Personally I've always thought the "arguments" about show vs working are a bit ridiculous. As a dog owner, enthusiast, and lover, I think that the split is *gasp* not necessarily a bad thing. We live in a very different world than we did when most of these breeds were "created". Times have changed. We no longer "need" these dogs for the jobs they were once created to do. Approximately 1-2% of the entire dog population is actually used in the real position in which they were created. There are a lot of breeds today for whom their use is outdated and totally unnecessary. That leaves us with a heck of a lot of dogs for which we have only a few options:
1) Work hard to retain the traditional characteristics of the breed and work these dogs in fake situations in which their uses can be shown (herding trials, schutzhund, hunting trials, earthdog - all stylized and in many cases totally unlike real-life events of the same nature)
2) Let the breeds go extinct since their "use" is no longer there.
3) Modify the breeds in some way so that they adapt to modern society in which their "use" is that of a valued family member and modern uses (service dogs, new types of police dogs, therapy dogs, canine actors....etc)
I think there is value in having a "split" between real (or traillized) working dogs and dogs of the same breed whose use is not warranted but for those who love the breed and do not wish it to go extinct, breed for a dog that fits today's society. Rather than to have a split that has to be fought about tooth and nail, it is valuable because it actually broadens the ways in which dogs can fit into life with the right families. Because in reality, each dog in those venues has a very important role. The role of valued family member is every bit as important as the role of a working dog, if not more so because the number of actual working dogs (or even trialled dogs) is much, much smaller than the number of family pets. Even amongst a litter of working dogs, often as much as 50% (or more) do not make the cut for working...whether it be because of size, behaviour and personality, sex, etc - and those dogs end up as.....wait for it....valued family pets!!
I think that in order to allow dogs to thrive in the future, and in order for everybody to get what they need in a dog, we need to keep these different fields available so that people will be able to find a dog to fit their own needs.
That opens up a whole 'nother can of worms though. I truly do feel there is far too much discrimination about breeders who breed "for pets". Now, don't get me wrong, I am all about responsible breeding, but considering that the far majority of dogs today are pets, I for one can't begin to put down those people who are striving to produce dogs that will fit into today's world. I have seen some very, very responsible breeders who don`t get titles in any field, but they health test, they are very selective in which dogs get bred, and they follow their lines and offspring and know their lines like the best of them. From a show perspective, a dog show really doesn`t in any way show how well a breed "matches to standard" behaviourally or in personality, nor does it prove any sort of breed health. So there's no real benefit to a show dog that way. On the same note, many people can't handle the types of dogs that are bred today for the common "working dog"....so they are left with the in between - the breed who knows their dogs inside and out, who cares as much for their dogs as any other, who does all the requisite health testing and selective breeding, and who uses care in where they place their pups. For many people, as much as it's not popular, that is the best option. I know a few of these types of breeders, and to be honest they put much more work into their own dogs than most show breeders that I do know, and for the most part they also tend to be the most open and honest about the breed's true pro's and con's, and the health of their dogs and the breed. And I would be the first to say I'd sooner get a puppy from one of these breeders before going to some of the "working" or "show" breeders.
I think rather than breeding one "right" way, as in show or working, it's far more important for me to consider the following in a breeder:
1) Breeding for a purpose. This could be for faster flyball dogs, conformation dogs, working dogs, herding dogs, pet dogs, service dogs, etc. No matter what your purpose, make sure you have a specific purpose that you are breeding for. To me, even breeding for "family pets" is a discrete purpose, if it follows other criteria.
2) All requisite health testing for the breed. Not breeding known affected animals, known carrier to carrier, or dogs with known health issues. Using due care when considering which dogs to be bred.
3) Similarly, breeding for behavioural health. Not breeding behaviourally unstable dogs.
4) Breeding ethics. A good breeder will take its puppies back, no questions asked, or at the very least help that family find a new home for the dog. A good breeder keeps detailed records of their own dogs, the dogs in their pedigrees, and those dogs they produce. Good breeders keep in touch with their puppy buyers and stay up to date with how each dog they produce is doing.
5) A breeder's dogs should be relatively uniform. In other words, breeding dogs that strive to reach that "goal" they are breeding for. If all of their dogs are totally different in build, appearance, personality, and drives, then you have to question what their real purpose is.
These are the types of things that are important when talking about breeding dogs. Breeding known un-natural breeds aside, this "split" will never end, and I do not think it should end. Having different dogs with different jobs will allow the breeds to live on into the future, as well as to adapt to the changing world that these dogs live in. I feel it's actually a good thing that people can choose where to get their dogs, because I know myself, if I was going to get a dog where I would go would depend entirely on what I was getting a dog for.
For instance:
- If I were just looking for a "pet" dog...one that was never trialled or competed in any venue, or bred or shown, just a valued family member - I would likely look towards either a breeder who bred "for pets" specifically, or to a show breeder that puts emphasis on behaviour and dogs raised in the home (not a kennel or outbuilding) and focused on home living.
- If I were looking for a conformation dog, I would go to dog shows, see what types of dogs I like, and seek out those breeders who breed to the type that I want in a dog.
- If I were looking for a sporting dog (agility, schutzhund, flyball, hunting trials etc), I would seek out breeders who breed dogs for sporting events, who have dogs who have been proven in sporting events (there are breeders who breed for "just" agility dogs, or "just" flyball....and to be honest they are no less valuable than other types if their dogs are bred responsibly). I may also consider a working dog home for a dog to use in sporting competition.
- If I wanted a true working dog - a dog that performs its actual original job, I would look into breeders who work their dogs in those jobs in real time. In other words, they don't just "trial" in hunting trials, but they actually take their dogs out on real hunts. Or breeders who actually have flock-guarding dogs, or breeders who actually work their own flocks of sheep with herding dogs.
I for one am very happy that there are different "types" of a breed. Some will vehemently disagree, and that's okay. And some will say "a dog should do it all", and if it can do it all - all the better. Those will say a good breeder will breed for a dog that can work but also has a good off switch .And I would say I agree. But the fact that we have options in where we get dogs, with breeders who breed for different purposes, it gives people a much better chance of getting a dog that will stay in its home forever, rather than having dogs returned or euthanized because of a bad choice made on behalf of the owner (and the breeder).
In the end, it comes down to not showing, or working, or pets, but breeding towards a goal, and sticking to that goal and breeding the best dogs that you can - behaviourally, medically, and structurally.