What great info, Draggar! I love researching similar things with as many breeds as I can. I feel that a general knowledge of the dog community as a whole goes a long way, as you said, in helping a breeder decide the future of their own breed (especially one so young as the CsV). I think of all the things I've come across, the work vs. show lesson is the biggest. There are the obvious dogs, like GSDs, where you can see the harsh difference between working and show animals. However, even in other breeds where to the untrained eye the difference might not even be visible, the subtle ways judges tend to pick "flashier" dogs colors how breeders aiming just for champion show dogs breed. These subtleties can snowball over time to create dogs like the current American Show GSDs, English Bulldogs, American bred Shar Peis, and countless others.
One of my favorite examples of where the subtle changes may not be noticeable is the with the Siberian Husky. Although there is still a lot of overlap, it's very clear that there is a "type" that is popular among the most popular show dogs. These dogs are slightly shorter in leg, probably due to huskies being small for sled dogs. While huskies
are smaller than other dogs meant for the same job, this shortening of the legs, while only a slight aesthetic difference, makes a huge difference when it comes to the dog's endurance for long distance hauling, which is the specific job huskies were bred to do. It's only a minor physical difference, but a huge factor in working ability.
I think these examples are why it is so vital to make it a priority to work CsVs in some fashion. I feel that at the very least, the dog's endurance for physical work and the elements should be tested, even if it's just in the breeder's own personal experience (although, of course, titles would be preferable). I would even go as far as to say that when a national breed club is formed, something to that effect should be included in the club's ethics of breeding, that the dog be tested in some way, other than showing alone, prior to breeding. I know it wouldn't necessarily stop the problem from occurring down the line, but I think it would help to put that big of an emphasis on it, that in order to be a member of the club you MUST test your dogs physically.
Of course, like I always stipulate when I talk about this stuff, I'm not yet a dog breeder or CsV owner, I've just put a lot of thought and research in the subject to help me out in the future.
