And the ever lasting question would be why do we have dog breeds if you could get any dog to do any task with the right training and conditioning.
Sure, I could condition a Pekingese to run a 12 mi AD but in the end am I benefiting the dog or merely trying to prove something to my peers?
The fact of the matter is the English mastiff in my Monday class falls asleep between exercises, she'll light up with cheerleading and work a few minutes then she's done. I am positive if the owners wanted they could build her drive, build her stamina, and make some strong efforts to change her but why? They bought a dog like this because it suits them, why buy a dog and then attempt to change it from its breeding goals?
I already said the goldens, show lines, I have worked with can sport and almost all do because they've been so fun and pleasurable to train with, but their stamina and heat tolerance has been a consistent issue in each I've seen.
Even in our daycare at work the show goldens come out rip roaring each morning and crash by lunch, laying and sleeping, until pick up. Meanwhile our gundog goldens are still screaming and tackling dogs as their owners arrive. It's a clear difference but fwiw more often than not the show goldens are far better suited to their owners than the hunting lines that were often bought not for their energy but for their health and now their families are pulling their hair out, they'd make amazing sporting dogs but as pets they leave something to be desired for most.
