what did Max mean? - Page 3

I dunno Do Right. I have almost ran my car off the road a few times, checking out construction workers. Models are too dull/stupid for my taste. What will they do when their looks run out? I prefer the rugged type, I guess in men and dogs.

" Our vivacious shepherd dog longs for work. He is grateful for all kinds of work, and, if unoccupied, will find a field of activity for himself...often very disagreeable..."    Max von Stephanitz

as with all things in life it is left up to interpitation.   what is work?(sorry do right, models dont work, they walk) show dogs run in circles, is that work,,, more like exercise in my book.  if licking the kids face and protecting the sofa from cats is work,, then why not breed it?

Max said keep it a working dog.  What is a working dog?  who decides if what the dog does is "work". 

psa, schutzhund, ring, herding, agility, etc.  may be "SPORTS" in the eyes of some,,but that is more work than most pets do.

to me titles do mean something,,, it means that the dog is not laying on the floor, getting fat and lazy like its owner.  I can hear it now,,"but i walk my dog 10 miles a day, and he swims all the time"  once again, exercise! 

critics will say they can take any shelter dog and go put a title on it.  maybe so,, i'd like to see it. 

just some thoughts,,, i was in the need for some conversation and not "look at my dog part 19"

john

LOL John why not put Dar up so we can discuss him? We can discuss payment later.

Why does it always come down to the two lines?  I feel that what Max meant was quality before quantity.  Mediocre dogs falling out of the gene pool and retaining the working ability of the breed.  Owning a working dog breed as a GSD is not for every man.  When dogs are bred for "everyman" quality goes down. It is kind of a given that a breeder of quality will not have their bitches go to a male with any working title under a SchH3 although a SchH1 and breed survey is all that is really required.  I currently witnessing so much breeding of untitled dogs.  I bet you that is what would have Max turning in his grave more than anything else. 

"Who would you pay money to go see?  A bevy of models (take your pick, males or females), or would you pay to go see some plumbers or asphalt layersdo their thing. "

Depends on the butt crack

"Beautiful is what serves a useful purpose"     Max v Stephanitz

Okay, people.  I have refrained from saying this for a long time, but I am going to go ahead and say it now.

Capt. Max V. Stephanitz is no longer with us.  Neither is Elvis nor John F. Kennedy.

"He" started out with improving on the already present herding dogs, then switched his goals to police and military dogs when herding was being done by other breeds that did it better, and herding was dwindling.

NOW, police and military "jobs" are being taken over by other breeds (#1 is the Malinois), so where do we go from here?

If the answer is Schutzhund, okay, I'll go along with that.

If the answer is that the GSD shall become "a jack of all trades but a master of none", okay, fine, I'll go along with that.

If the answer is to improve the breed until "it" wins back its' police and military jobs, okay, I'll agree with that.

If the answer is to have a breed that enters beauty pagents (dog shows), (herding division by the way, not working), then, okay, I'll go along with that.

If your answer is the breed could and perhaps is, the best all around family companion and protector, then I can agree and concur with that.

If the answer is a combination of beauty, Schutzhund ( and related sports), herding, family companion and protector, and multiple working tasks, then I will heartily go for that.  But isn't that what we already have?

Tell me, good folks.  Which do YOU choose?

Did I miss one?

discuss away 4pack

Show Dogs have their titles....

Working Dogs have their titles....

Family Dogs could have titles...:

  HFP - Honorable Family Protector (sleeps by the door to stop intruders - barks distinguishable depending on threat level)

  CBS - Canine Baby Sitter (herds the kids into one room to keep an eye on them - spends hours letting them try to get the ball)

  CPH - Canine Purple Heart (injured in the line of duty as family protector)

  GB - Grief Buddy (keeps head in your lap when you've lost someone you love)

I'm sure I could come up with a few more, and ya'll could too, but I'll just hang my butt out here with a bulls-eye on it for now