Let's be candid:
The rule designating Amateur vs Professional status is limited to compensation for training or handling, and this is a GOOD THING.
The one, single thing that has led to the erosion of field ability in my breed (Chessies) is the collapse of the big FT breeder. Again, let's be candid. Even in Labs, where quality runs deep, it takes a LOT of litters, and a LOT of raising pups, to learn not only HOW to grade a litter, but also to have replacement pups when the one you picked from the LAST litter doesn't make the grade. Choices are simply either to buy a LOT of pups to start, or breed a LOT of litters until all the stars are lined up in their correct order, and you finally get a winner. You simply can't breed top-quality dogs year after year with only one or two dogs. Eventually you run into some kind of insurmountable issue, and the whole thing goes FOOP! At that point, the "big breeder" has options, while the small-time breeder's whole program goes down the tubes. At which point, the small guy usually gets out, because it is just too hard (and expensive) to sutain a breeding program with only one or two brood bitches. This is what has happened to Chessies. Too many people with one or two litters, then stop breeding. Nobody with a set plan or goal beyond just having a litter this year. No long-range plans, and no definable bloodline.
If we decide that anyone who makes money as a professional Field Trialer (breeder-seller of pups, started/finished dogs, or stud services), then we will be penalizing people for having defined breeding goals, and the ability to turn out top-quality pups on a REGULAR basis (vs the occasional lucky accident). It takes years of dedication to the goal, ability to select mates, then select pups to develop a recognizable bloodline. It requires a number of dogs, otherwise all you see is a general disbursement of good genes here and there in the population. Mass selection doesn't work when you are striving for animals at the top level of FT abuility. To produce that CONSISTENTLY requires a long-range plan, and the ability to actively concentrate genes for good traits while reducing the genes for bad traits. You simply can't do this with one or two brood bitches. You also can't do it by sitting around talking about it. You have to train, and compete with, the dogs you breed, to make sure you are still on the right track. Nobody ever won a field trial just talking about it.
Question for the collective: if "professional field trialers" lose their amateur status, who stands to lose the most?
Lisa
