Re: [PyrNet-L] Breed Standard

[Kshoffman@aol.com]

In a message dated 5/5/99 4:29:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
carol@NaturalDogFood.com writes:

> After Mary Crane gave one of my males a nice major, I spoke with
>  her briefly and she commented very favorably on his size, and
>  said something to the effect that he was surely a large handsome
>  dog. In a conversation held under less stressful circumstances (for
>  me anyway), she reitterated the need to take size and balance 
>  and type into consideration when breeding. The Great Pyrenees
>  is a composite of all of these factors, and more. And in the dim
>  recesses of my mind, I remember her saying that if all things are
>  truly equal, "the larger dog is preferred."

I suppose "larger" is relative, because I'm quite sure it was also Mary Crane 
who said, "let's not breed for ponies!"  As I recall (I admittedly didn't go 
pull the book off the shelf to double check this so I'm stating it from 
recollection) she cautions against breeding dogs too tall, and she references 
a period of time when the import K'Eros du Gerveur was enjoying great success 
in the show ring.  In this context, it seemed to me she was implying there 
was concern at the time that because K'Eros was enjoying great success and 
popularity that breeding for such height would come into vogue at the expense 
of other traits. I believe K'Eros was the first import group winner, maybe he 
was even a best in show winner.  If someone has the text handy they can set 
me straight on this if I'm mistaken.  I believe Mrs.Crane described him as an 
exceedingly tall dog, but well proportioned for his frame and size and 
correctly elegant. The point is, clearly she must have felt there was a point 
where a dog *too large* was just as incorrect as a dog *too small*.

Kelley Hoffman
kshoffman@aol.com