How to begin? - Page 1

I have been reading this site for many years and finally made an account.  I was hoping I might tap into the vast knowledge and experience here to help guide us on a productive path.

We are a family with shepherds and have shared our home and lives with them since long before having children.  Over the years our dogs have aged and died and we currently have only 2, a 10 year old female and a 5 year old male.  Our first GSD was from a breeder but all since have been from rescue, including these two.  Though I thought we would likely never again have a puppy or purchase from a breeder (with all the wonderful dogs in needs of new homes and such) we find ourselves leaning toward this route.  

We would like to find a breeder who produces something very similar to the male we currently have.  We are not sure how to begin to narrow the field of potential breeders so we can start the investigation and research phase.  We made a list of the things we would like to do with the dog, the traits we like most about the dog we currently have and our lifestyle to help us stay focused.  I don't believe the breeder who produced our male is still breeding (though we got him from rescue at 6 months we were given his pedigree) .  I considered searching for dogs in his pedigree to see who also produces dogs from similar lines but feel I lack the knowledge to do this properly.  I find myself wondering if the dog I am searching is the one that gave him the trait I like so much or if it is the dog responsible for the traits I would like to lessen in our next puppy.  I lack the knowledge to just take the list of traits I like and find breeders who produce those dogs- there are so many breeders how do I start to narrow the list?!  


We are asking locally and at training clubs here as well, but I wanted to expand the potential knowledge base and thought I would post here as well.  Any suggestions?

Welcome. One of the best first posts I've read. Can you enter your dogs pedigree on here and link it?

Hopefully I have done this correctly.  Here are his parents (our dog is not himself listed here- I suppose that would require ME doing something?):

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=291288

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=620635

Wow. Better pedigrees than I expected. He is linebred on mink. Mom's bottom half is showline. I like dad's pedigree. Something limebred on mink won't be impossible, bit it would be further back. Can you describe the male? That is the biggest thing. Looking for more of a type of dog will be easier than trying to duplicate a dog by pedigree, five + years later.

Welcome!

Well, Chaz, that's a different pedigree than most post on their first visit, huh? LOL

Interesting pedigree. 

What traits specifically did your male have that you are trying to duplicate? Tell us about his temperament.

He is incredibley intelligent.  I think first and foremost this is the trait I both appreciate and despise the most.  He keeps *my* brain sharp.  There was a learning curve for our whole family when he moved in!  He learns quickly- the good and the bad (boy did we have to learn to not unintentionally reinforce things), and seems to apply his learning to novel situations.  He is also very, very intense.  He is poetry in motion.  He moves like a dancer or a tank and can switch mid stream.  He is beautiful to see in action.  Did I also mention he is intense?  I love that he seems capable of any activity we set him to- and that he greets each thing with a desire to master it.  These are probably the parts of his temperament I would most like to duplicate in the big picture kind of way.  On the side of things I would like to see a little less of I would have to list his... well aggression is not the right word, but something in that family of traits. I could do without his sharpness in every.single.situation.  I am afraid though that losing that trait might lessen the intensity.  He is so focused, so driven that I think that "sharpness" (for lack of a better word) is just part of it.  He is high energy.  He is in commmand- but he is willing to take direction (even if that willingness was something we had to develop with each other when he was young- I think it could have gone another way had we not found good people to work with when he first came in as a foster from the all breed rescue).  I love that in one moment he is an intense dog on a mission and the next a tongue lolling fool kissing the kids.  He never does anything half way- it's all or nothing.

Yeah, I expected Susie's Little Beauty x Benchmark's Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.

Sounds like a good dog. The hardest thing to do is duplicate another, but I think I could find that every day of the week. Even lowering the sharpness.

What you're referring to as sharpness doesn't surprise me with that ped, but like Chaz says, what you're asking for is a well-bred GSD with PROPER temperament. You should be able to find it easily...sadly, you have to know where to look or you will find a lot more of what Chaz mentioned in his other post.

I am also a big fan of extreme intelligence in a dog, but also the versatility and the clear head to put it to good use. I have one that I would say is perfect except for the aggression...but I deal with it. No dog is perfect and he is by no means over the top aggressive...I just could do without it sometimes when I'm tired and lazy;-)  

I have a dog coming up on 2 that I bred that bears the nickname "Monster" at the training club, and I have pictures of the same dog wearing a tiara at a 2yr old's birthday party. To me, that's just proper temperament and the versatility/abilty to settle. There are still a few of us around who value those things. Don't lose hope! :-)

GSDsnkids,
Where are you located?

Moons.