A lot of US German Shepherds have horrible hip problems because of the breeding for that "shepherd stance" in the show ring with the kind of sloping back.. I don't know how to describe it exactly. I once knew a woman who had a few shepherds that she did Schutzhund (sp?) with and she said she always got her shepherds from Germany because of the poor breeding in the US.

I agree, I love how a lot of the breeds look either way, but breeding and breeding to get some certain point just the way someone wants to see it I think causes a lot more harm than good. I know collies, for one, have a lot more eye problems since they have bred them to have such long, narrow skulls, but keeping those "almond" shaped eyes. It is believed borzoi were bred with the collies of old to develop the finer muzzle, but borzoi have large round eyes in that thin skull.

You just never know what effects will come into play.