
With our apologies to the Mona Lisa.
Our Work Is Never Done
I just finished watching a two-part PBS film about Leonardo Da Vinci. I believe he may very well have been the smartest human ever.
Leonardo was a literal Renaissance man who made incredibly valuable contributions in art, medicine, science, engineering, mathematics and philosophy. In addition to his artistic masterpieces — like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper — he had many other great works of art, although he realized that some were unfinished. As a matter of fact, more of his works were unfinished than were finished.
So how does one of the greatest minds of all time — Leonardo da Vinci — correspond to our community? Like much of Leonardo’s work, our work — the improvement and preservation of breeds — may never be finished.
I believe that breeding, showing and judging our purebred dogs is also a combination of medicine, science, art and philosophy. Medicine and science have had significant impacts on the health and life expectancy of our breeds. Nutrition has been greatly improved. Injuries that in the past may have been death sentences for showing and breeding careers can now thank modern veterinary medicine for their improvement. Iffy ingredients such as animal byproducts were used in early dog food. Today, the manufacturing of dog food is regulated, and many brands contain high-quality ingredients, avoid artificial additives, and try to replicate a dog's ancestral diet. When I started, we added all kinds of concoctions — some questionable — to our dogs’ food to improve or grow coat. Many of us may still do this, but it may be more out of habit than necessity. We have more problems today with excessive coat than we do with lack of coat in many breeds.
The iconic breeders throughout history certainly touched and made an impact on our breeds, and we should forever be grateful. They set the foundation for us to continue our work. We need only look at pictures of dogs of 50 years ago to see the differences — and improvements (sometimes) — in many of our breeds. Don’t get me wrong: I am NOT saying that all of today’s breeds are better than they were years ago, but improvements in some areas have been made, although there are absolutely still weaknesses that need to be improved. And that is the whole point: Our work as breeders and members of this community is never finished.
If that is true, what tools do we have to continue our work to improve our breeds, and to have them reach their full potential? Breeders need to learn to lean on — and work with — other breeders rather than becoming isolationists. Studying pedigrees and checking on health histories are certainly basic to being a strong breeder, but there is much more than that. Sharing information among breeders on combinations that have produced problems such as seizures and other diseases rather than keeping those things secret — or denying them — would do wonders for some breeding programs. Sharing ideas and honest results can only be positive if we are serious about wanting to produce the best we can rather than just winning a ribbon.
Why aren’t more breed mentors used? Many just have to be asked. I know that when I am on a panel with many in our community whom I respect, I ask questions and enjoy the discussions we have — and I am not even a breeder. Judges can be of great help to a breeding program. Pay attention to what is winning — and understand WHY. When is the last time you have taken the time to talk to a judge about what he or she has been seeing in your breed ring — not just asking why your dog did not win? Like many of my peers, I believe in our responsibility to help direct a breed’s future.
Although Leonardo’s advances in mathematics, science and anatomy were well ahead of his time, he may be remembered mostly for his works of art. Like Leonardo, although there are scientific advances to help our breeding programs and the health of our dogs, I think an artistic eye is still needed to keep our community moving forward. Although there have been books written about this — some even have “an eye for a dog” in their title — I’m not sure I can describe it. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously said in 1964 that he could not describe pornography, but he knew it when he saw it. I think having an eye for a dog is almost like that.
I get terribly offended when I see weak minds on Facebook asking whether such-and-such judge has even read the standard for their breed. It is insulting. However, sometimes I think breeders and judges lean TOO MUCH on the written standard.
I’ll bet that blew some minds, so let me explain what I mean.
Almost every standard is written in the same format, starting with an overview and then breaking down the breed into parts: head, bite, body, front, gait, disqualifications, etc. A few standards have even assigned a point system to each part of the breed. Many years ago, a friend of mine — a Great Dane breeder — judged a show using the points allocated for each part of the dog in the standard. He said he wound up with the worst collection of dogs ever.
Certainly, a judge needs to know the standard, but many people can memorize its words. Identifying those words in a living, breathing example is entirely another thing. Many of our standards use the words moderate, minimal, good length, slight, etc. So, someone could memorize those words, but does that person truly understand how those words fit into a live dog, and can he see them in life? When does well angulated become over angulated? When does this angulation result in sickle hocks? When does a brick-on-brick head become coarse? Can you see "power without lumber and raciness without weediness" when it is standing in front of you?
Taking it a step further, can you see balance in a dog whose parts fit harmoniously together? Can you see this in movement? Can you see the difference between flashy, showy movement and correct movement? This is where I think breeders and judges need to be ARTISTIC. Yes, I think good breeders and judges have an artistic soul, because I don’t think you only SEE balance and harmony — I think you FEEL it!
I am sure there are art critics who can talk about how Leonardo created the pigment he used in his paintings. I am sure these same critics can talk about brushstrokes, how the colors were developed and the depth of the paint. I, for one, would prefer to just stand back and FEEL and appreciate the beauty and balance and harmony that is in front of me. I have never taken an art-appreciation class or art history in school, but I can feel the strength and beauty of Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.
I think our community is in trouble. If the breeders and judges who are the artists are being replaced by technicians and mathematicians, I believe our breeds will suffer. It is my hope that those who question every decision and are negative about everything are outliers.
Margaret Atwood’s novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” describes a democratic society taken over by a dictatorial, fanatical culture because those in the democratic society just let it happen. (The main message of “The Handmaid's Tale” is the importance of freedom, individual agency and resistance against oppressive systems.) It is my hope that those of us with a true passion for our community will not allow the art of what we do be taken over by the naysayers who seem to want breeders and judges to use a ruler and a slide rule to describe each dog.
Judges who apply for new breeds are interviewed by AKC reps as one of the final steps to approval. When I was still applying for new breeds, I found that there were two styles of these interviews: I believe they are the pragmatic and the artistic. The pragmatic rep would read a sentence in the standard to herself and then ask me a question about it. Then she’d read the next sentence and asked another question. Anyone who can memorize a standard can easily pass this type of interview, but do they know the breed? The more artistic rep said to me, “Make believe I have never seen this breed before: Describe it to me, and tell me some things you may look for when judging it.” Which one do you think found out if the applicant really understood the breed?
We need the specifics that are found in breed standards, but I also hope — like Leonardo — that we never lose our artistic love of what we do, and realize that our art is ongoing and never finished.
What do you think?