Please show me your WL gaiting! - Page 28

Blitizen, I agree.
Our club welcomes everyone. Some dogs flunk out of Proteciotn phase, but do well in tracking and obedience. Some flunk out of tracking but do well in Obedience and Protection.
Our goal is for members to learn how better to handle their dogs and to create a better relationship.
We encourage everyone to work toward some type of title but its optional.

The dogs we don't accept are the fear aggressive dogs that after much work, we cannot help. They are a danger to other club members and their dogs.

We've had a four ASL, one ESL and two EWL dogs flunk out as their fear aggression we modified. Is it the genetics of the dog or the owners doing......I don't know.

Thanks, Hired Dog, you have offered prime examples of the show world, vs the working world. Do you think either have the best interests of the breed in mind or that either offers any vision whatsoever for the future?

You only appreciate working dogs, you girlfriend showlines, am I right? My question to you is- why is it so difficult to see the merits of both and to  appreciate the GSD for it's versatility?

Do  you own a GSD? If you're referring to Malis, there is also a very big divide in the conformation and temperament of those dogs - working vs show. When I was in PA my neighbor bred some of the best AKC Malis. I was always struck by the difference in those dogs' temperaments and conformation vs the working Malis I saw at trials.

When our club was active, we did the same thing, Sitasmom. Never turned away anyone. Some of our members started out with ASL's, went to German dogs and vice versa for a variiety of reasons.  Some owned both and one had ASL's, a GSL, and a Czech dog.  The Czech dog was better at OB and dock diving, never got her Sch1 while a ASL CH earned his Sch 3.

Joanro, now Bravo doesn't have to buy that book

@ Blitzen, lol. Bravo can still buy the book, there might be a picture of the walk. Lol

Blitzen, in order to properly answer your question, one would need to get into a long diatribe. In my opinion, the time has passed for people to look at what is good for this or any other breed when it comes to the schism between show and work. 

There are so many differences in what either party wants out of their dogs and neither one is willing to accept a compromise for their needs. In my life, I have no need for a beautiful dog nor one that wants or allows a stranger to touch it all over its body, including its testicles. I need and must have a dog that can work in the areas I am interested in.

My girlfriend on the other hand, has no need for a dog like that, she must have one that is polite, looks great, is sound enough to allow strangers to touch her and win ribbons.

Going further into this, we also breed many "sub" species within a breed...one that is good for IPO, one that can do shows, one that is better at police work, one that will excell as a detection dog, etc.  Then you add all these alphabet soup organizations, WUSV, FCI, DVG, FBI, NSA, etc, and they all have their own agendas, none of which have anything to do with the breed itself.

I have mentioned to you before that the Malinois is my favorite breed, what I need to add here is that its not my favorite just because of its working abilities, its also because of the simplicity in the breed...its mostly a working dog, no one really cares about its colors or height or papers.

Please forgive my lack of depth of clarity, I am at work...

Hired Dog and all friends,

 

I find myself in semi total agreement with Blitzen, I did not say 100% agreement just to be on safe side, if I understand you right you criticise show line enthusiasts for not caring as much as they should for temperament, on that I agree with you.

If you're also saying correct conformation for a certain breed is of no value I totally disagree with you and can not imagine anyone would think that.

I learnt from Gustav why it is wrong to select for a single trait, I learnt from him why correct temperament is crucial for the GSD. I totally agree with him that breeding only for color and angulation did wrong to the breed. But to go to the point of saying conformation has no value for a work GSD since "it does the job" allow me to say to you and to him that this is the other side of same coin that does not do the GSD good.

On same principle that is breached by Gustav which is breed and select for all not only a single trait, one should pay due care to conformation which is a crucial part of GSD design.

Each breed has its own structure and traits, GSD is a trotter, for him to make a good trotter he needs to have angulation. This thread is about gaiting and it is only natural to discuss angulation and shoulder.

In general, my discussing structure and conformation is because that is the part I can add to a discussion, when it is a discussion about work, training etc I follow but usually keep silent since no one needs addition from me on that, that does not mean I don't care about work side of the dog, on the contrary.

Please, to my new friends who joined the forum recently, do not think that conformation is all needed in a GSD or the only thing that makes a good GSD, it is important but alone it does not make a good GSD.

 

Ibrahim

This is not directed to any specific friend here, but I feel like to speak out some of my thoughts.

What is wrong in having a pet GSD? What is wrong in having an easy go companion GSD? Do you think all people need over the top drives at their home or for their children? What is wrong in loving GSD and wanting to have one but can not handle a very strong one? If a gentle tempered GSD suits my needs, what is wrong with that? Am I doing a crime here? Just things for work line enthusiasts to think about.

This is not a call to deteriorate the work side of the GSD, I am just trying to say versatility helps everyone who loves GSD to own and handle one.

 

Ibrahim

I don't know why it's wrong either, Ibrahim, but I'm sure someone will tell us and I'm guessing it won't be a showline owner .

 

Ibrahim, STRUCTURE and beauty are not the same thing. Of course i want a dog with sound structure that can meet the demands of daily work, but, beyond that, i really dont care.
Show people focus on beauty pageants because that is what they like for various reasons.

Next, you mentioned the pet factor again....again, the GSD was not bred to be a pet, its meant to be a working animal.
Soft, weak temperament dogs are not what versatility means, why did everyone take this term and applied it to the detriment of this breed?
Versatile means the dog can do several JOBS. ANY dog can be a pet, if you so desire to relegate one to that status, but, there is an entire class of pet dogs to choose from too, why bother with this breed?