Great exchange. Kudos to the board itself. On the other boards by now someone's Mom would be wearing combat boots. or would be so fat....

I can see both sides. Both have valid points. I do not have the breeder background but I can see why placing a well bred game bum for future use elsewhere is a far better option than culling. At the same time I can see where if one's litters were of high percentages of match dogs, a couple of game yet talentless bums, and an occasional cur the couple of game but talentless bums would add up in time taking many chain spaces. It can cut both ways.

The guy with the smaller yard would have to find a few trustworthy people to farm out those dogs to save his chain spots for the match dogs. Another variable that would not be all that comfortable to some. I have met people who pretty much decided if it did not make it here it would not be allowed to make it elsewhere. This is a 'limiting' way of thinking but I think it is acceptable for smaller, competitive yards.

I too am not a fan of names. This was discussed in another thread as well. I understand it can provide validity, credibility and even the chance to offer insight or a difference of opinion by some one who knows them as well. I just choose not to do it. I use 'the guy' as an identifier by choice. For me if a person wants to put his business out there then he/she should be the one doing it. Once they do that his/her name and record can be discussed in an open forum. I use Jack as an example lots of times when making a point. Those examples are what he has put out himself so I do not feel I am infringing upon his privacy. At the same time I can see both sides.

I think the hardest thing to dog is to split the 'dogs' into groups and then expect people to stay within their own set. The breeders over here, the matchers over there, the conditioners and handlers over there and the peddlers over here. As long as people were identified and did not stray the dogs would be much simpler. When the same guy can belong to multiple sets and moves back and forth amongst them those lines get blurry. Then there are differences of opinion. Those differences are what makes the dogs great. At the end of the day there are multiple right ways as well as multiple wrong ways. If not it would be a cookie-cutter dog world. Boring to say the least.

Again, great exchanges. EWO