A lot of respect for this handler - Page 1

 

https://nl.working-dog.com/dogs-details/2432468/Enzo-van-de-Wiersdijk

The KNPV champion 2016 Enzo van Wiersdijk now in duty as LE dog in Holland This handler Rick Verbruggen don,t make a choice for sale him for big money $$ , so we get good back up info how this dog is doing as a police LE dog. not only how many puppies he will produce in a kennel I,m happy today some very good dogs , this KNPV handlers make a choice to let them dogs realy work in the Netherlands @ dutch police so some imporant bloodlines from GSD and Malinois/dutch shepherds are safe and not waste by all that unknown kennels outside the Netherlands,

 

Its not always money will win some people,realy care about their dogs....

While size is not really that important compared to working ability, Caro is a rather small GSD and that appears to be where Enzo gets his small size (under 77pounds.)

@ apple that is NOT my point ............... have seen many small female working dogs doing better than big /heavy males but that is an other discussion

I know, the size was my point. Being from Holland, you understand that a dog's working ability is far more important than his physical appearance. That is why many of the best Dutch dogs are not even registered. IMO, the overemphasis on the looks of the GSD, even within the working lines has led to a decline in the breed because certain great dogs from the past have fallen short of some part of the physical standard and were not bred as they should have been because of their superior working ability. Or, certain strains of the working lines have become popular because of physical traits such as strong bone, strong pigment, large heads, etc. and these traits have been selected over working ability. I see this as being related to the philosophy of the SV, greed, and a misinformed market.

You are right apple about exclusion of great breeding genetics because of personal likes!👌

Actually, size is important. How long do you think you can carry a 90 pound dog on top of 50 pounds of gear?

I love my dog. He's super, I'm glad he's as large and big as he is because he's a fantastic mobility dog, however, no way would I be able to carry him which kind of excludes us from doing RH despite his incredible searching abilities and hunt drive.

So yeah, size kinda matters.

But you are talking about size from the opposite point of view I was making. Smaller dogs tend to be more agile, quicker, able to handle jumping better and, as you stated, can be carried over fences and other obstacles easier. But you don't tend to see GSD breeders promoting "lower middle sized" dogs. Then there is the whole ridiculous market of giant/oversized GSDs.

^^Agreed. Though the venue is different, when we are showing, my correctly sized male (25" and 73 pounds) is overlooked for gargantuan dogs that are out of standard. It's frustrating and ridiculous.

Sorry, Black Malinois, to add to the size tangent because I get your point...

"My dog is bigger than your dog" has just recently been brought to my attention. My middle-sized stud male (63.5cm, 39kg) has apparently been being badmouthed by other breeders/stud dog owners for being "tiny." This was told to me by 2 different individuals who were considering using him and they confided that others have tried to deter them from using him because of his "tiny" size, which I found comical. I don't find a thing in the world wrong with a NORMAL, average-sized dog. I have had males who were huge and while I loved them and didn't count their size against them, there was nothing they did that my 63.5cm cannot do as well or better. SILLY! LOOK at the standard, folks. Oversized is not correct and average is not incorrect!

It might reassure members to hear (well, a little bit, maybe ?) that British breeders of GSDs are mostly in the market for 'good, middle sized, medium bone and strength' animals, even most of the Pet 'production lines' kennels concentrate on coats 'n' colours but less for oversize. We here in the UK 'had our moment' when it comes to preference for really BIG dogs, but that was decades ago. Even our Police breeders do not look for particularly big stock, and an increasing number of their operational working GSDs are females. Precisely because there is more advantage in having a dog you can carry, boost or drop over fences QUICKLY; the dog still tracks, runs to ground, terrifies and bites if necessary the escaping perp, she doesn't need to leap ON him and bring him to the ground with sheer body weight. But they still can do that, if they need to, even if they only weigh 70+ lbs ! (And that's certainly big enough to knock a weapon out of his hand).

I'm leaning towards a position that says the wants and needs of the current crop of sports and PP people are such that they would indeed do better to stop worrying about breed altogether. Concentrate on perpetuating your lines of dogs which work in the way you want, lads, and leave the 'breed thing' alone. So, you'd end up with a lot of mongrelised dogs, - but they'd have great drive and could really grip - and the rest of us could carry on with our 'great all round' multi purpose German Shepherd !