Sitting here playing on the computer and watching the dog show. It's a shame what some of the breeders have done to these breeds. There is a Wiemeraner and a Beagle in the hunt for Best of Show. Also included is the minature and standard Poodle. I wonder if either has ever retrieved a duck? LOL The people running the dogs around the ring are really funny. I can just imagine myself running my Lab around the ring with me in waders and my dog wearing his vest. LOL The poor beagle has some sort of feathering? on the back of his tail. And the winner is...........the 15" Beagle. Yeah for the hound group!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I watched the show also. I'd like to see a beagle running rabbits across a field with its tail that straight and that high in the air. There may be some that do, but it looked a little funny to me. Glad he won though.

I'm glad Uno the 15" beagle won and when he won he kept howlin just like a beagle, including, mine does.

The people running around the ring are "light" on their feet, aren't they? Rent the movie Best in Show. Captures the whole scene.

It's disappointing to see what the show people have done to some of the hunting breads. Irish Setters, Weimerainers, Golden Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels etc. They don't look like the same dogs any more. I had a cocker as kid, a great dog. Now they have big clumber heads and bugged out eyes that secrete fluid all the time, an impractical long coat and pee every they get excited and are dumber than a box of rocks. I still see some good cockers every now and then at test or trials but not what people are selling.

The hunting and working breeds were developed over time with a purpose to be productive and useful to man. A companion with a purpose.

Today most breed for just the looks as apposed to function and disposition. There is way to much inbreeding going on today for short term gains and profit in both show and trial.
I've got a setter, Field trial stud book registered. He can really do it, a ball of fire, except........... he's hypoglycemic. So to be able to hunt him any length you have to starch him up and carry stuff with you to keep him from having seizures. This dog would kill himself in order to hunt. That is all he want to do. However vet's have said the inbreeding in what's cause his hypoglycemia.

The Amish are big into the Puppy mills. Cranking out product for the pet stores

Doug - don't know if you saw the recent NOVA episode on dogs, but they had a fairly extensive segment on how various kennel club rules have altered breeds since the turn of century, and the effect breeding for coat color and so forth has had on diminishing other genetic aspects of several breeds...

It's getting to the point that I think mixed breed heinz 57 dogs make better hunting dogs than some of the so-called "pure" breeds...

I've seen parts of it. Good breading can eliminate genetic defects like hip dysplacia, entropia, extropia and other problems. Your right about things like too much emphasis on looks etc.

It's the same for captive deer. When your only breeding for antlers your not getting the same whitetail that has survived the test of nature.
A big rack that is captive reared does not mean that deer has any brains or could survive on his own. He is an inferior animal to that of a wild deer.

I don't know how that beagle can get through the brush. He looks obese compared to my huntin dogs.