Best Ways To Research German Bloodlines & Quality... - Page 1

I was wondering if some of the folks on this board might have some suggestions on researching German bloodlines, particularly their strengths and weaknesses, in order for me to learn which lines might produce a dog that would suit what I'm looking for.  I know there are several posters here who are German, and many others who have worked with German lines for many years.  I'd appreciate any help I could get.

About ten years ago, I was a lot more familiar with bloodlines and such, as I was young and single, and had the time for my obcession then.  Until lately, that's been more or less on the back burner, but like all true loves, it's come back to me.  I have posted two other threads on this board concerning this, "Vom Waldenhaus German Shepherds" and "Winning Over A Critic".  So here I am again, asking for info and contacts to pursue my education in GSDs.

I have a book, written in the eighties, and I think it is called "The New Complete German Shepherd Dog" by Jane G. Bennett.  This book covers the beginning of the breed in Germany, but mostly it goes into the American lines, and doesn't focus on the development of the breed in Germany.  I don't speak German, and I can only barely understand some of it, so trying to research a lot of the German books doesn't do me a lot of good.  This database has a lot of info, but I'm not sure that pedigrees will tell me a great deal about the lines, since having titles doesn't really tell you what the dogs themselves were like to live with. 

Any assistance would be great.  I'm willing to research, and to learn.  You can PM me, or email me, or just post the info here.  Thank you to all!

Crys

talk to a breeder whose been around a while.  someone whose been in the breed 20-30 years or better.  thats your best bet.

I'm getting close to my 2 decade mark with the breed,  and trust me,  I am still learning.

Thanks, Uber Land.

Any suggestions from anyone on this board?  Are there any current books that detail bloodlines and their strengths and weaknesses?  I mean from eighties onward? 

I would like to research this, learned a lot from the books I could get my hands on, but there's a lot missing on current bloodlines.  Looking at pedigrees of specific dogs on here only works if you want to be on all day, and if you know what you're looking for.  And pedigrees only list dogs, titles, and some pictures, but again, as stated, they don't tell what the dog was like as an individual.

Uber-Land, you told me to talk to breeders that have been with the breed twenty to thirty years, so please let me know specifically who to contact.  I don't know any of the people here, other than by their IDs, and those ID's don't tell you anything about the person. 

Annoyingly, I wish I hadn't had about a ten year break from GSDs.  I used to know a lot more than I do now!  Please help me find my way through the maze again!  Thanks.

Crys

I am with you on needing help and I have contacted breeders, some very very helpful. But when you ask the wrong breeder they tell you what you want to hear ,not such a good thing. Its not like we can walk out the door ask around. It takes finding knowledgable people in the field willing to help. So that is why we all come here correct???

True enough...

If you walk out the door and ask around, the only breeders you're likely to find are the ones that have left us with a bad taste in our mouths already...  That's why we're here, all right.  Sometimes, though, it takes forever to catch the eye of the breeders you're hoping to talk to.  It's sure hard to tell the difference between good and other breeders...I've been turned off to a couple I'd been in contact with years ago.  Glad of it, but I have only found one that has contacted me by PM.  I'm not ready to buy, but I do want to know more about lines, and the personalities of the dogs the breeders have.

Crys

Hi Crys,

I understand the  difficulty ,.
Give this web  site a try  :   www.ddrlegends.com

Hope this helps.

Thanks.  I will try that.