How to begin? - Page 2

We think he is a good dog.  Many in our lives might not agree- they find his energy off putting (though I think his size and color might intimidate them and color their interpretation of him).  When he first moved in we tried him at agility.  Though he did well, it was clear his heart was not in it.  Fly ball- let's just say that the idea of other dogs getting the ball, running, living- not for him.  He loved herding, but our herding instructor felt he might be a danger to her sheep and believed she was never going to help us get to a point where that was not the case (we live in a rural area so though plenty of sheep, few herding instructors and this proved a dead end).  A K9 officer friend of ours got him working in tracking as a fun activity for him (he is our neighbor and enjoys training so it was a win for us all).  At some point we went to a schutzhund competition as it was not too far away and my son had read a book.  We were stunned to see the dogs doing on the field doing things our dog did in our house.  We realized he had missed his calling.  Our goal for this new pup would be an eye toward this sport (thus why we identified local clubs for this sport- where we will also be posing this question regarding our quest).

 "I have one that I would say is perfect except for the aggression...but I deal with it"  

Yes...this.  There is aggression in this boy.  I need to always be alert with him- and I too sometimes feel lazy- but the tradeoff of having to always be on my toes to have this magnificent creature is one I am willing to make.  
Intelligence to good use...yes...good use...mischievous, I could take a little less of that!  

He is different than the other 5 shepherds we have had.  Though they were different from each other they were sort of two groups in terms of temperament and personality.  This dog is like a completely different category.  As your average pet owner I had no idea that the high energy, working type dogs we'd had before that seemed a challenge were nothing, were easey peasey house pets compared to this guy.

Never mind.

Not a bad idea. If that is your goal, I would search for answers there. Just remember, clubs are clubs. Each one is different, or there would only be one. If you don't mesh with the first, don't be discouraged. Check out another. Remember too, each club has goals. Some are merely to have a club trial and hang out. Others may be to qualify for the WUSV. Remember that and consider what you want.

Chaz,
everytime I see your avatar all I can think of is Ricky Bobby.
Moons.

Lol. Get a Dobe. They are "wicked" smart. And I don't mean it like someone from Boston. Dobes continually do things to piss you off when they are bored. at least when they are Pups.

We are taking our time here.  If the right dog comes along (that a solid breeder thinks is the match for us) and it is not a schutzhund type than that is where we will go.  Though we think we would like to become involved in this sport we need to do more research.  We do live out of the way.  The clubs we have found are a great distance so I am not sure what their makeup is.  Each has invited us to come out and look about (and we have done so a few times)- there is lots more to know and learn.  I worry that the club folks might be most interested in pushing forth breeders who are members as a way to support a member rather than being completely objective (another reason I wanted to post here= to round out the picture for us).  We may be way off on thinking we are cut out for a schtzhund dog or the sport at all.  This is why we did not even put that desire on our guidance list.  We really want the right dog for our home and family.  We are open to activities we have already done or being introduced to something new- we just know we want to DO something with our dog (as we always have).  Our current male could and would do anything we asked.  Thus our desire to try to find something very much like him.

I know what you mean- I learned about that constant alertness and need to watch the dog w/my first one. The breeder was an idiot for sending that dog to a first time working dog owner, but she had no idea what he was at that age. Some people can read dogs that early on...some can't. I'm lucky; he's a phenomenal dog, but I had no choice but to learn to be a better handler, and learn quick! When you have a dog like that, you start to look at everything differently, in a way most people never watch their dogs or get to know them for that matter. It becomes second nature, though others would disagree and say it was an undesireable pet. I have what I feel is the ultimate dog, and they ask who would even want a dog like that? LOL

Chaz is right about clubs. If at first you don't succeed..try again. Club visiting is an interesting sport in itself. LOL

Moons, shake and bake...shake and bake.

So...back to my original question.  How do I begin to narrow the list of breeders?