When I was a kid, I owned, sought and applauded a dog that could find the greatest possible amount of game for me. Sometimes it was in a hunt in the 400 acres across the hi-way, sometimes it was in 40 acres back behind the neighbors house, when I could drive it was in any place I could find. You might see me at this point as a peasant poacher hunting the land of the repressive royalty. As I matured and my resources grew and my discretionary time shrunk my habits changed, as did my hunts, and my appreciation for a dog.
Today I find those in my generation of similar mind to me IF they have hunted their entire life, those who have not, or have had a more casual and limited exposure to the hunt, may be of a different mindset on killing game. I wouldn't suggest that anybody's choice of hunting or hunting dog style is right or wrong, or that one is more advanced than another, I would suggest that EVRYBODY's view is a little different...and how people enjoy the sport is of little concern to me as long as they are safe, legal and don't cross moral boundries of reasonable common sense.
As a result, those in similar mindsets form clubs, and in some cases create tests and competitions to show their dogs. These tests and trials are administered by established rules and judged by third party experts. Therefore, they are lauded as a way of identifying animals objectively to breed to. In many of these instances the harvesting of game is disassociated with the process of working it with a dog and in fact, the "game" becomes a display of extremes. Herein we begin defining and refining style within the written standards.
I don't find that offensive or wrong, anymore than I do someone who finds pure enjoment in a pointing lab, or is fanatical about traditional European blood, or loves having a dog that points birds, runs deer and digs up gophers. I am however curious about those who do have an opinion as to why anothers choice of purpose for a dog is wrong.
Why do people have an arguable opinion about style v efficiency when its outside their own personal purpose?“At first blush I am tempted to conclude that a satisfactory hobby must be in large degree useless, inefficient, laborious, or irrelevant.”
― Aldo Leopold