Ears that are too high set or don't stand or don't 'fold' may zap a show career, but that dog can still hear a chewbone drop a mile away, and he can hear his master's voice. At the other end, tails may be low set or carried too gaily over the back, but they still wag the same when you walk in the door. A dog which is undersized or oversized for the show ring may actually be ideal for the pet owner who really wants a Belgian Tervuren, but prefers one that could sit in his or her lap. Another owner may want a Tibetan Spaniel who strikes fear into the heart of an intruder and looks like he'd do something more than nibble an ankle. The differences between a show dog and a pet may not be obvious to the untrained eye.
Examples are infinitesimal flaws in movement, angulation or extension of gait.
Without a period of intense study, most observers will never know. After all, we don't judge our human friends by the length of their hair, their color, their overbite or how fast they can run the mile. So a pet's not perfect, just like us. But, most importantly, a pet is a dog God made for love. The contents of the pages on this web site have been converted to accommodate HTML formatting for use on the World Wide Web.