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Proud To Be Purebred

Breed Standards, the Breeder’s Blueprint

By Bud Boccone
About, 2,400 years before the founding of the AKC, Plato invented the
dog show. Well, not really, but kind of. The great philosopher theorized
that all things around us in the natural world—the chair I’m sitting
in, the keyboard I’m typing on—are but imperfect versions of the
ideal representations of these objects that dwell in a higher realm of
consciousness. These are generally known as “Platonic forms,” and it
was the master’s opinion that only by contemplating these models of
perfection could genuine knowledge be gained.

In a way, Plato was describing breed standards. Knowledge of any
purebred dog, ring champion or pet, begins with its standard, a writ-
ten description of the ideal specimen of a breed. Standards describe
perfect type, structure, gait, and temperament. Rarely does a dog
measure up to every specification of its breed standard. Indeed, the
standard is a conceptualization—much like the Platonic forms—that
guides the imaginations of those seriously interested in the breeding,
exhibition, and performance of purebred dogs.

The official standard for each breed, and any revision thereof, origi-
nates with an AKC parent club, the national organization devoted
to a particular breed. Parent-club members vote on the standard or More important than the sheer number of words in a standard is the
revision, then the club submits it to the AKC Board of Directors for choice of words used. “The use of qualifying words—which occurs in
approval. Once approved, a standard becomes both the breeder’s almost all standards—leaves a wide latitude and is one of the reasons
“blueprint” and the instrument used by dog-show judges to evalu- for the many differences of opinion as to what is ideal in any breed,”
ate the breeder’s work. “It’s not how cute a dog is that determines its all-breed judge Dorothy Macdonald says. “Remember, if there were
quality—it’s how closely he conforms to his breed standard,” German complete unanimity we would not need judges—the computer could
Pinscher breeder Dr. Laura Van Horn says. “Frequently, there is incon- mail home the ribbons.”
sistency in the amount of detail used to describe a particular charac-
teristic or in the wording used for particular characteristics. As a result, Some standards include a numeric
standards can be interpreted subjectively and judging decisions may point scale, attaching the most
be influenced by an individual judge’s preferences.” points to what fanciers consider
vital to a breed’s essence. The Dal-
matian standard, for instance, as-
Standard Deviations signs 25 out of 100 points to “color
and markings,” and the distinctive
A parent club may use as many or as few words as deemed necessary ridge that gives the Rhodesian
to express the ideal dog. The Pyrenean Shepherd standard, at 1,943 Ridgeback its name is worth a full
words, is a “Moby-Dick” of breed standards; in contrast, the 226-word 20 points.
Greyhound standard is a veritable haiku, leaving lots of room for
interpretation. Many, but not all, standards
provide a list of imperfections
The number of words a standard devotes to each aspect of a breed is so serious as to automatically
a reliable hint of what is considered essential to breed type. It’s no sur- disqualify a dog in the ring. Such
prise, then, that more than a third of the Neapolitan Mastiff standard is disqualifications (“DQs,” as fanciers
taken up by a discussion of the breed’s massive head, described in the say) are yet another good way
standard as “astounding.” to determine what is considered
crucial to breed type. The Great Dane standard disqualifies specimens
“under minimum height”—what’s a Dane after all, if not big? But all
breed standards, no matter the idiosyncrasies that make them unique,
are word pictures depicting the perfect dog. And, Bullmastiff breeder-
judge Helene Nietsch says, how a breeder or judge interprets those
words is crucial: “It takes both the left and right sides of the brain to
put everything together. The right side is the creative side, the artistic
side that sees the beauty, the symmetry, and the nuances of the breed.
The left side interprets the standard in a more intellectual, logical way.”
The breeding of dogs is both an art and a science. Serious fanciers
must think with both sides of the brain to produce dogs of beauty and
functionality. A well-written breed standard makes it possible.

Reprinted with Permission 2018
akc.org
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