Discernment - Page 4

Bee, clients?

I value discernment...then again, I also value herding abilities so what do I know

Clients, meaning a recipient of a seeing eye dog.

 I wonder if Labs are more popular for seeing eye dogs in part because they are easier to groom than GSD's? Before you laugh too loudly, did you know the very first dog to graduate from Leader Dogs for the Blind was an Alaskan Malamute.  She was owned by a friend of mine who provided them with several malamutes that were successfully trained. Although that breed did very well in that venue, it declined in popularity at that facility due to its having a double coat that required more grooming than sight impaired people were able to give. The devil is always in  the details.

There still are GSD breeders who provide GSD's to facilities that train seeing eye dogs. My second GSD's sister was donated to one of those facilities and went on to graduate and become a certified seeing eye dog. She was 100% GSL's. I also know a family who breeds HOT titled HGH/Sch dogs from Ulf Kinzel's line for seeing eye dogs. They keep a low profile in the GSD internet world.

I thank everyone for their input.

I am not laughing at all Blitzen. You might be interested in this: 

 

Coat Care - the Amount of Work and Expense:  An important consideration in breed choice  is the physical ability and/or financial ability of an assistance dog partner to manage the grooming needs of a particular breed.  Some long haired breeds may require a two hour long comb-out each week.  Some only require intermittent Pin-brushing.  A breed with a hypo-allergenic coat like a Standard Poodle will need weekly comb outs and expensive visits to a professional grooming shop on a regular basis.  A short haired breed like a Labrador Retriever will only need to be brushed about five minutes per week and receive a bath once or twice a year to remain healthy.  Shorter hair does not mean less shedding; daily shedding is probable on a year round basis.

http://www.iaadp.org/breed.html

And I just thought this was interesting reading from the same source...
 

Breeds classified as Guard Dogs, Flock Guardians or Fighting Dogs have aggression related breed traits that are particularly worrisome.  Assistance dog partners who do not have previous experience handling a dog with a strong Protection drive, a fierce Territorial instinct or a hereditary dog aggression problem should not attempt a partnership with one of these breeds.  Those who do choose to work with one of these breeds must respect the darker side of its nature, learn how to avoid triggering it and never ignore the potential for a misunderstanding.  Occasionally one hears of a Doberman or German Shepherd or a Rottweiler that seems to lack the normal hereditary breed traits that earned such dogs the reputation of being formidable guard dogs.  But atypical specimens like that are extremely difficult to find, nor do they come with a lifetime guarantee.   Realistically, your odds on a pup from those breeds growing up to be an adult that lacks his breed's guard dog instinct is very slim.   Hereditary breed traits should always be considered part of the package when making a breed choice.

 

Gustav,

Surely, you have an entirely different idea of the definition of discernment as the "old timers" understand it? I am disappointed you did not share your expertise to correct those of us, or maybe just myself,  how breeders moved away from what I think is at the core of Horand, and perhaps the whole of the breed of the GSD? 

 

Gustav,

I'm an oldie and way back then we always considered the word discernment as meaning: "The innate ability (not trained) of the dog (GSD that is) to react correctly to a given situation specially when the the was not under the control of his handler. It was not possible for a dog to have proper "discernment" if his/her thresholds were low and/or the dog had poor nerves.

As with aloofness I find that this quality is more difficult to find in todays dogs because of the "play" type of dogs that are popular.

JMHO

The general public are being taught that if a puppy, of any breed I guess, doesn't greet them with tail wagging and jumping all over when the people first meet them, that's a RED FLAG, RUN! RUN!! So aloofness is criticized and the breed changes because people believe that's not how puppies should act, regardless of the breed. Is it any wonder the true gsd is hard to find?
I have a guy in Wa state with one of my pups. The dog is now a year and a half so today he took the dog for prelim H/E exrays. We were talking on the phone, and he said the vet was recommended by his schH club. He said the vet does not use sedation. I told him that would not be a good idea with his dog. I said somebody will get bit cause that dog is not going to allow strangers to manhandle him. He called me back a couple hours later and told me first that the vet said hips/ elbows were as they are supposed to be...that's good news. Then he said, the dog wasn't on the table ten seconds and the vet said, let's sedate, he wasn't having any part of strangers putting him on his back. According to his TD at the club, this dog is very civil, so I can only guess the owner thought his dog would be fine being manhandled by strangers, since that's the usual method of

The general public are being taught that if a puppy, of any breed I guess, doesn't greet them with tail wagging and jumping all over when the people first meet them, that's a RED FLAG, RUN! RUN!! So aloofness is criticized and the breed changes because people believe that's not how puppies should act, regardless of the breed. Is it any wonder the true gsd is hard to find?
I have a guy in Wa state with one of my pups. The dog is now a year and a half so today he took the dog for prelim H/E exrays. We were talking on the phone, and he said the vet was recommended by his schH club. He said the vet does not use sedation. I told him that would not be a good idea with his dog. I said somebody will get bit cause that dog is not going to allow strangers to manhandle him. He called me back a couple hours later and told me first that the vet said hips/ elbows were as they are supposed to be...that's good news. Then he said, the dog wasn't on the table ten seconds and the vet said, let's sedate, he wasn't having any part of strangers putting him on his back. According to his TD at the club, this dog is very civil, so I can only guess the owner thought his dog would be fine being manhandled by strangers, since that's the usual method of