Breed standard recognition software

[Nicole Wilson]

What are your thoughts on a breed standard recognition software - I’m assuming this doesn’t already exist and if it does, does anyone have any experience with it? - that works similar to face recognition software?

The idea would be to detect a setter’s outline, in all three dimensions, and its closeness to the breed standard. And perhaps movement too. Obviously temperament, health history, etc. could not be detected. The user should be able, though, to set certain parameters that maybe some deviations from the standard or some faults are allowed.

It could e.g. be useful in assisting a breeder in matching up sire and dam and it could also assist judges in case of disputes at a show…

Do you think this would be a worthwhile software?

[ursula wilby]

If I understand your suggestion correctly, you are thinking about an "ideal" setter that is drawn/created in a computer.

I think that would be the biggest problem Nicole.
Just look at the comments on this site regarding the ideal looks of a setter. Whenever we are discussing looks, we tend to differ, I doubt if there is one single setter that we could all agree on.

One of the "worst" jobs I have done was a profile of a dogs-head for a breedclub. It was a straight outline and nothing complicated whatsoever. I was given some photos of champion-dogs to work from and felt I had done a great job...but then of course everybody has their own idea as to the perfect dog.
"The nose looks great, but I think the ears are slightly too small"
"The ears are too big, but the placement and size of eye is just spot on!"
"I think the ears are perfect but the eye should be just slightly smaller" and so on...yet there were only about a handfull of people deciding.
I would dread to think how many different points of view you could end up with before you had a drawing of a whole dog that the majority could accept...:-)

An impossible task!!!!!!!!!

And yes, the breedclub finally agreed...but only on a majority rule...:-)

[Nicole Wilson]

I agree that it could take quite some time to set up something like this and to create a “prototype” of a setter according to the breed standard everyone could more or less agree on. It would involve using many champions and spanning over several years. I'd be very curious as to whether it could be done.

Something that should theoretically be easy to set up is a dimensions parameter to determine whether a given setter is well-proportioned or not.