This is the last diary entry I will be making for 2006. I've learned so much this year I can't sum it all up, so I'm not going to bother. One thing which has been on my mind, though, is my changing awareness of the varieties of Aussie-ness, and how different groups within the Aussie world define themselves. It's quite a hard thing to get any dispassionate clarity on. I've put more thought into this essay than almost any other, but I'm not still not satisfied I have said what I mean to.

We all know the Aussie was originally developed as a general-purpose stockdog. The word "versatile" was often used to describe it, meaning that an ordinary Aussie was expected to herd sheep, cattle, poultry, and hogs, guard the homestead and the pickup, be a family companion, kill rats in the barn, and maybe even do some hunting.

And we all know too, that as the Aussie became popular as a conformation show dog, those who were breeding for a standardized appearance and those who were breeding for working ability inevitably began to split the breed in two. However, in the '90's, dog performance sports really took off, and the adjective "versatile", as attached to the Aussie, took on an entirely different meaning. Now it was an Aussie who was able to win a conformation championship, and also acquire titles in Agility, Flyball, Obedience, Tracking, Rally, and in ASCA stockdog trials and other herding trials.

One of the foundational ideas behind this new idea of versatility is to bring back together what had been sundered: the original working Aussie, and the show dog. Breeders who subscribe to this ideal often describe their lines as "performance Aussies"; "good-looking dogs that can work", "bred to the entire standard"; "Aussies that do it all"; "multi-purpose Aussies", and of course, "versatile".

This is a laudable goal, surely: the vision of an Aussie which has both modern looks and age-old litheness and stock-savvy. What a combination! This is a very healthy development for the conformation Aussie, it seems to me. But, it has nothing particular to offer the working Aussie breeder or user. This is due to the laws of genetics.

By far the most popular approach to this new goal of versatility is to breed a conformation-type Aussie together with a working-type Aussie. Much like you would expect, the puppies usually look more like show dogs than the working parent. They also, naturally, work more like show dogs than the working parent. Genetically, the likelihood of the the resulting progeny being an improvement upon the working qualities of the working parent is virtually zero. The conformation lines have lost so much working ability that it is impossible that such half-and-half breedings would not show a net decline in stock talent.

What I've come to realize is that this effect doesn't bother most versatility breeders. A pretty Aussie with enough 'work' in it to obtain stockdog and herding titles is just what many had in mind. In fact, their ideal Aussie is an entirely different dog than mine. So who am I to argue?

The biggest problem, as I see it, is that there is no straightforward simple way to distinguish between Aussies which have been really been bred to work, and Aussies which have been bred to work a bit. Stockdog titles are hardly infallible guides. Where it will surely show up is in practical work. On a ranch, sooner or later, every ounce of inborn talent will be required.

The only proven way to increase or even maintain working ability in a breed of dog is to test individuals doing the work you want them to do, and breed the best ones together. For a breeder of real working dogs, the test is the work. That's all there is to it. Attempting to conform to a written standard of appearance is approaching from the wrong end. The work itself creates the appearance of the dog. That is, a dog that works beautifully is a beautiful dog. That is the 'working' definition of beauty.

So, while I fully agree with promoting the versatility of the Aussie, it is only the old, original definition that I believe has any validity for working-bred Aussies: general-purpose stockdog and true-blue best friend.