Starting reseach, any help would be welcomed. - Page 1

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just my experience, with the cats and rabbits,  do you really want a working line?  you can find a nice working bred pup who would do well with training and socializing with your current animals,  but always be careful with the smaller "prey" type animals.

if you are focused on the working lines, contact
www.fernheimgsds.com in Sherman
Dornburg kennel in Gainesville
www.germelhaus.com in Princeton
 there's a kennel on the Tex/Okl border thats reputable, main stud is named Dunco van Pe
 and there's a few others in Texas

Agreed with the poster above.  I work as a behaviouralist, and generally speaking, when you say "working line" you mean dog with high prey drive (prey drive being that ability to chase and worry prey animals, and/or kill, when prompted.)

Working lines vary in levels of prey drive they breed, and "working line" has a lot of meanings, but for the most part just means dogs that haven't placed in AKC shows.  Working dogs can be farm dogs who are excellent herders, or dogs titled for generations in Schutzhund, French Ring, and so on.

My reccomendation is that you check the recently posted scores in the various dog sports (like Schutzhund) and see which dogs are scoring/where they come from.  Research the dog and find the breeder and check out upcoming litters (this is opposed to googling "Working Line German Shepherd")  You can also check the rather infamous LEERBURG.com website for general information on raising a working dog, training, puppy raising, etc.

Personally, I think you'd be better off getting an average-energy-level family pet (even low level, comparably.)  Just like you can build endurance in people, you can do the same in dogs.  Unless you are a professional athlete and run 10 miles every morning, a high-drive working dog isn't for you.  That said, working dogs are bred to work.  If you don't have a specific job in mind for them (herding, Schutzhund, police K9, tracking, agility, carting, etc.) then you're going to have a very bored, very destructive dog.

On the flip side, if you get a "normal" puppy and encourage them to enjoy longs walks and jogs with you, you'll be much happier.  And, on a note of high-drive dogs, your 11 year old Aussie will not be pleased.  They play ROUGH (mine grabs my neighbors golden retriever around the neck and pulls him around -- which of course, we stopped) but they want to play rough and latch on to other dogs until they get a rise out of them.  Your resident dog will become stressed and annoyed by a pup with such high energy and not know how to deal with it.   Make sure you keep your other dog in mind at all times.

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Agility doesn't so much require a working line as a dog who just likes to run.  I don't train so much agility anymore, but in the previous years I did it, really *any* dog can do it.  The Agility champion for a few years was a Great Dane.  Mr. Bojangles slept 95% of the day, but loved the game of agility, so if your dog likes it, he'll do it.

Agility is a game, as much as we turn it into a serious sport, if your dog sees it as a game they'll always have fun, and any family pet can have fun.  Also, "Working Dog" means different things for different breeds.  For Australian Shepherds/Border Collies, working points to dogs with high energy.  In Shepherds, it can point to confidence, prey drive, tracking, or all of the above.


I still think you need to get in touch with a breeder, even one who breeds Shepherds for Agility (they do exist!)  Talk to friends who have Shepherds and ask where they got them.  Some breeders breed excellent dogs for agility - talk to them, ask them, see what they say;  Have your dogs dong aglity?  Have they won? Do you do it?  I just think if you call a bunch of people who working line shepherds, and you want an agility dog, you're going to be sorely discouraged by the price tag, and the types of dogs.

Working dogs are beautiful; so are family pets.  I think, in this particular situation, you'd be better off and happier with an active family pet. :)

I see. I knew I had my work cut out for me but wow. Most of the GSDs around here are from one kennel and I've seen what has happened as their dogs age and they are not the nicest people around. Guess I'll have just have to keep an ear out.

If the prey drive isn't extreme, you can work around it. When I introduced my rescue GSD (who looks to be a working line) to my cat for the first time, I nearly wound up with a dead cat!  There was a wild chase through the house, which ended with the cat clinging to the venetian blinds in the living room. Yes, it was my fault completely. I forgot the vet had taken his collar off, as he had an abrasion on his neck.  

After a month of carefully supervised introduction, and correcting the dog every time he showed interest in the cat, the two of them actually began to play together, and eventually even sleep side by side.

However, I'd classify this dog as fairly low drive.

You should really do your research on which lines you want. There are the American lines (not much good for anything but the AKC shows), IMO, and then there are the German bred dogs. Working lines and show lines. Both make EXCELLENT dogs. You can do almost anything with both lines. The working lines tend to have a bit more drive, and need a more experiences handler...they definitely need a job of some sort. The show lines are a little bit more mild but can still do anything asked of them! I currently own a working line GSD who is smarter than anything. I brought a kitten home, and of course there is the thrill of the chase, but when raised with small animals there should be no problem. I currently participate in schutzhund with my GSD and even with her high drives she still likes to have "fun" with the cat but would never hurt him. Plenty of working lines grow up with small animals in the home. When you contact breeders, they should be able to help you pick out exactly what you want. A reputable breeder will steer you away from those overly prey driven puppies in the litter, and get you a 'pet home' quality German Shepherd. But do not be fooled...these dogs can still give you a run for your money. I do not live anywhere near Texas but this is one breeder I would recommend...and like I said, any reputable breeder would be able to pick the pup that is right for you, and be able to ship your puppy.

http://www.workinggermanshepherd.com/



Amanda