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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > Which is a better quality in a German Shepherd, Pedigree or Working ability? (21 replies)
Which is a better quality in a German Shepherd, Pedigree or Working ability? by YunaVonLesca on 22 May 2011 - 15:16 |
by Jeff Oehlsen on 22 May 2011 - 15:41 |
| Working ability. You have to look at the litter to make sure you do not have a fluke, but I will take working ability over everything. |
by Vikram on 22 May 2011 - 17:31 |
| genetics lightens the burden of training Pedigree and working ability are one and the same things You are creating an unnecessary schizm |
by Nancy on 22 May 2011 - 17:47 |
| So you can have a great working dog with a shitty pedigree and a shitter with a good pedigree. If your goal is work, not breeding, dog number one is just fine, If you want to breed,keep looking. |
by Vikram on 22 May 2011 - 17:55 |
| @OP FYI I do not Consider Show Lines as German Shepherds. The symmetry of the dog world broke long time ago for the better. Its a holy grail to keep trying and have the Golden Middle |
by steve1 on 22 May 2011 - 17:57 |
| Both plain and simple, A good Dog man does not choose one he wants both Steve1 |
steve1 by JWALKER on 22 May 2011 - 18:27 |
| Vikram that is a harsh statement for those that are "showline" enthusiast. someone is going to be offended |
JWALKER by Vikram on 22 May 2011 - 18:29 |
thanks for the insight  |
by dutss on 22 May 2011 - 19:08 |
| There are three basic catagories in the GSD breed 1. Show line, which includes german and American lines....we will throw in the backyard bred dogs in there also. 2. Trial dogs, which generally come from working lines....but are mainly bred with sport in mind. 3. Working dogs, the dogs that are bred by breeders who want to maintain what the GSD should be. Not breed dogs for little girls to trial. Yes, these dogs can also trial....but the breeder isnt so worried about points and you may not be able to send it home with just anyone. So, pick the catagory and pedigree you want, then look at what the breeder is producing as far as working ability. You do have to be able to look past training.....there are a lot of good trainers out there than can make a mediocre dog look good....we are talking about natural working ablility....right? In the end pedigree and working ability should go hand in hand. It all depends on what "work" you want to do. |
by ALPHAPUP on 22 May 2011 - 19:32 |
| the first questions to ask : why does one want a GSD , and what will be the purpose of the dog in my life !! BUT the facts : you can look at a pedigree but the info is limitted , i have seen great dogs , no titles , i have seen titled dogs with temperamnt flaws .. SO .. SO what - bi deal , a Title ... therefore given those are facts ... the preference --- SEE the PARENTS .. what are their temperaments ?, What they do , can do , won't do , can't do .. THEN look at the puppy .. Ditto : evaluate the temperament if you can , what the potentials for the purpose of the dog is , if you can [ or rely on someone honest and experienced]. the parents must possess the behavioral and genetic traitsin order pass on to the pup ... and just because a GSD is a great show or working parent does not guarantee anything ---, it is not a given that all the pups in the litter will follow suit . again loook at the parents /look at the PUP . THAT IS WHAT MATTERS . the pedigree and the parents are just a starting point !!! AND : what do you mean by work -- most knowledgable dog people realize what you want for a scent dog , S&R , as opposed to a protection dog are diametrically opposite behavioral , geneitc traits. Look for the lines that tend to produce what you want in a pup , see the pup . e.g -- you want a S&R dog to be perhaps low in aggression ,easy to handle, to find and come back if ness to indicate ,/ a police dog or personal protection dog you want high aggression to encounter and apprehend . for herding , you want a dog that has some independence to be able to work away from you , but not so much that it will not listen when at a distance from you . you want a dog to maniplualte the heard not to try to kill your animals !! we understand , work means : what behavioral traits do we want to see in the parents and the pups. that is not written into a pedigree . same if you desire a show dog. two parents each bring 50% to the pup . the pup may or may not have the structure you wish . and remeber show / work the following : FORM DICTATES FUNCTION / FUNCTION NEEDS THE CORRECT FORM !! e.g that is why you do not see a GSD in a greyhound race !! |
by hexe on 22 May 2011 - 20:12 |
| Genetics (the pedigree) tells you what a dog has the potential to become. Working ability shows you what the dog already IS. If you're only interested in the dog as an individual, working ability trumps breeding; the dog doesn't read it's pedigree and discover that it isn't supposed to be able to work. If, however, you're interested in the dog as both an individual AND a breeding prospect, then both 'qualities' are equally important. While it happens far more often than some would like to believe, a dog can out-work it's genetics, but those dogs are unlikely to be able to pass that anomaly on to its offspring. With the sheer number of German Shepherd Dogs in this world, there is no one dog that is crucial to the breed and can't afford to be lost to the gene pool. Consequently, there's no excuse or justification for not demanding both the ability to do the work as well as the genetics to do pass the trait forward when selecting breeding animals. |
by Jeff Oehlsen on 22 May 2011 - 20:14 |
| I got a GSD years ago to do mondio with. Her pedigree was very good, and all dogs were titled. She wasn't worth the food I fed her. Pet quality all the way. |
by Bob McKown on 22 May 2011 - 23:46 |
Every dog has a purpose whether it,s tearing off a leg,turning in a 100 point Track,Obed,Pro routine, Finding drugs,finding dead people, Prancing around a ring( i guess) or holding down a couch. It,s up to the human to place it properly and care about it. The dog owes us nothing we owe it everything. Whether it,s blue blood royalty or a bred cure. |
by desert dog on 23 May 2011 - 00:20 |
| Neither one by itself would cause me to buy a dog, But either one by itself could keep me from buying one. Hank |
by brynjulf on 23 May 2011 - 14:51 |
| pedigree can not make a dog work. Working or show lines, it makes no difference at all. BUT if you are breeding only the best of the best should be mated. If you are working dogs, pedigree is only a piece of paper. If a dog is protecting a car lot I doubt throwing a pedigree at a criminal will stop him :) Breeding dogs goes onto another level and you can not sacrifice one for the other. Pedigree and working ability must be equal. That said plenty of poorly bred dogs make marvelous working dogs. They might be but ugly and not resemble a shepherd in the slightest but boy can they work! Knowing your goals is important. |
by allegedrushk9 on 27 May 2011 - 02:49 |
| lots of smart people here. :) same as a horse doesn't know you don't know which style you ride the dog can't read his pedigree my best to everyone and their hard work and dogs. |
by Chaz Reinhold on 27 May 2011 - 04:46 |
| Pedigree and workability don't matter. It's all about color and confirmation. |
Chaz Reinhold by Ruger1 on 27 May 2011 - 05:05 |
Chaz,,, I couldn't agree more...;) |
Ruger1 by Chaz Reinhold on 27 May 2011 - 05:13 |
| Deanna, we're not the only ones! |
by cphudson on 27 May 2011 - 16:09 |
There are plenty of GSD's sold into police departments with no pedigrees, but they can work. If I wanted a pure working dog I won't care as much if I was buying a young adult that would be fully health screen & work abvility could be tested. But if I was buying a puppy I would only consider a puppy from certain lines to help stack the odds for better health, future workability, & the type of temperament I prefer. The same would be true if I was purchasing a dog for breeding & working, only would consider the best pedigree for over all health, stable temperament, good working drives, & nice working structure. Strongly believe the apple doesn't fall far from the tree ;-) |
cphudson
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