[Brer] Yeah all of the above is one of the reasons I lost interest in conformation showing. The other being that unless you invest MASSIVE amounts of time in studying what specific individual judges are looking for and how to adapt your presentation to their eye, you'll never win reliably in a breed like huskies... I don't have time for a fourth or fifth career.
Looks are definitely winning out over function though, that I will agree. Huskies have been less polluted than some breeds, thanks mostly to a parent club that never suffered the schism that border collies did. Oh there is still great variation in AKC registered husky lines that fall between "pulling" and "show" styles -- but for the most part pullers can still show and showers can still pull.
You won't win sledding races with a team of all pure Siberian husky stock anyway. It's more about assembling a bunch of individual dogs of varied strengths to make a team that is the most adaptable over the long haul.
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Looks are definitely winning out over function though, that I will agree. Huskies have been less polluted than some breeds, thanks mostly to a parent club that never suffered the schism that border collies did. Oh there is still great variation in AKC registered husky lines that fall between "pulling" and "show" styles -- but for the most part pullers can still show and showers can still pull.
You won't win sledding races with a team of all pure Siberian husky stock anyway. It's more about assembling a bunch of individual dogs of varied strengths to make a team that is the most adaptable over the long haul.