Dwarfism! - Page 1

Does anyone know if the Pike or Sagus vom Busecker Schloss lines have produced any pups that were dwarfs?

Natan, Sagus progency is dwarf producer. Let me pull out some peds in the morning and I will email you the combos that produced a dwarf that i have record of. Kari vomveiderheiss@nemont.net

Thanks! My email address is justin@muellerhauskennel.com. So I am guessing that a linebreeding on Saugus runs the risk of producing dwarfs?

We have a dwarf, now aged eleven and a half years. If you want the pedigree feel free to E. Mail me.

Hello! We had a dwarf in our first litter. Today "Püppy" is 4 years and starts in Agility 3. Its father "Fedor vom Steinway-Park" brought dwarves also with other females. You find more information to "Püppy" and other German shepherd dog dwarves under http://hometown.aol.de/pueppy140203/Startseite.html We would be pleased, if we still more pictures of dwarves could publish. However the general statement of the SV, the dwarf stature does not seem to be rarity, but is only concealed.

Here the pedigree to "Püppy". http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/128510.html

How do you know that you have a dwarf and not just a on the smaller side puppy? What are the indications to find out if a young pup is a dwarf? Would a female pup who is almost six month old and looks like a 4 1/2 month old be considered a dwarf?

There are two distinctly different types of stunted growth in GSD puppies: one is a true dwarf and the other is what they call a "delay". A dwarf looks nothing like a German Shepherd as it grows older. The coat is like sheep wool, the face is more narrow and the nose more pointed like a fox. Delays look like miniature shepherds and eventually grow to normal height and weight, usually by age two. The dwarf does not. A dwarf can also be identified by blood work with some of the pituitary markers lower than normal. Their thyroids are oftne underperforming which is thought to be the cause of fur loss as they age. I don't have extensive knowledge of the medical test interpretations but I do know from experience that they can be identified through blood work. It is thought that many dwarfs are stillborn and that there are many more born than are identified because of the high stillborn rate. At birth they look identical to their siblings in size and weight and appearance. It is only by daily weighing that it becomes apparent that they are not progressing as the others.

I have only had two dwarfs, from show lines (Lasso x a Visum bitch). They both looked exactly like miniature shepherds, (except for the patchy hair) never gained anything close to normal size. SS