There MUST be a Reason! - Page 2

As as add on... I learned through this board that a long croup ( which by the way is not common and normal) is preferred... I learned that it was not just for aesthetic reasons and it serves a purpose... can we say also a good pronounced wither servers a purpose...

Sunsilver,

You've got some real kahonies to be asking such a question.  :D Not too long ago I created a facetious post called "Roached backs - spread the religion" in which I postulated that the GSD show breeders should educate the "misguided" breeders of straight backed working dogs of other breeds.  I've never seen a Mali or Rottie or Dutchie with a roached back and crouching rear and I suggested that we should "correct" these dogs.

It was a sarcastic post, and unfortunately futile.  I never did get any show breeder to explain to me how breeding roach backed dogs improved the working ability.  Therefore I had to conclude that it does NOT.  In the end I clearly stepped on some toes and got flamed by a few posters and life went on.

At least in this thread there is some enlightenment - breed a roached back to compensate for sagging backs from a too long back.  But if the initial fault is a back that's too long, why not just breed for a shorter back instead of introducing the roach?  Hmmm.  What am I missing here???

Yvette

Yvette:  I think that thread pretty much went to hell in a hand basket because shortly after you posed the original question, someone referred to show line dogs as "Hyenas with Chow faces".  For sure not your fault, but  not conducive to a productive discussion.

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/91836.html#91937

^{(and I remember agreeing with that description, and posting an example of it...)}

I guess the reason I started this thread is that the previous one didn't answer the question!

I found a picture of a working line bitch in the database whose topline I really like. Very good bone on her, too. Comments/critiques welcome! Let's get some worthwhile discussion going here!

http://www.griselda.de/okka.htm

I just went back & looked at that previously mentioned example.  Yikes, that dog must have been stacked really wrong (I hope). 

I can link you to another picture of him that is just as bad, sue. He's about as extreme as they get, as far as the roached back and really heavy head and muzzle.

(I probably would have agreed too...)

lol - they actually have one of my favorite dogs right now :

http://www.griselda.de/ica.htm

the right looks, structure, and ethic.

I tend to prefer the lighter more agile dogs for myself though.

~Cate

I like both the dogs, Okka and Isa, in those links.  That's the kind of topline that I would want. 

I remember reading through the original thread with my husband and he asked, "Why do they DO that to their dogs?  Why do they breed them like that?  It looks horrible!"  Sorry, but that particular dog mentioned above DID look like a hyena with a chow face.  There are not ALL like that, thank goodness.

The whole show vs. work split was a real turnoff to Benjamin and when he decided to get a puppy of his own, he decided on a Malinois.  I was hoping to talk him into a GSD but he refused saying, "The Malinois is bred for its working ability.  Period.  That's why I like the breed."  So I lost that battle and little Ripley ot Vitosha has joined our happy home.  Sigh.  Sorry folks, I tried to turn him into a shepherd man, but he's just too practical.  ;)

Yvette

For those who are curious about the ugly dog mentioned above, I'm going to post a link, with his name removed, as I know people from his kennel do read the boards.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/Sunsilver/ExtremeGermanShowType.jpg

A banana back is a structural fault! But a lot of so-called roach backs are dogs with a normal back but bad stacks. Unfortunately, a lot of people think that a well structured dog has to be stacked to the extreme! The SV had a comparison in their monthly magazine a few years ago: Photos of the same dog stacked in different ways and standing naturally! You could have thought that there were different dogs. It is amazing how stacking can change the appearance of a dog! That is the reason we have shows, so you can see a dog moving and presenting itself naturally!

Both, workinglines and showlines can be beautiful! For me, it is not so important which lines a dog represents, but that the dog is healthy, has great temperament and workability, and that the structure is correct. We own both, workingline and showlines, but regardless out of which lines a breeding prospect comes: We require a V-rating for breeding purposes to ensure proper anatomy!

Here is a link to two of my breeding females, one from workinglines and the other from showlines. You can see that both have similar correct toplines!

www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/400203.html

www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/131423.html

I hope that these links work! I have trouble using this. Sorry that the first photo is a bit blurry! I don't know why, but I will try to resubmit it!

Regards, Chris