Workinglines vs Showlines - Page 9

Thank you, Hired, but this special topic simply drives me crazy.
I tend to call this kind of dog "German Shepherd light" - and that´s no fun.

LOL, Susie! I'll have to remember that term!

No Susie, its not fun, it is, unfortunately, a reality and its affecting all breeds, but especially those coming from the European biting sports because biting is no longer an acceptable form of expression for society and its dogs nor is it a measure of character for those that do not know.

Most active duty police dogs live in a kennel on their owner or officer's property.  Very few are house dogs. That they go home with their handler or officer is a convenient way for them to be cared for and have a life outside police work but most do not sleep at the foot of the officer's bed nor are they house dogs.  Most police dogs have a kennel adjacent to but not in the officer's house.  I think it is a combination of liability and the effort to keep the dog both safe from harm and safe from causing harm.  The founders of the GSD breed selected their dogs for livestock herding and farm use .. the GSD was not bred to do police work .. that came later as did IPO .. the founding dogs of the GSD breed were HGH or herding dogs.  The rules for herding with the GSD state that the animals herded are not to be bitten or harmed during the herding.  The GSD is allowed to grab onto the sheeps wool but is not allowed to draw blood and if you know how tender a sheeps hide is that implies no biting down with a crushing grip as the IPO idiots imply is necessary for a GSD to be a "real" GSD.  The was no IPO in the beginning of the GSD breed and I believe the breed books for the GSD were closed long before IPO was invented to see which owner had the longest Johnson.  The original breed suitability test was a pass fail .. no scores and no competition.

Agreeing with Susie on this.  In the market for a pup myself and a life long owner and lover of the German Shepherd Breed, I find myself in preference for the working dog.  I find many of todays couch potatoes unrecognizable from the Shepherds I grew up with.  I prefer the Shepherd that respects and obeys me and one that can demand my respect.  Many of us (Dhepherd owners) are rural dwellers and expect and depend on the protection of our packmates.  By the same token we demand obiedance and go to the trouble to contain and control.  I have found that the serious Shepherd owner takes better care of his or her animal that most folks do thier own kids.

Bubba, do you currently have a herd of sheep you are using your dogs to herd? Do you know anyone in real life who actually uses his GSD to herd their sheep?

While I am not a fan of IPO as the "be all end all" of a breed, I do wonder what your vitriolic hatred of it is, what has caused you to feel this way about it? Please dont tell me that its based on your belief that a GSD is supposed to be bred to be a labotomized couch ornament that burps to relieve boredom...please dont tell me that your past breeding program was to create "pets" because if you want to quote what the breed was bred to do, its very creator said, "take this trouble for me, keep the GSD a WORKING breed"! 

Since the breed found a niche a long time a go in the police field and since for many years, it represented the epitomy of a police dog, what is the problem with it working in that field and being able to do its job well?

Do we know what Stephanitz meant when he said "working dog"? What were GSD's being used for at the time of that quote?

Never mind, I think I found the answer - 

That´s our history with the German Shepherd, Blitzen. 100s of clubs arised within a few years, 1000s of people became involved.
The dogs either were used as official service/patrol dogs or people interested in the breed trained them in the clubs ( SchH / now IPO ), and 1000s still do.
That´s how we grew up, knowing this breed needs to have a job, and knowing this breed is not created for pet homes - but times, society, and people changed, even over here , not for the betterment of this outstanding breed - and globalization and money is going to destroy the idea of this special and unique breed.
There is the Alsatian, there is the ASL, there are the Chinese perversions - these dogs may be outstanding dogs in itself, but they are no German Shepherd dogs - and we, the "founders" of the breed, willingly serve the international ( and national ) market...

Thanks Blitzen for putting an end to the dribble that the originator of the breed did not facilitate the use of Sch and police work as a means of determining breed worthiness. I have owned the book since the seventies, and read it umpteen times, I'm not going argue facts with folks that want to spin things to fit their agenda.