"almighty standard", Looks like this part really torked you off. I looked at the standard for the Bullmastiff (this is the only one I looked at) and I think anyone would agree (bet I'll find out "any one" doesn't) that it is more about appearance then not. Show breeders are breeding for the "total show" package. You'll not convince me other wise until I see some behavioral, intelligence, endurance testing. Something other then look at me and feel me. If this stuff is going on back stage please enlighten me.
As is often the case, people are very quick to judge things they have absolutely no understanding of.
So I guess yeah, in your case "this stuff is going on backstage." I'll gladly enlighten you.
I cannot speak for all, but I CAN speak for my own dogs lines. I'll give you a run through of the Shiba standard- and tell you WHY looks matter in these guys.
My dogs come from nearly 6000 years of instinctual breeding to kill things. Specifically, bear and wild boar.
When breeding relatively small animals for the express purpose of hunting and destroying things MANY times their size (a wild boar is no laughing matter, and I'm sure you'll agree with me, neither is a bear), you've got to breed an animal that is not only lightning fast and agile, but more often than not, smarter than you.
A Shiba should be relatively small as a larger dog would make a larger target. They should also be able to move through dense brush and scrub- a task that would be much more difficult if they were as large as an Akita.
Good. Size taken care of.
This is a Nordic breed used to dealing with harsh, cold winters. Thus we want a soft, dense undercoat, and a harsher topcoat. When it rains or snows, the skin stays dry and warm- water slicks right off that top layer of guard hairs. Dogs with open coats are dead dogs. Water goes straight to the skin, the dog loses body heat (and being dead, makes a very ineffective hunter). Color-wise red, red sesame, and black and tan, mimic the environments Shibas track their quarry in- all the harder for prey to spot them. White "urajiro" (roughly translated- ventral surface white), allows the hunter to see "flashes" of the dog's tails, and thus be able to keep track of them when running behind them. (And if you've got Shibas, you're ALWAYS running behind them).
Coat and color done.
Feet- very important. The standard calls for "tight little cat feet." These are springy, rounded paws that are most effective for the forest terrain Shibas hunt in. A hare foot (like you see in sight hounds) would be VERY effective on sand (it acts as a "snowshoe") but absolute murder in a forest filled with rocks and twigs. Imagine all these sharp things sticking between paw pads. Ouch! That would slow down progress.
We're very picky about tails. Shiba tails act as "rudders." If you ever watch one chasing something, or running an agility course, you'll see that they unfurl it when dashing from side to side, or making quick turns. A tail that is too short CAN'T do this. And quick turns are IMPERATIVE in an animal that may get gored.
Finally- temperament. If you think we don't worry about it...boy are you dead wrong! Shibas should be aloof. They're cat-like. They do their own thing. They are the disobedience champions of the world. And we LIKE that. Why? Because a dog that takes orders from the schmuck standing safely 20 feet away from the action is a dog that gets killed by a boar or a bear. They are bred to think FOR THEMSELVES.
They don't say all of this in the standard that's sent to AKC.
So how do I know it?
I STUDIED. I hit the books when I was 13. And I KNOW my breed because when I decide to take full responsibility for a litter it is my BUSINESS to know it.
And do my dogs have working ability?
Both Tai and Kimi have dogs in their 2nd or 3rd generations that are succesful boar hunters in Japan. I'm a division one college cross country runner- and my little Kimi can keep up with me for 10 miles or more. My backyard is a graveyard for animals who didn't believe she had working ability.
She's taken birds out of the *air.*
And the first time she saw a boar pig? 6 months of age and she went ballistic.
ETA: as far as my previous snarkiness goes, I'll beg your apology. My twin sister is an English major, and it's one of those things that I have a hard time letting go. You were right- it was rude of me. Sometimes the fact that I'm 22 DOES take over- and this often happens when I think people are saying things just to rile me up. My name isn't "Tempura Tantrum" for no reason.