Anyone know Kevin v Murrtal? - Page 7

Thanks again yellowrose.  I did indeed call the offices re a copy but alas, I am not a member so no luck for me!!!  I have a Kevin daughter you see....

Please don't forget about tending when speaking of ways to demonstrate a GSD's worthiness. An HGH title doen't come in a Cracker Jack box either.

Exactly!! All dogs, including Galaxy, are to be commended for their HGH achievements.

I have actually done lots of herding with my dogs. Several dogs, either bred by me or sired by my males, have become working ranch dogs. The last of my American line females, Riesenblut's Renaissance, was the first GSD to complete her Herding Started title (where she was high in trial).  When she was very young, she also competed in the first herding event hosted at a GSDCA National. Rennie competed in the first AKC "C" course as well.

Back when Anne Garner (who was in regular communication with Ulf) was doing herding, Rennie completed the equivalent of her HGH on Anne's ranch when she was past 9 years old. Even when I was working a dreadful graveyard shift, I stayed up all day and trained my dogs in herding at least 2 days a week.

Rennie's litter sister, Reveille, went to a gal who is now an AKC herding judge--she completed very advanced AKC herding titles as did her daughter, Riesenblut's Nothung (strange name--this was the name of Siegfried's enchanted sword--means "needful").

My old Lex (grandsire to Geronimo and Zeek), who was Herding Tested (at the GSDCA National), had Kirschental HGH dogs up close on both sides of his pedigree. When I lived in the country and Lex was a pup, the sheep and Lex often slept on opposite sides of the same fence under the shade of large eucalyptus trees.

Finally, my old girl Eike (now past 11) has both HGH parents and is sired by Matzo Kirschental and is a full younger sister to Farus Kirschental. Somehow, it seems that dogs with a herding heritage are able to establish unusual bonds with their owners (their human "shepherds").

And, yes, Blitzen, you are absolutely correct about the wonderful temperament on Molly's Eagle.

Louise,

You are quite correct in the merit of herding dogs. They and their demanding work are responsible for forming the basis of our breed. Without the rigors of herding sifting through countless generations of German farm dogs von Stephanitz would not have had the quality of working dogs needed to develop the breed. Best Wishes, Jonah

Jonah,

When I first started in the GSD breed (when German and American lines could still be crossed very successfully), my first two AKC champions (Tucker Hill's Oracle UDT and his sister Tucker Hill's Opel 'N' Mink UD, a sable, BTW) were linebred on Rolf and Rosel Osnabrückerland (which dogs were not that far away from the herding heritage of the GSD) several times. Oracle was the foundation of my AKC breeding program. I can't help but wonder it this is not somewhat responsible for the success of his descendants in herding some 30 years later.