The show dog vs the working dog.

Don’t know if I’m posting this in the correct part of the board, but I’m Just trying to pick some brains. I know there are a lot of kennels out there who strictly show dogs in the conformation ring, and I respect that… for the most part. Obviously I am biased, probably because I’ve brought working dogs to shows, mopped up when my dogs were OTC, then asked never to bring them back because they looked like they ran into a barbed wire fence on more than one occasion.

From then on, I've felt that the show people looked down on working kennels, but I’d really like to know why? In the show ring, your dog will lose if it doesn’t show some sort of prey drive, but put a scar on that dog and you lose points. Heck, they have people out there with colored chalk making up their dogs. If it were not for working dogs, there would be no show dogs. Personally, I want to see some scars, they add character and let me know acting like a dog has prey drive might just not be a bluff.

I’ve also seen recently where show kennels think their dogs can compete in a working environment with working dogs, when their dog have never done anything but run a mill or work a flirt pole.

I’m really just trying to broaden my horizons, I’m sure had I not been asked never to bring my dogs back to a confirmation show, I would go to them. On the other hand, I’ve never seen the need for makeup either. Is this just a ying to the yang scenario?

All replies are welcome.

YIS