Interesting! I cut the section out of my original post regarding dam's prominence in UK kennels breeder's programs, since I used my dogs as a base example, generally, to avoid the thread morphing into a, "My dog Zeus can knit, retrieve birds, and do long division simultaneously!".
To stay with Tod's overall subject focus: If the base factors that determine a pup's overall worth and promise from date-of-purchase forward are driven by who its parents were, and how well those genetics are nurtured and expressed through early socialization and training, then limited breeding registrations damage the breed more than they serve as a check to improve it through time.
Other than a yellow and a chocolate, our nine dogs have been fox reds, four of them from Irish or Irish/British stock. Fox reds became re-established within the yellow lab. community here in the States from imports of bench (show) stock primarily from Britain. Kane and Flynn are from Craighorn Bracken lines, which doesn't translate to much, since his progeny number well over a thousand pus from around 160 plus breedings. He was the first yellow to win the British Championship, in 2001. More noteworthy to me were his previous placings in prior attempts, as well as the consistency of his progeny. Keep in mind, the British structure their field trials in such a way that, should a dog fail to bring back the mark, another dog is called-up to attempt to complete the retrieve. Should the dog be successful, the test points total it is awarded increases.
Craighorn Bracken's pedigree was populated by more show(bench) dogs, generally weaker on the sire side throughout his ancestry, with the dam's lines containing more FTW and FTCH members. This has drawn comment from breeders on both sides of "the pond."Kelleygreen and Keepsake kennels have been the source stock for many fox reds in the U.S. Some folks argue that one of these kennels is a puppy mill. Personally, I think it is ridiculous to contend that the deeply ingrained characteristics of scenting and retrieving for which Labradors as a breed have been associated, can be destroyed by show stock outcrosses.
Does this further confound the whole limited breeding registration? Yes. Also left-out of this discussion is how frequently a bitch should be bred over the course of a year, which directly impacts both litter size and individual health, and also influences genetic expression...
This is a representative argument for limited registration. Note that the focus of their rationale is to discourage back-yard breeders and puppy mills, drivers that Tod does not feel should be included in the discussion.
http://firehouselabs.com/frequently-asked-questions/limited-vs-full-akc-registration