Lee - RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED "Agreed...In other words, performance selection. Breeders must remember this if they really expect to produce working quality dogs. Too many breeders say they breed for working ability, but in actually don't. Just look around. For example...I am not saying x-raying dogs and such is a bad thing, but to think that x-rays is some proof of working ability simply is an amazing ignorance IMO. In nature, the "x-ray" is...do you have what is needed to survive? Well, breeders should ask..."do you have what is needed to do the job you have been bred to do?" and then they should test the dogs accordingly with real tests that measure these working abilities. I have never heard of a winning alaskan musher sled team that placed x-rays, pre-lims, thyroid tests, etc over the ability to pull the sled...yet, remarkably working class huskies are fitter than show huskies...which inherit comparably good fitness from their working cousins when compared to predominantly show bred non-working breeds. Now of course, this arguement/point shouldn't be used to justify not x-raying a dog or doing other tests UNLESS the breeder is REALLY GOING TO PUSH A DOG to its limits, measure recover time, etc to realy look for maximum performing individuals within a population...and not confusing such feets as such with wishful thinking while running "fi-fi" or "fu-fu" around the block." To me breding for only performance is just as bad as breeding for only conformation....No Actually I feel it's worse. Many of the tough & gretty breeds can & do work well for a few years with bad hips, elbows. Thier pain threash holds are higher, maybe muscle mass to bone ratio is higher in the hip girddle. But into years 4-6 thier youth is no longer to over compinsate for thier dyplacia issues. So, what happens in effect people are breeding desposible dogs. To me that's more inhumae that teminally culling puupies. I've meet dozens of "preformance " breeder that would never concider using X-rays or testing of thyroid, heart etec. But, have no problem continuing to breed unhealthy stock in the fraint hope that eventually they might get a dog that will work into middle age. I've seen hogdogs that can work @ 7.8.9 yrs.....I've seen 9 y.o. Shz III GSD'd compete, I've seem an 11yo GSD that can still clear hurddles.....So I know it's more than possible to breed with the goal of a long healthy life vs. flash in the pan preformance. Agian NO OFFENCE INTENDED.