Here Come All the American Show Shepherds - Page 2

EchoMeadows,

LOL! I see bunch of crappy photos here on this database and I cant seem to understand why people must publish them! Especially the quite noticeable photo shopped pictures that looks so obviously fake. Can you believe how you can turn your dog into a red tomato?!?! I also admit that I've taken some crappy pictures myself, however when it comes to updating the pictures here, I want it to look as professional as I can.. Or at least have way decent for that matters. I might be asking too much but it would be helpful to get a better quality camera. People who own quality dogs should be able to afford decent quality camera's.

Stacking a dog isn't easy, which I admit. It takes practice and patience. If ya want to stack your dog in a professional manner, buy a URMA foto book and study the photo's on PROPER stacking :)

Sunsilver, with all due respect. I cant seem to see and to find anybody that posted "You're right Sunsilver there is nothing wrong with the way these dogs look" Just who are you talking about? I confess that i'm very tired, as it's 5:06AM EDT. I'm curious into wondering, who ya talking to? :)

Germanshepherdlitters.com

Hey.

This database is an excellent place to do research on GSD's, the good, the bad, and the ugly. The more dogs with pix on here the better IMO.

Forearmed is forewarned!

SS 

You can say all you want about show dogs, but I have seen the same extrmes in temperament in the Schutzhund field. Until breeders start breeding the "total" package" we are going to continue to have poor quality dogs. Temperament, structure, health, drives and looks should be equally important in all breedings. But too many focus on one extrmeme and over look the "big Picture". I want a German Shepherd who can do it all and not have to limp home. Isn't that what makes a German Shepherd a German Shepherd to begin with. The versitable breed.

Brittany, it was Hundguy, 2 posts above mine. I think he might have been trying to be sarcastic, but I wasn't sure.

Echo, I SO agree with you about the crappy photos! I often look at them and wonder what the heck the person was thinking to bother posting them.

I've been on both sides of the fence, decided I prefer the German type of GSD over the American style but still try to educate myself by looking at both and keeping an open mind. Frankly, folks. some of the German style dogs with the banana backs, Akita heads, overdone musculature, and froggy rears don't look like they could herd sheep 24/7 either.  Many of the movement photos showing German dogs over reaching and crabbing while holding their backs like camels don't exactly indicate soundness in motion either yet most are captioned as being flawless movers. I  have a conniption every time I look at photos on this board of little puppies for sale with horrible roachy toplines...puppies advertised as world class and top show/breeding prospects.. Gimme a break. A correctly build dog of most any breed will move with a flat topline that is so strong and steady you could literally sit a glass of water on it and not a drop would be spilled.  Try that with your avergae Am line or German import. 

There are extremes in both styles; banana backs and squatty rears are no less detrimental to the overall soundness of the breed than are backlines with too much slope and hock walkers.  If you want to see general soundness in the breed IMO you need to concentrate on how the workingline GSD's are constructed and how they move. The showlines with the Akita heads, short thick necks, short legs, froggy rears and roachy backs shock the American line breeders just as their dogs shock most of you. Both are examples of breeding for extremes and none of these dogs, American line or German could ever working 24/7 tending a large flock of sheep.

Good post, Dennis.  I did a screen capture on all the pictures of these hock-walking / banana backed dogs so that I can have some examples on hand of whacked show dogs for show and tell.

I live in West Virignia (can you hear the bango music?) and people often ask me what my black sable GSD is mixed with, or where I got the wolf hybrid.  LOL

Actually folks, it's up to us as consumers to drive the direction of the breed.  Even if the judges are selecting for the extremes, every individual has the right to choose what sort of dog we buy and show.  If a dog is oversized, over-angulated, too large you do NOT have to but it just because it got a VA!  There are many workingline dogs with V conformation.  They just don't happen to be fluffy black and red and so they'll never take high marks in the show ring. 

Vote with your wallet, folks!

Yvette

P.S.  This post contains no sarcasm which can be easily misinterpretted on email, e.g. "nothing wrong with those dogs" = dripping with sarcasm.