I dont often post (i prefur to read what everyone else posts) but i was on another forum and there were two posts one about have peoples breeds have changed over the years and the other about peoples fav examples of there breeds. In them someone who breeds Shiba Inu's said that she has noticed that her firends in other breeds say they breed to improve there breed but people she knows in her breed say they breed to presurve the breed, and that she feel thats why there breed generaly hasnt changed over the years.

It made me wonder what you guys on here think, do you breed to improve the breed or presurve it?

I would hope both, to preserve the best traits and improve in that more of the dogs should exhibit these desired traits, in other words that the quality in the breed as a whole should be equally high, not just the odd outstanding example.

In my breed the best of the dogs of 50 years ago would still be able to win in the ring today, though perhaps there are fewer outstanding animals today, but maybe fewer really poor quality ones too.  A lot depends on how big the population is, as we are much fewer in numbers than some decades ago..