Old Grey-Haired Guy Does it Again - Page 2

I haven't seen the Group video yet, but I did see another dog slip while gaiting in a previous Westminister show. The rings are really too small for a dog the size of a GSD, and that darn Astroturf is slippery!  I wouldn't blame the dog too much, though I agree their structure leaves a lot to be desired. However, they are looking more substantial than they were a few years ago, when the goal was to breed for light bone so the dogs could gait faster.

Read Preston's thread, and you'll see that the same thing happened with the German showline GSDs:

Where doest extreme sidegait in GSDs come from? Answer: Germany, from the Canto Wienerau phenotype. Walter Martin knew how the Canto type bred too close would produce a lighter boned dog that could move exceptionally well (he also knew this phenotype could exist in other lines too). Canto turned out to be a dominant producer for sidegait, but he himself had a techiocally incorrect front and produced it. Even though it was incorrect technically, this type of front could produce extreme front extension because of a long upper arm to close to the vertical and a scapula to near the horizontal.

www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/forum/29380.html

1) It will be a cold day in Hell when the GERMAN SV tells the AMERICAN German Shepherd Dog Club (or the Canadian GSDC for that matter) what to do. Ai'nt going to happen.

2) Until recently, a lot of the German show lines were also oversized. The SV has tightened up on this and is now demanding that oversized dogs go to the back of the class.

3) Yes, the American dog does not have a lot of working ability, but that's mainly because the American GSD club outlawed Schutzhund and other sports that involved biting.

4) Eradicating hip dysplasia?? Are you KIDDING ME??? An American GSD doesn't have to even be hip-scored in order to get its championship. German dogs OTOH, MUST pass a hip evaluation.  In America, it's common practise not to bother sending in x-rays to OFA if it's obvious the dog isn't going to pass. The same thing happens in Germany, too.
 

Wrestleman, as someone pointed out elsewhere (don't recall the exact thread now, think it might have been Prager who said it) if you don't breed for working ability, it disappears within a couple of generations, so the outlawing of biting sports definitely played a big part.

Have you read Preston's thread I linked to above? I was just curious to know if you agreed that the German showlines are headed down the crapper too, unless something is done to stop it.

Edit: nice looking WL pup. The Eurosport dogs often catch my eye, when I see their ads on the PDB.

I agree with that theory, many people will argue that it has already happened to the German Show-lines. U tube some of the sieger show bitework and you can see what they mean. I think there are some decent working V dogs but they never get a top placement due to not being what is the hot $$$$$ dog in Germany. If people didn't buy the bigger softer show dogs they would quit  breeding them They only produce what sells and is popular.............