I know the topic is about cur dogs...but I want to point out what I have seen through my eyes (how I see it)...
Dobermans started out as a top breed of dogs that excelled in guard duty or protection and were built sturdy...over the years they have evolved as show dogs without regard for working attributes...now you see a 28 inch to 30 inch dog that is clumsy with a very narrow chest and narrow head...they breed true for color and other dobie qualities but I wouldn't own one...If I were to quite hunting and needed one dog just to piddle with it would be a working type Doberman and it probably would be 27 inches at the shoulder but a sturdy looking dog...
I am a big fan of the mt cur but nowadays lots of folks breed them to be closer ranging dogs and they breed them smaller with small ears...I like the old time colder nosed mt curs with some size to them...
the looks and actions of a line of dogs within a breed have more to do with the likes/dislikes of the breeder...
clear and strict standards will produce a breed that is easily recognizable...but over time it can be ruined by popularity or fads like most other breeds...
This here was the talk back in the 1970's and 1980's...field trials have ruined the breed...this talk was in the lab circles, coon hound circles and pointer circles and I probably missed some...The hunting lab folks were saying that the trials produced high strung hard headed dogs that were hard to control...and these dogs would tear up your yard...the coon hound hunting folks said the field trialers had ruined the coon hounds by producing go yonder dogs that looked for hot tracks and passed up some good tracks...they were hunting for dogs and not hunting with dogs...the pointer hunters were saying that the field trialers were ruining the breed because they were breeding dogs that left the country and you needed big country and a horse to hunt with the pointers because the pointers didn't hunt with you but for themselves...
In my opinion, the best dogs come from organizations that have performance and conformation standards that their dogs must meet to receive certificates... and the dogs that meet these requirements can be bred because they meet certain qualities that are required for hunting, and the physical qualities that are needed...so that the dog can perform in the environment where it will be working/hunting...
looks like I got off subject...
