3 different types of breeders? Dogs from 3 different types of lines?

Any truly responsible breeder focuses on the WHOLE dog, not just certain traits or elements. A dog conforming to the breed standard should be able to work or participate in performance events. Working and performance dogs shouldn't be laughed out of the conformation ring.

My own personal viewpoint is that the performance activities are no more than games that can display a dog's trainability (obedience, agility). However, I see herding as a "working" activity. Without structure and at bare minimum some basic adherance to the breed standard (appearance) I think the dog may as well be a mutt even if it can perform or work. (ie - if I can't decide whether the dog is a mini-Berner or a giant-tricolor Aussie it is of lesser quality - and I don't even want to comment on the "Shelties" who are really Sheltie/Pap mixes). I also don't give a hoot how stunning a dog is in its adherence to the standard (show) if it cannot do the work intended. I want dogs who can do it all. While I can respect an examplary working dog or a dog who excels at performance events I always think to myself "jeepers, too bad that dog can't do it all". And as Jennifer T commented... the dog shouldn't be of such poor quality that it would get laughed out of the show ring. I don't have issues with people breeding whatever the heck they want. I prefer they do so responsibly. and I will admit - I feel a DEEP personal disgust for people who purposefully mix breeds to run in performance events *IF* they register them as a purebred (whether ILP, PAL or full AKC registration) just so they can compete in AKC events.

Every dog should be able to do the job it was originally bred for IMO whether it comes from show, working or performance lines. Sadly some show breed dogs (GSDs in particular) have been ruined in most show lines. Here is a link showing GSDs from the past to now. You can really see the decline of the back in the show lines; http://www.royalair.org/pasttopresent.htm I have no problem with breeding a dog to show as long as you're not destroying the breed. I see nothing wrong with performance lines but surely a working line or even a good showline dog could do the same thing? I can't really see toy breeds doing agility or flyball well not very well at least lol :P

I think dogs from show lines (especially if we're talking BCs) are less an example of the breed than dogs from either herding or performance lines. Most of the dogs I know from performance lines also have herding dog backgrounds. For instance, my pup's mother is a herding dog, her father is an agility dog (who does some occasional herding). Herding dogs are also broken up into trialling dogs, and working dogs- a great trial dog may or may not be able to do farm work, and vice versa. One advantage that I think the performance people (especially agility) bring is that in order to be succesful, dogs must be both physically and mentally healthy, and are more concerned with hips etc than herding dog breeders. And many do herding to some level with their dogs, as well as incorporating herding dogs into their breeding program, to make sure that herding isn't lost. I'm not a fan of AKC and conformation, so even for toy breeds, I'd say breeding for performance is probably a better option than breeding strictly for conformation. Since performance dogs need to be healthy both physically and mentally, breeding for that seems a far better option than breeding for an artificial conformation standard.

I have three shelties. Two are from show lines and one comes from herding lines. They are almost like different breeds. From looks, size, build, coat to temperament and personality. It seems to me they should conform to the same standard.

I believe a good breeder should look at the dog as a whole and not just one trait. A dog could be perfect in the show ring, but have a off temperament. A dog could be good at performance sports, but not even look like the breed its suppose to be. A dog could have a good temperament, but not have the correct drive the breed is suppose to have. The list goes on and on. This meaning a good breeder will breed for conformation, temperament, drive/work ability, and health. Even if a dog is titled in work, and not in conformation the dog should still fit the conformation description quite a bit or there is no good reason to breed. Here is an example of a all around good breeder in my breed. I believe everything in the breed is important and if you are not willing to preserve everything then you really should not breed breeding. http://www.caragankennel.com/

I do not believe in a breed being bred strictly for anything. This downplays the fact that many of the breeds we show have a purpose (although we are starting to say that many of the breeds show HAD a purpose). I am a huge proponent of the versatility of breeds. Some breeds simply were not bred to work (like in the field, or herd, track, etc). I'm not saying that I support just conformation shows with these breeds, but it wouldn't really be called "destroying the breed" by sticking to just one venue if the breed was never created to have a purpose beyond aesthetic value. My breed was in fact breed to be the "gentleman's hunting dog". Sadly, there are pretty severe divisions across our breed. I would love a more uniform breed, but we have to realize that dog showing is a sport. As with all sports, it just gets more competitive over time. Having a dog that is a great balance of working/showing/companion events is great and deserving of praise (both for the breeder who planned the versatile litter and for the owner who made efforts to show the dog in multiple venues), but many feel that it is simply unrealistic especially if they want to do well. The angulation of show dogs, along with body substance and proportions simply do not make runs under 30 seconds. The same goes for show dogs in the field. They cannot go all day without tiring (for the most part). You can look at the situation from the other side. I would love to see more specials with higher obedience titles. However, in order to be a competitive special, the owner must (most times) hire a handler, keep their dog in exceptional show condition, and be prepared to have the dog shown about anywhere in the country on a given weekend. This leaves little additional time for obedience/companion training. A good way to access the severity of the divisions in your breed is to attend your National Specialty. I recently attended (and showed) at our National and was surprised to find that the situation was not nearly as bad as I thought. Never before had I seen so many CH's in upper and competitive levels of obedience. I was happy to see many show dogs being fluffed up after coming out of the agility rings. One of the coolest things was to see past top ranked specials now showing in the obedience, rally, agility, track, and field areas. We can stand back and contemplate or complain, but the situation in our individual breeds will only change if we make the effort to make the difference we want to see.

I think people who bring their dogs to conformation shows are the WORST people in the world. Closely followed by people who think dogs must work and then by people who take agility and fly ball as serious competition and not just a way to play with their dog. Really, they are just pets get over it. Sure, border collies can herd well...but they can hang out on a construction site while you work just as well. Great, German Shepherds can make good police dogs, they make excellent companions too. Dogs don't have to work or be bred to work or for looks or anything.... real dog people don't care and just love dogs

For a well rounded dog, all should be considered. There were several good answers, explaining "balance". I am an agility person, have been competing for nearly 15 years. I do have one concern about breeding only for agility, and that is that often the more competitive dogs can tend to be borderline maniacal. I do realize training has lot to do with it, but concentrating on only drive and speed can be a dangerous thing. I have also come across some "Schutzhund" people that are breeding for competition only...and the dogs are frightening. And I am sure any other "sport" can be the same, "Whole dog". And....GSD owner: Paps are not my cup of tea, but they are a VERY good, very athletic agility dog! I see more competitve, sound Paps than GSDs in agility. They rather rule their jump height class, except for some of the very, very small Shelties that are too often showing up. (Which here is another reason why breeding only for agility is not a good idea) My BC is from only herding only lines. I wanted a BC, with BC traits, and chose one "from whence they came". She is great in agility. If I get another BC, I will only go for herding lines again. Not conformation. Not "agility".