Interesting point

Taken from another site...


A sheep dog must be able to gather in the sheep and in the show ring look as if it can do the job.
A Greyhound must be able to run fast and in the show ring look as if it can run fast.
Different breeds were bred to do do various functions that man required of them.

A Stafford was bred for fighting and though most people abhore that sadistic activity the show Stafford should look as if it is capable of performing that function.

The Kennel Club have recently been using a new slogan, 'Healthy and fit for function'. They are in charge of the shows and own the breed standards. The Stafford should be in a healthy condition and look fit for function.

Est-on réellement passionné par le staffie lorsqu'on oublie sa fonction première et du même coup, de le garder dans les conditions physiques et psychologiques qui lui permettraient de rester dans le standard de la race ... ?

Dilution du caractère, dilution de ses caractéristiques physiques ... Juste pour être politiquement correct ... Provoqueront/provoquent instabilité, ainsi que des staffies ayant des problèmes de santé qui n'existaient pas initialement ...

....

In our present society there are 4 catagories of dog, 'Pet, Show, Sporting, Working' Each has a specific target, but, the route to, 'The Bullseye' varies greatly between two of the types, 'Sporting, Working'. The pet/shows route is dependant merely on human spectulation/opinion, therefore is of no value in the points about to be raised in this debate.

Robynne, 'Altisette' trains Racing Greyhounds, 'Track' which I refer to as sporting as opposed to the coursing Greyhound, 'The Waterloo Cup, sadly no longer' which although sporting can also be veiwed as working, the reason for which will become apparent shortly. In the canine sporting arena the agenda is set by the human, eg, 'Distance to be raced over' In the working field there is no set agenda and that which is asked of the dog can/does vary greatly from one course to the next.

The sporting dog, 'Track racing' can be trained, 'Secifically' to run a prescribed distance. The coursing dog can be trained to, 'Peak fitness' like the track dog, BUT, must deal with each course as it unfolds. Such a scenario often presents a set of circumstances whereby the dog/bitch will massively over exert itself and require to be laid up for a period in which to recover

In either arena, 'The Great Ones' are given such accolades because they ARE great, 'Very few reach this level' We ALL would like to have one of these, 'Greats' Life unfortuneatly is not like that. We can CERTAINLY assist a dog/bitch in being all that it can, BUT, no one can make it more than it is.

The track dog has a straight line of propullsion toward, 'The Bullseye/Prize'. The Coursing dog can be all around the target a few times before aquiring, 'The Prize' if it does.

Like the coursing hound, the working terrier, combat dog of old, had such variants in achieving, 'The Prize' although partially aided by the human, there were no hard and fast rules and had to deal with the cards each individual encounter dealt them. With little to no human intervention. Their fitness/mindset carried the day or not without a set distance/period set down by man.

The above is part of the reason why even dogs/bitches of the same breed require slightly differing trainng regimes, other breeds require regimes which differ greatly.

By housedog/Jim

'Healthy and fit for function'

Et l'on devrait dire aussi heureux ... With a big smile

Beautiful reds from the Arnhem kennels

In my opinion `fit for function` means the dog being bred & thereafter kept in a manner that is conducive to health and vitality & to enjoy longevity of life by being able to partake in excercise to its contentment without undue strain.
If one wants a dog of superior virtue ( & moreso psyche) to the aforementioned then great , but not all dogs of our breed in the past (or present) were/are genetic superiors or of the psyche that could engage succesfully in our breeds original function ( even those of so-called athletic type) without being classed as no good or found wanting in their effort. Are these dogs `non -functional`? ... I think not !
Any canines ( & any living creatures) true original `function`is to survive and procreate. & By breeding only to/from healthy `Staffordshire bull terriers` that have/can enjoy all of the aforementioned ( & by health testing our breeding stock) we can ensure that our breed is on the right track for future generations.

Pepsi BBOL

Christine a écrit:

Certains de ces chiens me paraissent avoir un stop très marqué pour être fit for function, non ? Enfin j'y connais pas grand chose j'essaie juste d'apprendre.

Je suis mort de rire :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Moi aussi

j'ai pas toutpigé aux textes, mais les pics sont reussis!

J’approuve complètement l’opinion de Christine et Brian.
La dure selection du combat sur des générations à été bénéfique pour la race sur plusieurs points :
- santé
- caractère
- ténacité
- équilibre mental
- force
- volonté etc….
Tout ce travail sanglant, tout ces sacrifices et un seul objectif l’efficacité.
Je n’aurais jamais eu le courage de participer à ce genre de sélection mais :
Dommage de ne pas profiter de cet extraordinaire HERITAGE.
J’espère trouver chez le Stofford, un chien qui n’a pas de problèmes de santé, apte à une éducation poussée, et surtout, quelque soit les conditions, qui n’abandone pas son boulot.
Alors peu importe la couleur, le stop, peu ou très marqué, les expos et tout le reste.
Moi je veux un chien qui me fasse plaisir et avoir avec lui une vraie complicité.Il est évident que j’aime également les beaux chiens.
Oui je sais je suis exigeant, mais à mon age on ne se refait pas.

Amen