Lecture of Mr Tamás Jakkel, president of the Hungarian judge society, secretary of the FCI judges section Central Eastern Region of Europe and judge. 

This is not word for word written down from tape, but a report done with the help of notes on paper. As good as possible it is tried to give, as complete as possible, a rendering as regards contains. 

It is a misconception that the large life stock guardian shepherd dogs should originally have been always white. Much more there are reasons to believe that in their origin they have been merely wolf grey or all kind of variations of this, with at most some white markings. This does not conclude that there haven’t been at all any white dogs in the past, but that this colour was not as much attached to certain breeds as it is now in our time. The place of origin of this breed group appears to be connected to the numerous migrations of peoples from Asia. Also between the Puli and the Tibetan Terrier the similarities between both speak for connections of such kind. 

Around 200 BC authors from the Antiquity wrote about the dogs of the Molossians. From their descriptions and old portraits one can accept that these dogs did not had the type like the Mastino Napoletano, but mainly like the long-coated flock guardian breeds, as they were to be found in Greece and surroundings in that time. They were big, strong-built dogs, with a lot of soft tissue (ample skin?), a thick rough, somehow flocky, weather protecting coat with upright standing (according to reporter’s opinion cropped) ears. 
For ages these dogs were selected on their work capabilities. They should have another type of temperament than the usual farm and courtyard dogs, because they had to be capable to protect their flock against groups of people, wolves and bears. 
It is obvious these dogs have not been of gigantic size, for practical reasons, a bigger dog eats more than a smaller one. 

To work capacities does belong a proper relation between exterior and temperament. For a judge this is always difficult to evaluate. An apparent perfect built dog can be essential not fit to do its job by lack of the proper temperament, and so of little value for the breed. 

Another point nearby is variation: for example, if you have 20 Anatolian shepherd dogs together, it is sometimes possible to make divisions in different breeds. Even then there are basic rules for the exterior for the whole breed group: in this way a dog may never got a real square format, but it should be at minimum longer than high in the proportion 8 : 7. On a show a square format should always be indicated by the judge as unfit for work. 

Although the breed-group has certain characteristics, which enables to read off a close relation of the breeds, there are also local differences, caused by crossbreeding with native dogs here and there. That’s how the first crossbreeds came in to existence. 
This is the reason that there is so much difference in type everywhere, like bigger and smaller, more heavy and more light, etc.
Many breeds started to become “breeds” only since around the year 1905. According to the actual borders of the country and all kinds of personal tastes, breed stocks as such were grouped and provided with a “standard”. Herewith quite often the matter was settled by the personal influence of certain groups of dog fanciers and feelings of nationalism. 
The main concept was: 
a. the breeds should go on in existence, 
b. but it should be able to discern them from other breeds as something separate on its own. 

This caused the fact that, within all breeds, parts of the original gene pool were washed away. The standard was set up that way, that not all the work capable dogs of the breed fitted into it and so valuable dogs were excluded for breeding. 

In this time, now we have to do it already with gene pools of smaller size than in the past, it is important to work very skilfully to prevent that more of it will disappear. 
A judge who judges every dog in the same way is simply lacking of enough understanding of the breed(s). A dog of little eye-catching type often receives a VG or a G and sometimes it is difficult to identify its breed (it can look like to be a related breed). It’s possible to observe the same with eastern sight hounds: for example, you can meet in Israel or surroundings dogs that you should call a Sloughi, but equally well a Saluki or an Afghan. On the other hand you have also breeds, that belong apparently to the same breed, only with a “border between”, such as the Owczarek Podhalanski (Polish Mountain Dog) and the Slovenský Cuvac (Slowakian Mountain Dog). And though such breeds can have such essential differences that they have all the right to be recognized as different breeds. The Owczarek Podhalanski is a remarkable more heavy built dog with a head type fitting to such, like it has been hit strongly with a hammer if you compare it with the Kuvasz or the Maremma. The Slovenský Cuvac in contrary is a lot lighter built dog. It looks as if the Owczarek Podhalanski has more Molossian blood, he is the most massive one. However the Pyrenean Mountain dog seems to have even more Molossian blood than the Polish, who has horizontal set eyes. The eyes of the Slovenský are set more oriental, with a lot more soft expression and a parallel fitting temperament. The head of the Slovenský Cuvac has also a more fine shape, the whole body is covered with a more fine and smooth coat, almost like a Golden Retriever. The Kuvasz head has no stop and is wedge shaped, has oriental eyes and a very flat skull, at most only very little domed, some females of this breed have larger ears. 
You can meet different coat types: with the Kuvasz it runs out with an inclination to a curly structure. The Maremma has a very harsh thick coat, like iron by touching. The coat is more soft and smooth with the Slovenský and with the Owczarek Podhalanski without waves and a little more soft than with the Maremma. 
With the Slovenský Cuvac a more curled tail is permitted. The Akbash has this too and in such measure that is not allowed with most other breeds. The Hungarians (Kuvasz, Komondor) have a normal hanging tail. A dominant dog may carry its tail over the back while walking in the ring, but when the dog has this in a more severe measure, this may cost him his CAC, although he still can be of high value for the gene pool. 

For keeping a breed alive the “superstars” from the dog shows are not the only ones of importance. It is impossible that every valuable representative of its breed is successful on that level. For considering of the real value it is necessary to have a deeper understanding of how a dog develops during several periods of his life. Also the not as much eye-catching dogs are important for the gene pool. 
With breeds like the Cocker Spaniel this does not play a heavy role, but with such old working breeds preservation of the gene pool is of life importance. 

If you take two well known Hungarian breeds, the Kuvasz and the Komondor (which does not stand very far off from the South Russian), both should be descendants of the old Molossians. 
Old records don‘t talk about Komondor or Kuvasz, but about the “Bundás” (= shaggy, hairy). The actual breeds Kuvasz and Komondor once developed from the “Bundás-breed. The Molossians had upright standing ears (cropped ?) and had little to do with the Kuvasz and Komondor in our days. A photo from around 1900 shows a Kuvasz with a apparently rather high legged and too short built dog. This Kuvasz was called in that time “Komondor”. 
The present Kuvasz is more of the steppe-type and the Komondor more of the mountain dog type. 
Breeders are in fact a kind of artists and the present day differences between Komondor and Kuvasz are partly artificial. 

Caucasian Ovcharka and Maremma of the same outfit are considered to be as faults now, but many old photos show Maremmas with coloured plates as well. Of all the related breeds the Maremmano-Abruzzese has the most short back, but still without being really square. It has a different head-type than the Owczarek Podhalanski.  It is important to know the original aim. 

The Bergamasco can have different colours, is often greyish, but in the beginning of the organized planned breeding (first part of 20th century) never black. 
Originally the Puli has all kinds of different colours as well, but today 90 % of the breed is black, and so this must be result of artificial selection, rather an easy job because of the dominance of the black colour. 

Not very supporting to the preservation of the gene pool is the excluding of dogs or combinations with the aid of breeding regulations, because of a bad HD poll. At the other hand this does not mean that a combination of two dogs with a HD-D poll is of any support for the breed. But judging of X-ray photos according to one and the same requirement for all breeds, from Chihuahua to Irish Wolfhound, that is what allows one to make objections. One breed walks and moves quite different from another. There are big differences in general conformation. Besides that there are other factors that play their part in the development of the hips. 
The German Shepherd is a very well known example of a world wide spread breed with HD problems. Since decades large scale HD research is taking place with this breed. But nevertheless the breeding regulations in all kind of countries did not succeed in making the HD problems decrease much or disappear. 
As a contrast to this you may mention the Slovenský Cuvac, a breed with about 500 specimen on the whole world, a big part in Germany and also in Finland. Although not without problems the breeders succeed to set up a rather stabile and proper stock. 
A different aspect of selecting on HD polls is, like you have with the South Russians, that people outside its native country have set up several generations with favourable HD polls and then again have to import a dog from a country, where practically no HD research is to be done with this breed. Nevertheless you cannot say at all that the hips in that country are worse. Even it seems not to make any difference at all. 
You can compare HD research with the qualifications on dog shows: you can have dogs which are clearly too bad for breeding at all. But also you have dogs with a lesser favourable HD poll, which are nice harmonious built and typical specimen of the breed, having no problems with their health at all. 
It can happen that a dog with a very bad HD poll, can have a new X-ray a year or so later, and then have a perfect HD poll. Also on a show it can happen that a champion has his dip and receives a lower qualification than before. 
It is not true, and it even can not be true, that all the dogs which are very valuable for the breeding and preservation of the gene pool, should be show champions. Each breed has its own variation, differences which all together compose the breed. Excluding dogs that are no absolute (dog show) top dogs, and not altogether fit fully in that standard (often set up at will, by personal taste or national feelings) decreases the gene pool of the breed and so the chance is there that you change the breed in something else and make the original aimed and old breed characteristics disappear. Special with such old working breeds it is important to know which cases are important for the breeding, which cases let the breed come into existence originally. 

Kennelclubs and breed clubs should consider this and do well if they don’t keep their breeding regulations too blind official “political correct”, but sensible, wise and intelligent. 
Its all about what really causes trouble (can be other things than HD). The regulations should not lead to diminishing of the gene pools, which are already not all too wide, but preserve and if possible widen them. Breeding is, as part of nature, always for a good deal Russian roulette with the genes. 
Much depends on the breeder. Only selecting dogs for breeding with attention for an Excellent or VG and a favourable HD poll and combining it likewise the same with a partner, that is not sufficient. It is the same with judges, they understand the breed or they don’t. If one accepts this or not is not makes no difference at all. 
You should not start breeding before you have enough knowledge of all the things that plays a role, enough view into the bloodlines and the types and their meaning for the breed. 
In breeding it is important to maintain and preserve the different lines which originally formed the breed. This has to be done in a very sensible, wise and intelligent way. Each good line has its own qualities and characteristics. 

Leo Bosman, the Hague 2004