Читать книгу Pointer - Richard G. Beauchamp - Страница 10

The Pointer of the proper shape, balance and proportion creates a picture of a lithe, elegant dog of noble carriage, able to perform in the field with speed and agility for the whole day long if necessary. The question that arises, however, is, what tells us if a Pointer does, in fact, have the right make and shape, balance and proportion?

The answers are found in the breed standard. Breed standards are very accurate descriptions of the ideal specimen of a given breed. Standards describe the dog physically, listing all of a breed’s anatomical parts and indicating how those parts should look. The standard also describes the breed’s temperament and how it should move (gait).

The standard is the blueprint that breeders use to fashion their breeding programs. The goal, of course, is to move one step closer to that ever-elusive picture of perfection with each succeeding generation. A breed standard is also what dog-show judges use to measure which of the dogs being shown compares most favorably to what is required of that breed.