The Purpose of Breed Standards

There is an Official Breed Standard for every purebred, recognized breed of dog. Although those standard may have some variations depending on the registry, the purpose of the Standard is the same. The Official Breed Standard is a written description of the ideal dog of that breed.


These standards were not written by a single person, or written on a whim. The standards are full of history; dating back to the earliest recordings of the breed. Earliest standards have been changed, of course. Changes to the standard are now made by committee decisions, and then must be approved by the Parent Club, and then channeled through the AKC. No changes are made without a proven need, and most changes are in the form of clarification.


As breeders, we have a responsibility- no- an obligation to breed to the standard of our breed. The points in the standard describe what we call Breed Type. Those things that make our breed different from all of the other breeds- what makes a Cardigan different from a Pembroke- or a Bassett Hound! Breed Type encompasses many things: Silhouette, front, structure, balance, color, coat, head style, tail set & tail carriage, bone, etc. etc.-- and movement. Breeding to the standard means that your dogs are recognizable as Cardigans from a distance as Cardigans; no one is confusing them for corgi-mixes or border-corgi's.


But breeding is not an exact science, and certainly not every puppy born is going to ooze breed type. The reputable breeders work hard to follow the "rules." Breeding soundest, healthiest, best example of the breed (the bitch that is the closest to the standard) usually gets you closer to your goal, than breeding a mediocre bitch with glaring breed type faults. By the same token, breeding dogs with disqualifying faults is not breeding to improve.


Cardigans list 5 Disqualifying faults, 4 of which are what I consider "breeding no-no's" (and this is just my opinion):

Blue eyes, or partially blue eyes, in any coat color other than blue merle.
Nose other than solid black except in blue merles.
Any color other than specified.
Body color predominantly white.

Why are they no-no's? Because they are going to always be there in the pedigree- and they will come back to bite me-- or some other breeder down the line-- and they are disqualifications according to our current AKC Standard! Breeding decisions are very personal, and are completely tied in to a persons ethics. This is just where I have drawn the line for myself.


Official Breed Standards are very important for the history and the future of our breeds, and our sport. We expect Judges to make their choices in the ring according to the Standard. We educate those judges using the Standard, and we select dogs as examples of the breed, to educate those judges, using the Standard as a guide. Does it not make sense, then, for breeders to shoulder the responsibility and adhere to the standard when making breeding decisions?

When is a Champion Not a "Special"?

People show dogs in conformation for many reasons, and I applaud those that decide they want to learn to show their dogs! Showing dogs is a wonderful hobby and can bring you many joys. It's a great family activity, and a super social network!

Along the journey, many people decide that they want to have a "Specials" dog- they want the glory and the recognition that comes from having a Champion that competes at the Group and Best in Show level. A dog that can achieve national ranking on Breed and All-Breed levels.

So, then, the decision will be whether or not their dog is a "Specials" prospect. Or... When is a Champion worthy of being a Special?

Because, you see, there is a VAST difference between the two. There are a multitude of dogs who complete their championships in accordance with the AKC requirements every weekend. The majority of dogs who complete their titles will never see the inside of a show ring again, going on to be performance dogs, companions, or retiring to the whelping box. The smallest percentage of dogs go on to Fame and Glory as "Top Dogs"... Right?

Well... maybe??

How do you decide which of those Champions to run on and Special, and which to retire to the sofa? Is it a matter of win records coming through the classes? Money in the bank? Handler on the end of the lead? Attitude of the dog? Or... a magical combination of all of the above?

First of all... Specials Dogs (or bitches) must be SPECIAL! They must be of EXCEPTIONAL Breed Quality. That means no major breed type faults! That means without major structural faults. That means they don't require trimming (in our breed), dyeing, braces, corrective surgery, or pigment coloring in order to enter the ring!

Mediocre dogs- those dogs without MAJOR breed faults, but with several "niggly" faults- can be successful specials-- with the right attitude-- the right handler-- the right judges--- But you need to ask yourself what your really telling the Cardigan world when you show that dog. Is that dog really exceptional? Or... is it really just a great Generic Show Dog? And... which is more important to you? Are you in this for the Wins (ego) or for the breed recognition?

One big win in the classes, or finishing easily, doesn't make your dog a shoe-in for a Super Specials Career! For example: The photo on the top of this blog is my own Ch. Xtacee Cowboys-N-Indians (Arrow), taken at 4 months. Arrow had a most stellar show career in the classes. Shown a total of 6 times- he was at least WD/BOW 5 times and finished with 4 majors undefeated in the classes- except at the CWCCA National Specialty- where he placed 3rd in BBE at 9 months of age. Along the way, he was BOB over Specals 1 time, and earned a BBE Group I.

From his early start, you would have thought that Arrow was bound for the big time, but we have decided to place him. Because he has what I consider a major breed-type fault, I won't special him- Judges do not need to see Cardigans with major faults being shown. (They see enough of that in the classes.)

Ego plays a large part in the Dog Show world- perhaps too big of a part. Its much more fun to win than to lose. Campaigning a Special is a very expensive, time consuming, life encompassing endeavor. If you are going to ivest that amount of time and money and self into this, you must make sure that the dog is worthy of that investment. It is very hard to separate your emotions when trying to decide whether or not to special a dog, so I suggest taking the decision out of your hands.

We give younger hopefuls (those dogs that we are considering specialing) a trial run. I will enter a handful of local shows under judges that I know are at least knowledgeable and respectful of Cardigans. I make sure that my dog is in condition and at least trained well enough that he won't be overlooked on behavior. At the end of those shows, I will evaluate what our win/lose ratio was. Sometimes we are very pleasantly suprised (Sera- Herding Group I her first show- Specialty BOB /Group IV her second show) - other times we realize that this dog is not going to have what it takes, and the dog stays home- or may come out at a later date.

You do need to know your breed, and know how to evaluate your dogs before you can even begin to make the decision, When is Champion Not a "Special"!

I wish you all the best of luck and LOTS of Blue and Gold ribbons, as you chase those Rainbows!

I'll see you around the rings!

Kathy