I like American show bloodlines. Crosses anyone? - Page 2

Dog1 great post, & good luck at the show this weekend. I use to never care for the Am line GSD, until I was exposed to many more of them.
They do have their extremes in confirmation & temperament, but not all are like that now. Mainly due to being mixed with German lines both show & working. I hear from many families that lost their beloved dogs (Am lines), they did a lot as a family with their dogs through AKC trails; tracking, obedience, fly ball, agility, rally, herding, confirmation, junior handling, etc..

The SCH club I often attend for training recently had people coming to test their dogs for SCH. I was very surprised they were Am lines / mixes. The mix looks more like a nice structured working lines but with more stream line body shape. Both are working well in protection & tracking. You see a bigger difference in obedience both dogs are so willing to please, & calm in obedience they will work just for praise if need be.

10 years ago I had a accidental breeding with my WL female. She was let out into our fully fenced in yard. We didn't really have any close neighbors near us & never had roaming dogs before. So I had my guard down. 5 minutes later looked out the window & there were 2 GSD's in my yard tied. I had a mini heart attack. Long story short the dog was Am champion sired by some legendary Am champion dog, & fully health screen. The sire's breeder was thrilled she always wanted to see want this mix would produce. Of course this was the largest litter of GSD's I've ever had of 14 puppies. Over all the mixture added better bone, heads, more masculine appearance to the males, stronger hocks, & better feet. The Am show line did add a very beautiful top line, shoulders, front, & gait to the puppies without any extremes. Temperament wise & work ability with in the litter varied greatly. There were some awesome work quality dogs, a little more than half the litter. The rest of the litter were best suited as family pets. No shyness / fearfulness in the litter. One of the puppies became a service dog for disable woman, few SAR dogs, most others did AKC actives including confirmation & therapy work. The sire's owner kept a female for showing & adding into her breeding program.  I'll look for the photo's of the puppies & post them later.

Dog1 I wish you the best of luck and I too would like to hear how you do.

Summertime very good post. And I like what you said about the puppies being hard to place. in other than a pet home. I find most people are more prejudiced against the American blood then the German blood. I get calls and people find that out--and I don't mean it like they have to find it cause I amhonest about the dogs--and they say oh no I have to have an all German dog for a watchdog, those American dogs are deformed and on and on. Then there are others who want to start breeding and they decide they're not going to become rich with those lines and only the all German ones will make them rich..............whatever.....................

Also Dog1 you say some will switch to the other dog. Well I've been in the breed going on 30 yrs and I switched from german dogs to mixing them--I'm a lot more pleased. As I said above they are definately more balanced and more of a self thinking type dog. I am more interested in the golden middle--a show dog you can work and a working dog you can show.................

Thanks for the posts!!

Sunsilver...nice female!!

Dog..I am with you! I am also packing up my bitch (German WL pup) and showing AKC next month.  We showed UKC as well.  I just want to give people another look at a different type of dog.

It would be cool to offer some kind of ScH test for American bloodlines at Breed shows where someone can see if their dog shows potential for ScH.

I am not saying I love the American showring dog. Yuck. I don't.  But, I think the american showdog represents a small percentage of GSDs from this bloodline. Unfortunately, they are the most visible (shows, advertising, websites).  I bet the percentage of GSDCA mmebers that show in AKC is small. However, I would also bet my house that there are a lot of small backyard breeders dedicated to producing a stable, balanced GSD (and happen to use american showline). They have no desire to show and there dogs reflect that fact and are much more to breed standard.  I have seen some of these dogs and they look more working line and act more west german showline.  They seem like pretty nice dogs.

The more one breeds for the show ring (american or german) than the more extreme and weird the dog becomes as the only thing that matters is the blue ribbon (not temperament, health, athleticism, working ability).  Likewise, have some Working Line breeders gone the other way and now breed for super hard dogs that get a big "wow" in protection but fail to be balanced?  Breeding solely for competition is never healthy in any avenue.

I believe that the GSD should be a moderate, balanced dog......no extremes in anything...looks, gait, working ability, etc.

I like any dog that fits the description!!  It would seem a combination would be interesting! 


Sara

 

I just talked to a long time American breeder that combined both lines and has what she feels are some very nice offspring. She combined a Vando Moorbeck daughter (known working ability producer. This dog would work all day until the day she died) with her AM male, I mean dog. Result was a dog she was really happy with.

She and some of her friends will be going to the show. They are receptive to the idea. I think the breeders in the area are not so narrow minded and will be open to what the judges have to say. I think it will be a meeting where both can understand the other in an atmosphere of respect for the other.

I think Helen will be pleased to have some GSL's in her ring.  I wish I were closer to VA, I'd love to be a spectator and sit in on that meeting.

No, I'm not going to tell her about her entry, AKC judges can't know that , and she doesn't read this board.

Nans, I think there is going to be a lot more talk about the DNA test for DM within the GSDCA. I think we will see more doing that test in the near future.

My bitch is an AM champion, CHIC certified thyroid, cardiac, hips, elbows and temperament. She has been DNA'd for DM. She has her BH, just got her RN and is in training for her CD. She is 75% ASL, 1/4 GSL's.  Her sire is a Sch3 Am champion with performance titles. His dam is a Sch3, as is his materanl granddam and grandsire. All these dog were HOT or BHOT to their titles here in the US. I've owned 100% GSL's. 50% GSL's and now 25% GSL and don't really see a big difference.

 

I lost my 13 year old am show line/east german male two years ago.  He was the 'best' dog ever:)  Bicolor male that I decided to try the "ring thing" with many years ago as a learning experience.. In matches, he always took a Herding Group 1, in akc conformation ring,  I showed him maybe 6 times, and he went Reserve each time...So always a best man but never a "groom" :) 

I stopped, because it was just a learning experience for us both, I wasn't looking to gain those points or finish him, just something I wanted to try.

If I could have cloned him I would have:(

Sounds nuts and I doubt I'll ever see it happen in my life time but my personal "vision" for the German Shepherd Dog is to see an evolution towards what I have started to call the "Renaissance Line". 

It will be impossible to delineate its genetic origin by looking at the dog or what is accomplished in the show ring or on the field because it will be kicking ass and looking great while doing it in any and all venues its actively participating in.   

That's a great vision, dawg; I share it with you.

Jakoda, what great memories of your heart dog. I too wish you could have cloned him.