Hock walker? - Page 18

I agree, Gustav. You know who I co-own my dog with and that she is not a conformist to the ASL flying trot dog.

We are both no longer young girls, so we do the best we can with our own dogs knowing that we will lose in the AKC ring more than we will win with our "halfbreeds". We're not trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, we are just not ready to hang it up yet. At the age when most women are sitting in a rocker knitting, we are still training and trying to title our ASL x GSL dogs. Will it change the breed? Of  course not but I hope that I never have to apologize for not doing the best I could with my dogs and the very few litters of GSD's that I will ever breed will be out of dogs with good hips, elbows, health checked, and titled. I don't have the time or desire to cut corners . If this were 1990 I might take a different direction, I don't know. 


  Have a great weekend.............


 

Many GSL breeders are working to preserve hardness and workability in their lines, but many more are just getting looking for "gait" or "color"....... too bad.

Some WL breeders are working on structure and tempermant in their lines, but many more are just looking for a dog that has grips and has crazy drives .... too bad.

Temperament and Structure are everything......(notice the order in which I used?).  Temperament includes balanced drives. Without correct temperament the rest of the dog is nothing -  Without healthy structure the dog is nothing - not even a good companion.

WL and SL will always disagree on structure and the amount of drive a dog should have and how to read the breed standard - this exact argument has been going on since about 1910.

It is important to understand the whole breed standard and to apply each part of it equally, we are not to decide which parts are more or less important.

JMO.....

LOve this thread!,,All of your words are not falling on deaf ears some are listening..

@ Blitzen......,,,,,,just finished tracking and doing obedience with my 8 month pup. I'm sure he does not have healthy structure by the show ring, but he is great companion, great with kids, will make a great sport dog or working dog.....I'd like to think he's a lot more than nothing.
Take care!

Markobytes great post however I must say, that while I have greatly enjoyed club and regional shows and the placements were very honest. I have to say my opinions on the sieger shows is vastly different... The entire thing is run by politics and that is ruining the breed.

Some of the far superior dogs are still not placing well because of those politics. Some people are playing the game WITH the superior dogs and are making it, and for those people good for you for getting there, But I would rather not play into the politics to see a dog rise to the top.  

SchaeferhundSchH,
          
No one should play politics but often the monetary gain for having a German judge declare your kennel to be the top kennel surpasses a sense of fair play. To many puppy buyers once they see "top kennel in the US" on a website, have finished their shopping. Attendance at a Sieger show includes a lot of knowledgeable people. If a good dog is placed in a position next to or behind inferior dogs or if an inferior dog is placed ahead of it's betters, it sticks out like a sore thumb. Let the people see your dog, you may not win on that day but you will in the long run. The bitework is where every dog is scrutinized and a well trained dog sticks out like a sore thumb. 

@ Markobytes, how long a run will it take....lol This isn't new by any means.
Question for you Markobytes and not trying to be funny but to make a point.
Couple years ago, a dog named Javir Talka Marda, competed in Seiger show. He has excellent structure in general, he had a progeny group, he unequivocally has the genetics to bring immense improvement to the genetics and temperament of the Show world. Here was an opportunity to make him a VA dog even if it was a lower VA dog;  the platform that the VA placing would have given him would have ensured that he was used much more by SL and thus strengthening and diversifying the genepool, at a relative low cost to negative impact on structure. The importance of what he could bring far outweighed his color or that he was from working lines. Not asking for them to make him Seiger, but The Capn himself has put up dogs as Seigers that were entirely different from the current trend to alter the direction of breeders whether it was size or temperament. So this concept isn't new, it just takes a pair.....OR is the system so entrenched(I didn't say corrupted....smile), that the top people in SV couldn't do this. I would like to think that top Judges in SV are much smarter than I am about the need to strengthen some weaknesses, and it has to start with genetics.......so why do you think this opportunity was passed by with giving him a V50 something. Just curious

Gustav,
        V54 out of 137Vs is not too shabby, personally I don't think Javir had the structure to go VA. I believe judges will bump up places due to working ability. Bazi v.d. Urbecke was placed ahead of dogs who were structurally better because of his working ability. The SV apparently doesn't believe it needs to make a step as bold as you suggest. I noticed that d'Ulemental kennel did breed to Javir and show his progeny. I think Javir's breeder had the whole GSD in mind when he was produced and I myself think he is a remarkable dog.   

Gustav, your pup sounds like a great dog. I think he will do you proud. I'm just getting into  tracking with my girl and we really like it.  I  learned to use liver or fish juice since here in FL the fireants eat the damned bait before the track is seasoned LOL. I'd never have figured that out for myself. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks after all.