Structure: why does it matter for pet dogs?
Often people say, "I don't want a show dog, it doesn't need to look that pretty," without knowing why dogs are built the way they are built. Every breed has its standard of perfection. Now some of the things in the standard are a bit more superficial; e.g., given how many different types of coonhounds there are all with different colors (blue tick, redbone, black and tan, American English coonhound), color isn't all that important for them doing their job or being healthy. If your pet blue tick coonhound was actually solid black, it would not make any difference as a pet.
However, structure is not one of those superficial things that don't matter if a dog is "just a pet". Structure determines how your dog moves, which determines risk of things like hip dysplasia, arthritis, and ligament tears.
[Work in progress, please check back for more later!]
However, structure is not one of those superficial things that don't matter if a dog is "just a pet". Structure determines how your dog moves, which determines risk of things like hip dysplasia, arthritis, and ligament tears.
[Work in progress, please check back for more later!]
References
Working Dog Structure: Evaluation and Relationship to Function |