will american breeders ever start breeding for a more well rounded GSD? - Page 6

Blitzen,

 A "real" GSD would match the temperament description in the breed standard. Obviously there has been a fair bit of interpretation involved in defining the conformation standards, but there is no dancing around or making excuses for breeding dogs with poor temperament and a lack of working ability.

 

 A straight back is just as much of a hindrance as is over angulation
​Incorrect.  Lack of angulation is just as much a hindrance.  People need to learn to separate the aesthetic look of the topline from the angulation of the hindquarter, which is what is responsible for driving the dog forward.

Character
The German Shepherd should appear poised, calm, self confident, absolutely at ease, and (except when agitated) good natured, but also attentive and willing to serve. He must have courage, fighting drive, and hardness in order to serve as companion, watchdog, protection dog, service dog, and herding dog.

That covers a lot of different venues - companion dog, watch dog, protection dog, service dog, herding dog.
 

Body
The top line extends from the point where the neck meets the skull past the well developed withers and the gently downward sloping back to the slightly sloping croup without a visible break. The back is firm, strong, and well muscled. The loin is broad, well developed, and strongly muscled. The croup should be long and have a slight downward slope (approximately 23 degrees from horizontal) and should merge smoothly into the tail set.
 
 

Xeph and Blitzen,

Thanks for correcting my poorly worded sentence. 

I agree that we need to breed for working ability.  The problem is defining working ability and then developing a way to test it.

I do enjoy reading your posts. It helps me learn.  It may not change the standard but it does educate a few individuals.

look at the mostly intelligent and thoughtful discussion/info that has emerged on this thread about the breed, and some arrogant schmuck has the hide to call the OP a troll for starting it.

i just want to catch some of the these breed experts alone for a few minutes.

The way I read the character part is that he MUST have courage, fight drive, hardness in order to be COMPANION, watch dog and protector.......I am laughing because I have pushed this theme for years, but every time I do some pseudo expert comes on and says well the breed isn't only police dogs....haha....well the standard is saying the same thing I preach....even for companion dog.....now is it my fault that the standard clearly defines courage, fighting drive, and hardness as necessary components of the breed...lol maybe I shouldn't keep harping on this because we often don't see these things anymore in the breed....they really ought to change the standard because the standard seems to be pushing the breed to have traits that many on this forum don't want to see in the breed, although they swear they want correct temperament. Thanks Blitzen for posting that info because many don't breed for it anymore and think they are correct!

Sorry to be off topic

Gustav,

for those people that say the breed is not only police k9s. i would ask them simply how many active and retired working k9s (military, paramilitary, police, etc) reside in homes with family's and make excellent companions and contribute to the house hold?since many are and do. and are more balance and reliable companions that 1000's of so called pet and other dogs that do not exhibit those qualities.

great point

The quiet on CHARACTER is deafening, especially from them that post on everything!  It's real easy to refute Gustav, but it's much more difficult to refute black and white from the standard. But my concepts on the breed have always been grounded in the standard and the book Word and Picture, and not fads, what's winning in the ring or on the Sch Field. Used to be time that ring and SCH field closely reflected what the standard and the book promoted, but that is long gone.....I get that! But the true protectors of the breed didn't drink the kool-aid.