THE ULTIMATE GSD! - Page 5

Paul Garrison - no comment...

During the last 40+ years of my life I learned one thing :
The amount of puppies not suitable either for  "sport" or "real" protection work out of showlines versus workinglines  is about the same.
And please believe me - I´m living in the middle of Northrhein Westphalia surrounded by dozens of breeders and clubs.

It´s like everywhere and with everything - you need to know what you want, and you need to know how to select.

this seems like a fitting time and place to pay tribute to the best herding dog we have ever had.  :)  2 yrs ago today we had to put axel down.  we still miss him terribly.
he was not only a great working dog, but a fierce home defender, awesome companion & member of our family.
at about 7 or 8 months of age axel began showing interest in our goats.  we decided to just let him be and see how he behaved with them.  i had taken him with me a number
of times tending the goats as they grazed, but did not try to influence him or encourage him to herd them.  that was all on his own----completely natural.  one day we were
both out with the goats and had the dog with us.  he decided it was time to put the goats away and go in the house.  we were flabbergasted & totally amazed when he began
methodically rounding them up and herding them into the barn.  from then on, we used him to go after stray ones or to bring them in.  occasionally they would break out and
end up in the neighbors bean field.  axel would skillfully bring them in.  one day our big breeding buck ended up in the beans.  now, i've said this a number of times but it is
absolutely the truth----- our boer bucks are big.  some of them weighing 350#  complete with horns and stubborn as hell.  it takes a really good dog to bring in a buck who is
determined to bloat himself on beans!  i would equate this situation to sending a dog into a building after a perp.  this is real life.  this is not a sport.  the outcome is not assured.
is the goat going to try to kill the dog as a perp would?  you never know. i'm telling you this dog was excellent.  and that's the truth.  i have no reason to lie about this--besides
the dog has been buried for 2 yrs so i am not attempting to promote him.  he was a showline dog, grandson of the famous coward jello.  also grandson of jeck.  in trying to
understand how this dog inherited his ability, this is what i have come up with:  his intelligence and problem solving ability came from odin.  herding/working ability came from hilla,
daughter of cello.  this dog was a constant reminder to me that each dog deserves to be evaluated of their own merit, not just on their lineage and not only a scorebook.  i love
dogsports, and would not discourage anyone from participating, but folks who have only done dogsports & have not tested their dogs in real life situations, do not have the right
to claim that their dogs are real working dogs.
here is axel's pedigree.  he was an oversized dog--really big.  95#  my hubby stands 6'2" & 225 in this pic.    https://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=548486-axel-von-deutschland-direkt

we have a solar light on his grave (next to the house) which we take comfort in.  run free, buddy puddy.
pjp
 

Jeck and Cello were known for producing above average courage and working within the lines they were from.

but folks who have only done dogsports & have not tested their dogs in real life situations, do not have the right
to claim that their dogs are real working dogs.

Very well said

why are u always so angry for??

 

I thank God everyday that I am not in the situation where my dog must save me from some bad guy. That is why we have dog sport. Every title is not a reason to breed! The dogs that deal with bomb detection, drug detection and the ''mother stabbers'' and ''father rapers'' are not available for breeding. To know good dogs from bad requires commitment to follow the breed by training and trialing. Long periods at the keyboard should only help you pick a direction of investigation, not a breeding program. the ultimate GSD? The last [ and next] GSD who finds a bomb.

During the last 40+ years of my life I learned one thing :
The amount of puppies not suitable either for  "sport" or "real" protection work out of showlines versus workinglines  is about the same.
And please believe me - I´m living in the middle of Northrhein Westphalia surrounded by dozens of breeders and clubs.

 

With all respect susie, but are you saying showlines are just as good for sport and police/protectionwork as workinglines? Many breeders would have a different opinion about that.

To me, the ultimate GSD is the one that performs the job required of it at the very moment. I don't have any bombs that need to be found, so my ultimate GSD is a PPD, and Farm Dog.

Johan, with all due respect - I told about the amount  "NOT SUITABLE for sport or "real" protection work"...
In almost every litter there are pets, prey drive monsters, and some real mean candidates, no matter out of which line. but in the age of 8 weeks,  their further future is made by the new owners.

• I have seen hundreds of showline dogs with great drives, but the only interest of the owners was a "breeder V" on the trialfield, enough for the successful career in the showring - a lot of good working dogs lost.
• I have seen hundreds of workingline dogs with great structure, but the only interest of the owners were 300 points on the trialfield. These dogs weren´t trained for the showring and didn´t achieve half of their potential - a lot of well structured dogs lost, too.

I have trained showlines for the police, I have handled workinglines on shows. there are good dogs and there are bad dogs, no matter where they come from.
There are workingline studs/dams with mediocre progeny, there are showlines with mediocre progeny.
There are workingline studs/dams worth to look at, and there are showline studs/dams worth to look at.
The overall percentage of good and bad is almost the same, you always need to select.
Although I´m no breeder and will never be I have seen hundreds of puppies growing up, showlines and workinglines, I do " recruit " my personal protection dogs out of pure showlines for almost 30 years now. You wouldn´t like to "play" with them...
People tend to look for the "champions" only instead of an overall well rounded, solid dog. Out of these dogs, no matter which line, you are able to get everything you want.
It´s not about lines, it´s about dogs and their capabilities, their temperament, their drives, their ( old fashioned expressed ) hardness, courage, and fighting drive fitting within the standard. It´s about the owner, the handler, the helper, raising, socializing, training, and so much more...