| I feel that this is a rather disingenous question and a lot of it has been answered very thoroughly in other threads, but I'll answer anyway.
First off, an old saying - better a plain maid from a good family than a pretty maid from a bad family. Simply put, if you are looking for an animal for breeding, you have a better chance for a good breeding prospect if you buy a less than outstanding dog/bitch from a good family (i.e., a good pedigree), than buying one with an outstanding appearance from a bad family (i.e., a mediocre pedigree). Substitute appearance for any trait you wish.
More often than not, you have a better chance of getting good traits out of a breeding with a strong pedigree behind the breeding than if you breed to a dog with an outstanding appearance/working ability/whatever that has a weak pedigree behind him.
Do some people, whether working or conformation oriented, breed or buy ONLY on the basis of pedigree? Yes, some do. Is that the smart way to go? No, of course not. Both the animal itself AND the pedigree should be taken into account, particularly if you are interested in breeding. If someone only wants a dog to show or compete with as a hobby and doesn't intend to breed, it doesn't really matter which they look at as long as the animal itself can satisfy their goals. In which case the price they pay is also irrelevant since the animal represents what they are looking for and what they are willing to pay for.
Nancy
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von Dorow Rottweilers |