Breeding Exaggerations into breeds

I'm sorry if this upsets or offends anyone but I feel so sorry for those dogs that have had exaggerations bred into them.

Take the Neo Mastiff, it's "furnishings" are excessive, what the hell has happened to them? It can not seem normal or right to have a dog that looks like that. The Shar Pei, they have excessive wrinkling, and pups even have to have their eyes tacked. how is it right that a young pup needs surgery to correct something that has been purposefully bred into them to prevent discomfort in the pup? The Bulldog, most can't give birth naturally or even mate naturally. These are the most natural things in the world, and the bulldog can't even do that. how is it our right to make them this exaggerated that they can't do these most natural of things? Most can't walk or run properly and even if they can, they can only do short distances before they are exhausted.

There are many other breeds that are excessive IMO, but these 3 breeds need help IMHO. We should not be breeding such awful exaggerations into breeds, its not fair on the dogs who have to suffer with this day in and day out.

 

Over exaggeration is what has ruined lots of breeds. A tiny head, a huge head, over wrinkled, etc etc etc - its disgusting that we do this to these poor animals purely because thats what someone likes the look of! What happened to putting a dog's health first??

 

I think the problem has been caused by the wording of the breed standards, and the 'more is better' view of some breeders. So, if the breed standard says the dog should have a large head, it's taken as the larger the better, so the largest headed dogs are bred together, have large headed puppies and so we go on until the poor dogs are distorted from their natural shape, unable to give birth properly, front-end heavy and with all the physical problems that go along with a badly proportioned shape.
The same thing happens with 'good spring of rib' in the standard, it's encouraging to people to breed more barrel-shaped dogs.

If the breed standards were specific about the proportions aimed for (e.g. dog's width across the ribs to be one third of its height at the withers) it would prevent the exaggerations that have taken place from continuing. It could even reverse them and gradually take the dogs back to the shape they were in 100 years ago.

 

I think its horrible that most breeds now look nothing like what they used to and the showing world has a lot to do with it. I think it also has a lot to do with demand from joe public wanting the next fashion accessary. Take the Chi for example. I have never seen dogs so tiny. A lot of breeders will aim for that one time microscopic Chi. I see ads for them all the time.

Its so sad that we as a so called superior being can change things so dramatically without a thought for the animals involved. Im sorry to say that I think most of the health problems breeds have today is due to man kind trying to play god and create the next 'new look'

 

completely agree. it's very sad.

 

As it affects the animals health both long and short term it should be outlawed completely and considered as animal cruelty.
But then again, image is everything these days it would seem! :confused1:

 

yep it doesnt matter that a dog cant breathe properly or that its legs are so short its body toughes the floor

its just so so sad. I can honestly say that there are many breeds I would love to own but wont until if ever they are healthier. I have GSD's but ones that are from health tested parents throughout the generations and neither have silly exaggerations and both of which are in perfect health

 

I agree with everything said... lots of breeds have been spoilt because of exaggerations into breeds. Its cruel and not fair on the dogs x

 

I dont have more to add, agree with the opinions above

 

some exaggerations have been a mainstay of certain breeds for a long time before the showring started, take the pekingese for example

however i do prefer a dog fit for purpose who can actually walk more then 10 minutes with me

 

Yep! I agree! As soon as a dog needs vet intervention to do something as natural as give birth or be able to use his eyes properly I am afraid nature has been interfered with way too much!

 

Hopefully the trend is starting to move away from extremes and back to being fit for purpose a bit more. I dont know why anyone would want a 'teacup' Chi though. Not when the breed standard is 4-6Ibs anyway and having a 4.5Ib and a 6Ib myself I know just how tiny 4Ib is. The care needed for extra small dogs is far more then most people can cope with.
Personally Id love a Bassett Hound one day, but not with the insane amount of wrinkles that are bred into them at the mo.

 

ive had neos for about 20 yrs now,hate the over exagerated ones,heres my boy,just right in my opinion,though wouldnt get anywhere in the ring,hes 8 in july,never got one past 8 and out of all the danes n mastiffs ive had hes got to be the healthiest ive had,never ill and still looking good and full of beans
im hoping theres a few more years in him yet

 

Nice, He's a lot more Dogue like in wrinkle. I've seen photos of the older ones and they almost wrinkle free.

Even the most overdone Neo is outdone by the Dosa though:

Red Dragon Kennel - KOREAN MASTIFF DOSA & DOSA KOREAN MASTIFF & MEE-GYEON DOSA BREEDERS KENNELS & Dogue de Bordeaux & Neapolitan Mastiff Puppies Breeder

 

OMG that is animal cruelty IMO its horrible, how can they do that to those poor dogs

It says on their site WATCH DOG. The bloody dogs cant see

 

Like this thread a lot, couldn't agree more :thumbup:

 

i think people breeding those exaggerated animals who do suffer on a daily basis just lost their love for their animals.

To me looking at an dog and feel so sorry for it because the way it looks like, for instance cause it cant walk, its eyes are just about to pop out or cant breathe and struggles to live a comfortable life is so saddening

 

I hate it. There is no purpose to having shar peis/neos with masses of wrinkles or bulldogs with huge heads and bowed legs. The gsds don't need that awful back either. There are a lot more as well. It worried me on one on the tv vet shows where the vet having just tacked a 6 month old shar pei puppy's eyelids for entropion said oh well when you know the history they had to have the wrinkles from when they were fighting dogs. Erm no this how they're meant to look


Partly why I like terriers most are more than capable of working and there are very little differences between them now and how they were when they were working dogs. I loved watching footage of cairns from the 1940's the other day they could have gone into the showring and won now they barely looked any different. It's partly the judge's fault and partly the breeders. The judges choose the more exaggarated dogs and the breeders then breed them to be more exaggarated to win prizes. It's awful

 

that dog is gorgeous. i love the look of it, not overly wrinkly at all.

your neo is gorgeous and how they should look.

 

That's how they look in China when they nearly died out in the 70's in the US they bred in other breeds including the neo and they ended up with the shar peis of today