent a clue how to deal with their instincts or behaviours, so the dog ends up in an unsuitable home or passed from pillar to post. I'd rather there be diluted versions available to pet homes, than a working dog ending up in the wrong hands.

Is it acceptabale? Yes I suppose so, isnt that how we have always bred dogs up until the past 100 years or so - for the function we wanted them for
So if they are wanted as a pet dog then breed them as a pet dog I guess
But then again is it still the same breed? or are we making a new breed. Personnally for me a border collie with the temrament of a lab just wouldnt be a border collie to me

Also if you have got into the breed so much that you wish to breed them then wouldnt you love their tempraments as well? and shouldnt a good breeder be wanting to find suitable homes for their puppies? Educate potential owners what the dogs are really like
Sure not all breeds are for all people - but some of us love the intensity of the working version and would find it really really sad if they became diluted

I think so - so long as the animal doesn't suffer and reasonable effort has been made to make sure the dog can live in a pet/home environment and in this age as harmoniously as possible.

(So certain tendencies may need to be bred out - such as aggressiveness in some of the old baiting/fighting breeds.)

In the future I want a collie. A sporty colllie. One who loves and is good at sports (agility is what I likebut also like the look of WT too if I could find somewhere to have a proper look) but who has an off switch and can relax too. I would like to do maybe 2-3 hours training a day.

Maybe Im off the mark but when I think of a working dog I think of one who works most hours a day,more than I could ever offer a collie I want to do sport with.

I still have lots to learn about collies though so please dont jump on me Im just giving my very "new" opinion.

Very difficult one and if it was a black and white world, the answer would be no! We've got the breeds we've got and they were there to do a job so why should they be diluted. It is totally wrong that a person would pick, say, a spaniel and not want the hunting instinct. That is what a spaniel is all about, and for those who work one, there is nothing better than watching one.

However, we don't, and I agree with Leanne, because we don't live in a perfect world.

The setter is a breed where the working lines hasn't really got into the "pet" market at all, and long may it continue!

Helen