Have you caught 'Dogs and More Dogs', being shown on PBS this week?
Features Coppinger and his thesis: dogs should be bred for temperament
_only_, not appearance nor ability to perform tasks they are no longer
able to do. You can see a preview he
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/dogs/
Karen Overall is also featured, assessing a fear-aggressive dog -- a
condition she believes to be genetically induced. Posted weeks ago
about our shelter dog, Gus, and our using Overall's 'Relaxation
Protocol' with him. He became 99% reliable (which, of course, is not
good enough), and was adopted by a volunteer who had worked with him,
knowing she will have to monitor him closely always.
He was immediately replaced by another, Serena:
http://www.sbacc.org/DOGS%20Current/serenafull.jpg
Volunteers immediately formed another 'task force' to work with her.
I admire their efforts tremendously (and it's making them more skilled
at observing and working with other dogs), though I suspect the outcome
will be the same, not perfect.