Here Come All the American Show Shepherds - Page 7

4Pack, yeah, I noticed that picture too.  If you want to see a live action shot of one of these hockwalkers, go here, and click on Quinn's video: http://www.estahaus.com/videos.htm  Yes, I know, these aren't American show dogs, but some of them suffer from the exact same problem. The video for Kellog also nicely captures the dog in the same moment of the trot as the picture you linked to. I think it happens because the rear leg is too long, and the dog has to angle it slightly to fit it under their body.

Kelly, who knows, enough of this, and I just might get converted to working lines, too!  :-(

My main problem with some of the intensely INBRED Am-bred specialty show lines concerns health issues: general lack of longevity and often early death (bloat, toxic gut), lack of constitutional vigor, EPI, myelopathy, reproductive issues, etc. For years, I worked at veterinary emergency clinics and at a university veterinary teaching hospital. I saw many GSD's bred and or/owned by established breeders (often AKC judges!) presented with an assortment of often life-threatening health issues. I witnessed that numerous well-known dogs (in the pedigrees of many of the dogs pictured) lived only 3-5 years--but were used for breeding early in their careers and had already muddied the genetic pool.

Yes, many of these health problems exist in European dogs; however, the incidence of these "diseases" is/was far more prevalent in the winning Am-bred specialty lines. This is what motivated me to switch to German lines ~1990 after having been in the breed since 1964.

How many years did it take for you to come to your senses Sunsilver? How long you been in the GSD world?

It's ok you know.. You can tell us..  :-) 

Obvously, you didn't click on their homepage: We travel to Germany each year and buy the finest dogs Germany has to offer i.e. the dogs with the best working instincts, the most beautiful type, and the most correct anatomy - the TOTAL German Shepherd Dog!

 Bleeeaaaccchhhh!  :P

Yes, they may go to Germany every year, blah-blah... What they don't tell you is that they often purchase these dogs for little more than a song because the dogs "were not right for Germany"(a direct quote, BTW). Why? You fill in the blanks. Obviously, these imports have been right for the USA--to compete in the AKC show ring--especially, with Jimmy Moses handling!! You can bet that these dogs are not shown in German style shows in this country. But, they do fill the demand and market for pups from dogs having the mystique of German bloodlines.

Louise, the dogs I linked to above are Schutzhund titled, and the videos are showing them doing Schutzhund work. Are you forgetting that AKC won't allow Schutzhund? No, these dogs would never compete in the AKC show ring, but in American Schutzhund competitions.

I don't have time to check, but I believe some, if not most of them got their titles in Germany. 

O.o

 Thats all I can say....really...I didnt go to the website...I was afraid of what I might find.... O.o

 yikes....I agree with your very emphatic bleach