Originally posted by DogLover9501
My point was that alot of people have worked VERY hard to breed different things in and out of certain breeds.

No not EVERY lab is going to love water, but like someone else said, most of them will and that's what alot of people look at.

This is also the reason that different dog breeds are used for different things(bloodhounds are usually use for sniffing/searching, GSD's for police dogs..etc).

I just look at it that way, there are so many breeds because there is basically a breed for most families and most lifestyles, and alot of them come pretty close to how they are "suposed" to be.

That is exactly right.

No, not EVERY dog in a certain breed displays those characteristics, but indeed, the vast majority of them do. There are certainly calm, mellow Jack/Parson Russell terriers ... but if you are specifcally looking for a calm, mellow dog to own, you should NOT buy a JRT/PRT just HOPING that is might grow up to be the one in a hundred that isn't energetic and excitable. That's foolish, and that is how dogs wind up at shelters and dog pounds.

I will never own a dog that slobbers a lot. Sorry, I KNOW they are probably the sweetest things ever, but all that drool simply makes my stomach turn. So ... should I go out and buy a bloodhound puppy, HOPING that is isn't as slobbery as 99% of it's breed? NO. I should ... and do ... choose breeds that have dry mouths. Common sense ... not "breedism".

There is NOTHING wrong with saying a certain breed doesn't fit your lifestyle, space, time or preference. What IS very wrong, however, is getting a dog that doesn't suit your life, and not loving and/or keeping the dog. It is MUCH better by far to know what you want, what you don't want, and get a dog according to those standards. You are happy, the dog is happy.