To me the difference lies in responsible breeding practices. Not what these people are breeding for.
If the person is breeding for great pets and has a clear goal in mind, like any responsible breeder, and health tests, and takes the dogs back if the person can't keep them at ANY TIME. Then frankly, I'm perfectly ok with it.
Then again, my opinion has cooled down A LOT these days lol I've also plainly accepted responsible designer breed/sports mix breeders.. why? Because at the end of the day, there is a market,they are doing it responsibly and honestly.. oh goodness here goes.. I think even the "responsible" breeder train has derailed a little bit.
When I was looking for a breeder, I did all the right things. I went through breed clubs, checked health testing etc.. but do you know how many COMPLETELY kennel blind breeders I went through? Breeders who barely cared about the temperaments they were creating? Working breeders with aggression problems, show breeders breeding merle/merle in the name of the blue ribbon, breeders when asked what kind of pets they hope to create were totally floored by the question.. like it wasn't a reasonable one to ask even though like or not, 95% of their litter was going to go on and become PETS.
They are the bad apples of the butch, admittedly.. but one day I just sat down and was like "Wouldn't this all be so much better if breeders just bred for what was REALLY important..health and temperament?" If showing and working were seen as what they are..something great to participate in but that VERY FEW of those puppies will go on to do and certainly not something that is worth putting two dogs together for solely.
and in pet breeders, good ones, not "Oh god fluffy is so sweet and we bred him to Booboo next door because he's sweet too!".. you find this peaceful oasis where temperament and health are back on a pedestal where they deserve to be. Because like it or not, MOST puppies that come out of these litters will be pets anyway.
I did manage to find a show breeder who had a perfect balance for what I was looking for. She does show, her dogs do participate in sports/activities.. but when it all clicked for me was when she told me that the temperament and health of her dogs were paramount, always. I didn't want a breeder that was breeding in the hope for blue ribbons.. I wanted one that was breeding to make great example of the breed, not just in the show world, but in the pet world as well.
I don't by any means mean that show breeders, working breeders, sport breeders, any breeder seen as 'worthy' and breeding towards a goal that isn't pets is 'bad'. Of course it isn't, there is a market and in the good ones case, they are doing so responsibly. And many do care about health and temperament A LOT.. I just mean that pet breeders certainly aren't bad for breeding towards a broader goal.. rather than working skills and show ribbons and agility times.. things like CGC, great with kids, great off switches etc..
I do wish there was a event like the "Great dog competition" where dogs show off their temperament with children, with meeting large groups of people, when being trained, played with, playing with other dogs, being left in a crate, their disposition towards strange noises, places, activities, having people around their food etc...
but there isn't. and I feel like if you trust your breeder to know these things, and to be breeder towards a dog that COULD rock that competition if it existed, and that competition represents traits you would HOPE your future dog would be able to excel at, given the existence of it..then I see nothing wrong with breeding towards it.