[Longblades]

Really though this means nothing more than that Lady is purebred. Papers dont make the dog.

So, so TRUE. We had a post a few months ago from an unsuspecting dog owner who seemed to think her pooch's CKC registration somehow meant something about the quality, (think what ever means quality to you, health, intelligence, conformation) of the poor dog. Registration is simply among the first things to look for and is by no means the only thing.

it is thought that the only way to have a reputable breeding program is to have CH titled dogs for it.

Yep. In my breed, Labrador Retriever, the disparity between field and bench is high. Probably like CS though I am guessing as I am not familiar with CS. In CS do the working and the bench actually look different? Labs do, mostly. A highly titled field champion likely would not win a conformation title. Reverse is true too though of course there are exceptions. Best bet to get the dog you want for the venue you want is extensive research into past titles and history of the lines and the breeders.

P.S. I believe English Springer Spaniels may be about the worst case of disparity between field and bench. Many, many folks used to seeing the bench types, which were used a lot in advertising when we got our girl, did not believe our girl was ESS. She was field bred.

Many retrieving breeds (take poodles for instance) are not shown in any working venues,

I think they are making a comeback though. We see some winning field titles. Google hunting poodles and you'll get several hits. Here is one for curiousity: http://www.lakelandhuntingpoodles.com/

Sure neither dog would come anywhere near obtaining a working title

LOL. I bet that's because they aren't allowed in the retriever tests. I bet if the border collie folks set up their own tests the BC would ace 'em. That thought has been expressed on a positive gundog site I visit.