Do you know the difference between working and show lines? In this post, I’ll explain how most dog breeds have what’s called a working line and a show line. We’ll look at what difference that makes to a dog’s appearance and behaviour and what this means for us as the humans that look after them. 

Throughout the process of dogs becoming a domesticated species, humans chose to breed certain individuals with others for a specific purpose. Dogs would have been selected and matched for their working abilities. So dogs who were good at herding sheep would have been bred with others with the same skill. Over time, these dogs would become our herding breeds- Border Collies, Kelpies etc. The same is true of dogs all over the globe with a variety of skills/ traits such as speed and strength, but also behavioural traits like friendliness or independence, were specifically chosen to enable them to be more successful at certain tasks, such as retrieving. Over the course of generations of selective breeding, individual breeds as we know them today were created. 

Working and Show Lines

Dogs whose parents and ancestors were specifically bred for working roles are known as ‘working lines’. It’s worth pointing out that not all dogs bred for work will actually ‘work’ in their intended role and many live as pets. Being bred for specific jobs, working lines dogs tend to show high levels of the traits they were intended for. These ‘instincts’ often need little training and will often find an outlet if not given one. This can cause some issues for both dog and owner- but that’s another blog post! For example, a working cocker spaniel is likely to be highly energetic, intelligent, easily bored, very easy to train and enjoy retrieving and carrying objects. They are typically more interested in humans and may struggle without human company. Our dog Duke is the product of a working lines springer and a working lines cocker and fits this description to a t! 

Differences in Appearance

More recently, individuals within the same breed have been chosen to create a specific appearance, with less focus on their working traits. These dogs are known as ‘show line’. This name comes from them being bred to be shown at dog shows and other events. These dogs are often bigger than their working counter-parts. They tend to be less driven to work (though certainly not untrainable) and typically have more elaborate coats. For example, the show cocker spaniel is taller and has a more wavy coat all over the bodies. The working cocker typically has a fluffy underbelly and legs but less fur on their back. This is to protect the skin from the bushes they will run through in retrieving game birds as gundogs. The working cocker also has a flatter skull, whereas the show cocker has a more cone shaped skull.

The research

The research on the differences between working and show lines within the same breed is still a growing field. However, in 2016 Fadel et al found working lines Labrador Retrievers and Border Collies to be more responsive to their owners than show lines of their respective breed. Show lines of both breeds were also found to be more tolerant of strangers, more able to ignore other dogs and able to stand still for longer periods of time. Taken together, it could be said that show line dogs are more easy going than working line dogs. As a dog trainer, this is what I see on a day to day basis. Put most simply, most working lines dogs will need more mental and physical stimulation than a show lines dog of the same breed. 

Not all dogs were bred for work as we might think of it. Companion or lapdog breeds were bred for exactly that- to keep humans company. Which is arguably the hardest job of all given the peculiarities of us human beings! These breeds include the Pug, Chihuahua and Papillion.

References

Fadel, F. R., Driscoll, P., Pilot, M., Wright, H., Zulch, H., & Mills, D. (2016). Differences in trait impulsivity indicate diversification of dog breeds into working and show lines. Scientific Reports, 6(1), 22162.

What next?

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