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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > Making of a VA dog in the US (2 replies)
Making of a VA dog in the US by Dog1 on 06 June 2012 - 14:16 |
| This is a continuation for those interested or following the previous thread that is no longer active, it can be found here: http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/forum.read?mnr=583468&pagen=4#596756 The thread was about preparing a dog and elevating it's status to VA here in the US. We were using Waiko as an example but the same applies to all the dogs shown. We were fortunate this time out to put it all together. We had a program similar to others where we had a qualified prospect, assembled a team consisting of breeders, beginners, helpers and handlers. We developed a progeny group. In the end; we were where we wanted to be. Waiko is now the first sable male to be awarded a VA rating in this country. Along the way we were able to prove and disprove some theories about the sable conformation dog. The thought that a sable could not win, especially at the national level was shown to be not true as two sable offspring were placed first Nationally, two have been placed second Nationally and another placed third. I believe this demonstrates it is possible to succeed with a sable, but you must produce the quality to compete with the black and red. The breeder is challenged to produce the quality with precious few sables to choose from. This was the challenge and if it were not for the breeders that saw the quality and put forth the effort, we would not have accomplished what we were able to. There were many good people behind this dog as there were with other dogs. The team is essential in pursuit of the VA rating with a male. Our team consisted of breeders and owners that came from points as far away as MA, SD, TX, GA. That's quite a large area. Normally teams are formed with the majority of it's members being local. It's much easier to get together, share resources, put the best presentation forward if everyone can meet periodically. This was our biggest challenge as most of those on our team were relatively new to showing and it showed in the results. Think about this for a minute. Right now there are new VA dogs that were recently awarded the status. These owners are now faced with the challenge to develop their dog. There's fertile ground for anyone wanting to become involved in German Shepherds. They need you and to a degree, you need them. What better way to get started than with someone with a good male needing to get offspring to people that want to show and be involved. |
Dog1 by charity on 06 June 2012 - 15:28 |
Randy, I cannot begin to imagine the time and work expended and the money spent for Waiko's success. He is a beautiful dog and you have my sincere admiration and respect. Congratulations to everyone involved. Thank you for sharing the journey! Awesome! |
by Darka on 06 June 2012 - 15:51 |
| Is Waiko a US bred dog? |
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