Homework - Page 1

I recently posted a response that seemed to have some appeal to a few. I received a couple responses to start this thread. I'll start the subject in hopes that others will share their thoughts. Homework has been discussed on every board every time someone writes they have been burned. Solution from all is better to have done your homework. No one has ever bothered to really say what homework is. What are the questions to ask? What type of dog do I want? What is a fair price? The answer to these and all other questions depends entirely on the individual. Rest assured the type of dog I like is not necessarily the type of dog for you. The German Shepherd breed is the only breed that has extremes within the breed. There is something there for everyone. Prior to acquiring a dog. May I suggest three simple steps to enhance your chance of satisfaction. Know what you want, why you want, it and what you will do with it. For me "Homework" has been an evolution. I started out on the internet as many have. Looking at pictures, looking at show results and learning the terms such as BH,AD,SchH,a1,V,SG,SV,etc., and how they all related to the grand scheme of the German Shepherd experience. It's amazing to me how many have written that they did their homework and did not get what they wanted. The extent of their homework seems to be an internet search. The breeder with the best website, the most exaggerated claims, and the most pictures of VA dogs posted to make you think they own them is the winner. After all, aren't all AKC registered German Shepherds the same. You know, black saddle, pointy eared looking dog. So it begins. First step is to know what you want. The breed has 4 types of dogs. AKC, two types of European lines, working and conformation and whatever else is out there that has a piece of paper that says it's a German Shepherd. Your selection should be a result of your interest and acquired knowledge. Hopefully from personal experience and not from what is written on web bulletin boards. Go meet breeders, listen to their thoughts and goals. They will be yours the moment you get a dog from them. You automatically inherit their breeding program, business ethics, reputation for what they produce. Make sure this is what you want. Type of German Shepherd doesn't matter. Go out and learn from breeders, from shows, trials, judges, all the information you can expose yourself to. Soon you will gravitate to a breeder or type of dog. After visiting many kennels and seeing many types of German Shepherds I settled with one type. Within that type there are other types. It takes time to acquire a taste for what you like. I'll relate this to humans. When you are young, it's mostly looks that attract. As you meet and mature. you may decide that the pretty ones are not necessarily the best for you. An added dimension like personality becomes important. Then intelligence, then can they cook, clean and do whatever is on your list of important things you want from a mate. About the time you understand what and who you are and what you want. The picture becomes clearer. For some the requirement may only be their partner have a job or health insurance. Others may want the personality, appearance, education, etc., to a higher degree. The more you want from your dog, the more you need to know. This to me is the first homework assignment. Learn what you want. I'll write more later on part two.

I agree completly Dog1 thanks you for the well written advice. I did homework in every way possible I could not be more pleased with the results and wish everyone the best of luck finding theirs. I look forward to part 2 lol

Well said dog1 as u guys are familira by now with me on this board all this is part of my homework and everyday im learinin new things... I have by now come a long way but still have miles and miles to go.. thers one thing to note however..its that not everyone is fortunate to live in a country wherte peoper GSds are in wide circulatin..or there r clubs, breeders vets and all the works that ppl in the west enjoy regarding gsds. so for ppl like us only option is the internet .where forums such as this and GSd world provide most of the info ..... My main purpse on thsi borad was to learn all i can abt gsds, and their maintanence and breeding...and most of all healthcare.. I think what ppl liek me wud be interested in is that if we ever want to import a gsd what kind of precatuationary measures can we take ..this is because a frnd of mine recently imported a gsd from Germany a beautiful male with solid pink papers but on checkin him out that day i found that even though the papers showed a tatoo number there was no tatoo in the dogs ears and he had also developed soft ears where teh tips are floppy..Seeing this i was doubtwfull wetehr we had recieved the dog we paid for .. So guys tell me what we can do to prevent such things from happenin again in the future cos our currency is very low compared toi the dollar so even small dollar values have a huge finnacial implicatiosn for us.. So what precautionary measures can we take to make sure that the dog bein shipped to us is exactly the one we paid for.

Great post Dog1. I too look forward to part two. As for OldDog, my heart goes out to you. EVERY post written by you, whether it be one you initiated or one you have replied to; reeks of "conspiracy theory". Have you ever considered being tested for paranoid schizophrenia? It must be a very sad world you live in. I am just your average person that comes to this forum with the mind set that part of what I find will be utterly ridiculous, another part may be honest and open appeals for help, and yet another part will be truly informative and viable information. Then there is "your" part. I see nothing that you bring to the table, but consistent paranoia and negativity. You have appointed yourself as the Grand Victor of Verbosity, the Czar of Conflict, the Prince of Patronizing, and the Shiek of Self-Dillusion. Despite writing your posts with a thesaurus in one hand, you still come off like the Buffoon of the Board! NOBODY really cares about this network of spies, counter agents, and conspiracies that you have created in your own mind. I understand that you need this medium for your own visions of self-importance, but seriously you go too far. Give it a rest. Your testimonials have reached biblical proportions and have long since become boring, repititious, and with zero entertainment value. I apologize to other board members for this post being off-topic to a great degree, but I felt compelled to address OldDog and say "enough is enough already!!!

plzzzzzzzzzz lets not go there again...whats the point of this futile fighting...if u wanna settle things with each other plz do so outside this board.. this kind of childish fallacy creates problems for the rest of us who come here to learn and exchange views... I hope all of ur good sense will prevail and this board will function harmoniously.. Have a good day

I would like to add to Dog1's initial post that within AKC there are also 2 groups of dogs, the total conformation lines and the lines that are seen in the performance arena.... so really there are 5 types of dogs or 5 styles of dogs you might say... Nice job Dog1, that took a lot of time....

Thank you Dog1, The information that you provided is extremely useful and very true, whether one is buying their first dog, or their fifty-first. It is probably the first useful information that I have seen on the site for quite a long time. It is a good direction for the site, useful information with constructive dialogue as followup.

Thank - you Dog 1! When it comes to our breed, some people will use German Shepherd Dog to fleece unsuspecting people. LET THE BUYER BEWARE!! Do not go to one breeder, but look to see what is out there. Ask ALOT of questions, get references if that is possible. Go to the shows and speak with the owners of the dogs and ask them questions. This is just my humble opinion! Dawn Bonome

Ok Everyone, Can we forget the squabbling for just a minute and get back to what this thread was started to do. i.e. Help the future 'Pet', 'Novice' purchaser to avoid getting 'Stung'!! Dog1 has given very good advice thus far, but has only skimmed the surface. Knowing what 'type' of German Shepherd you want is only a very BASIC beginning to any Homework excersise. For afterall most, even the true 'Pet' only purchaser, has a good idea of what they expect their GSD should or want it to 'Look' like. My first tip would be for you to 'test' the sincerity of the breeder. For example apart from 'Testing' their knowledge, also 'test' their love for the breed and the dogs they own. How do you do this? Perhaps if you read on you will be able to decide for yourself if my reasoning makes sense to you or not. Check out websites by all means, this will give you a good idea of the type of dogs the breeder produces. But at the same time take note if the dogs on the website are in fact of the website owners breeding or if the majority have been acquired from 'other' breeders. This should give you the first indication of whether this breeder has acquired both the knowledge and experience to produce stock of their own which is good enough to represent their kennel in the ring, or if they constantly have to 'buy' or 'import' from others. If the latter is the case you might be advised to go directly to the kennel they buy from!! When contacting a breeder they should be just as 'Wary' of you as you should be of them. Afterall, they love their dogs (dont they?) and so they should want to be sure that you are somebody both suitable and responsible enough to own one of their beloved pups, just as much as you want to be sure they are somebody you trust enough to want to buy from. Therefore, normal practice would be for an interrogation to take place. All the owners of my pups later admit to being terrified they might not 'Pass' my 'test' and that I would refuse to sell them a pup. Believe me when I say that when 'Interviewing' prospective puppy owners for any litter, I have turned more people away than I have ever sold to. They simply have not met with the standards I want owners of my dogs to possess. There have been a few who dislike being questioned, I say if they cannot see the reasoning behind my need to assess them as future Shepherd Owners, then I would have concluded anyway that they were not sensible enough to own one. The whole breeders 'Vetting' process should be aimed towards ensuring that not only are you prepared and responsible enough to own a Shepherd, that a Shepherd is indeed fitting for your lifestyle. It may be that you would be better advised to purchase some other breed of dog. A reputable breeder who loves their dogs should be available to give you advice at any time, even before you have handed over any cash and more especially afterwards. When visiting a breeder you should be able to view, stroke, hug and play with all of their dogs or at least the majority. Do not settle with just been introduced to the dam of the pups, whilst other adults are tucked away in kennels or out of sight. To truly assess the heredity of Temperament & Type of a kennel it is always advisable, if possible to be in the company of at least three or four other dogs they have bred and who are related to the dam & pups. The type & Temp of Granddams, Uncles, Neices etc are all good indications of what you can hope to expect of your pup as it grows. I have much more advice to give and will submit later, if this is the type of thing you want to hear. Best Regards Sue B

Randy, thanks for the post. I agree that you have to visit several breeders before you make a choice. I try to do this myself - but always face the same problem. The breeder won't open up unless you buy from him. You will also earn the title of "time waster". Things become easier after you buy one dog. I have developed acquaintances with helpers in some clubs, few trainers , handlers etc who will now check out a dog for me and give an outside opinion. the 3 breeders from whom I have bought also fill me in if I pester them long enough. Not speaking German is another problem for me. A lot of information is lost when someone translates for me. I usually get around this by working with a broker, so that preliminary screening is done beforehand.