I especially love the upcurve on his nasal bone - very cute. Of course, breeders need to be careful not to start exaggerating that too much, or it will become ridiculous and cause breathing problems - as happened with the breed standard for the Arabian horse, with the lovely naturally dished faces of the desert Arabians becoming exaggerated to the point of parody and IMO hideousness, and causing these poor animals problems with their jaws and breathing...
I've never seen that breed of dog in real life but it looks like it can move!
I wouldn't think that Pointers would be necessarily common in Australia, since they are an upland hunting breed (they're called English Pointers in other countries), but I know a really exceptional breeder in New Zealand! (Chesterhope Pointers) Some of her dogs are relatives of mine.
And yes, they can move! I'll have to post a video of him gaiting at some point. And he gallops!!!
The Pointer standard recommends a "dish face" too! There is also a straight muzzle that is acceptable though. Enzo and his brother, Parker (same parents, different litter) have a dish face. Chalice, their cousin, has a more straight/boxy muzzle. Both are fine.
I don't think any Pointer breeders are looking to exaggerate that trait... it wouldn't be particularly useful for anything and would look ridiculous.
I love Arabian horses! I used to ride mainly Arabians and Morgans. They are so beautiful.
Brachycephalic (flat-faced) dog breeds have really exaggerated muzzle shapes and it isn't good for them, like what you're describing with the horses. There are a lot of breeders now who are hoping to restore some of these breeds to their original standards so they can breathe better. I can't stand the French Bulldog trend, especially because people are paying tens of thousands of dollars for poorly-bred abominations that don't even come from AKC-registered breeders and they can have life-threatening health problems.
No one should ever buy from a breeder who isn't registered or approved by their country's kennel club. And I try to only get dogs from Breeders of Merit, or have bred dogs that have obtained a Register of Merit. Breeders who have never shown or titled their dogs are also a red flag.
And this should be common sense, but you should never get a dog that doesn't have parents (both parents) who are Health Certified. And you want to look for dogs in the line that have earned their Canine Good Citizen title and passed a temperament test.
I have learned from experience that it is IMPOSSIBLE to breed dogs and never end up with a health issue or a bad temperament in the line. Any breeder who says they've never produced a sick, non-standard, or fearful or reactive dog is LYING. Same goes for mixed breed/rescue dogs and "designer" dogs too. It's ridiculous to expect that there is no possibility of ending up with a dog (from a breeder, a shelter, or anywhere else) with an illness, a defect, or a crappy personality.
The best way to find people who are really responsible and genuinely care about their dogs is to attend events- not just conformation, but Agility and Obedience and other sports too.
There are a lot of great and responsible breeders out there with a lot of integrity but they get a bad reputation because of the crappy ones.
And thanks for the motivational words.
