BETWEEN THE LINES
Stock Men , Type Drift and More
BO BENGTSON
Three subjects that I believe are strongly linked to many of the problems our sport is facing currently are not commonly discussed among dog people . Perhaps the following will generate some healthy discussion …
Stock Men and Women
In the old days , people who were attracted to the dog sport were mostly of the kind that could be referred to as “ stock men ” — and women . Stock men are involved in livestock in general , with a deep knowledge of not just one kind of domestic animal but able to discuss dogs and horses , cattle and pigeons , sheep and goats , pigs and poultry with equal expertise . They are in general hard-bitten , unsentimental types who are able to make a reliable statement about the obvious quality of almost any animal at the drop of a hat . “ That ’ s a mighty fine piece of horse flesh ,” would be a typical comment , even if the speaker may not be familiar with the details of that particular breed of horse . They feel more at home on a farm than in the city , and they are pretty much a dying species at dog shows .
I ’ d like to believe I am a little bit of a stockman myself , with an interest in and some scant knowledge of most of the domestic species . I go to agricultural shows whenever I can ; I know a little about horses and cattle . But I ’ m always fighting a losing battle when it comes to anthropomorphizing my dogs , something a true stockman never does . He or she loves his dogs but knows that they are animals first and foremost , not a replacement for children or something you imbue with human characteristics .
My partner , Paul Lepiane , is very much a stockman . He can speak knowledgeably about horses , cattle and poultry , has with considerable success bred Saddlebred horses , Suffolk sheep and Modena pigeons , and shows my Whippets with aplomb and professionalism . There are a few — but not many — dog breeders who are similarly talented , and I never tire of listening to them debate horses , cattle or dogs . I do believe it adds tremendously to their experience of dogs that they know so much about other domestic animals as well . They usually make wonderful all-rounder judges but ironically are often not interested in becoming regularly approved AKC judges .
The majority of dog fanciers [ are ] shamelessly sentimental about our darling dogs .
The majority of dog fanciers probably find ourselves at the other extreme , shamelessly sentimental about our darling dogs and often completely unfamiliar even with the fact that the dog sport is just one of several “ country pursuits ” that involve other domestic animals . You may have been to a horse show or a cat show sometime , but have you ever been to an agricultural show where cattle are judged for conformation ( usually with verbal critiques )? A goat or a sheep show ? A poultry show , a cage bird show or a pigeon show with several thousand entries ? No , I didn ’ t think so . Yet there are wellorganized show circuits for pretty much every kind of domestic animal that can give an open-minded dog person a lot to think about . In fact , we can often learn something from “ the other ” stock men .
Progress or Preservation ?
Next , “ type drift .” That ’ s what happens when an influential breeder or a group of breeders focus so much on one or a few characteristics of a breed that the result after a number of generations is that breed doesn ’ t look quite like it used to . “ That ’ s progress ,” say some , but I ’ m not so sure because the whole point of breeding purebred dogs , it is often claimed , is to “ preserve ” a breed for the future . Perhaps a certain amount of type drift is unavoidable . We all have subjective preferences in our own beloved breeds , sometimes in opposition of what the breed standard specifies , and if we ’ re clever , we will develop our own “ type ” of the breed to which we devote ourselves . But if it ’ s too much , it ’ s not good .
When the type drift goes far enough in one part of the world , it can in fact result in the creation of a new breed . You could say that our American Cocker Spaniels , which were originally the same breed as the English Cocker Spaniel , are the result of an early type drift : The breeds were split in 1946 . The English ( really not-so-English ) Springer Spaniel in the US is often mentioned as another example . Most American fanciers would not be impressed by the British top winners of that breed , and the British in turn usually consider our Springers a parody of what the breed was meant to look like . Most recently it ’ s the Shetland Sheepdog that has attracted attention , with a number of Scandinavian breeders requesting that the American Sheltie be classified as a separate breed from the original British version , which is considerably small-
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