Everyone needs a bad guy.... - Page 2

I'm with ya, DC.  The GSD of today bears little resemblence to the ancestoral stock.  On the other hand, the other herding breeds, such as the Malinois, Belgian Shepherd, and Beauceron, have stayed much more true to form and function. 

I'm on my last GSD myself.  I've run into about every problem out there... low drives, crappy nerves, soft ears, undescended testicles, bad hips, bad elbows... If Lucky #7 doesn't cut the mustard, I've promised my husband that my next dog will be a Malinois.

To those that generalize the Malinois as a nervy hyper whack-job, you're guilty of the same stereotyping that we hate to see heaped on our own breed of choice.  My husband's first SchH prospect will probably be his last for many years because his Malinois is fantastic.  Not only does she not have the stereotypical screw-ball nerves, but she has a perfect "on-off" switch.  During the day she lays quietly in the bike shop, letting all manner of people pet her, even tolerating the children with more patience than I could muster.  But... take her on the field, show her a sleeve, and she'll launch like a rocket.  She is a wonderful ambassador to our sport, and to the breed.

Gawd I hope Lucky #7 pans out because Ivan's just raised his puppy prices to near GSD levels.  D'oh!

Yvette

Now that I've vented my spleen... here's the good news... there are plenty enough good dogs out there to salvage our breed and return it to the ranks of a consistently reliable utilitarian dog. 

Every breeder has the ability to influence the direction of his/her own breeding program, and decide what goals to pursue.  If the breeder is not motivated by money, then there is no reason to produce puppies that appeal to the "fashion". 

Furthermore, every buyer has the ability to vote with his/her wallet and pass over the dogs of inferior stock.  Thanks to the wonders of the Internet and global shipping capabilities, a buyer need not settle for mediocre dogs for the lack of a quality neighborhood breeder.

However, what is lacking is a common goal in both breeder and buyer, as now there is no alignment in what kind of dog the GSD "should be".  Until we come to some agreement there will always be "the split" and it will only continue to widen.

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To Don, thanks for mentioning the thing about the orange nipples!  I rolled over our Mali and lo and behold, they are as orange as a freshly squeezed screwdriver in the French Quarter.  I knew there had to be a reason she's such a good dog!

I guess you didn't see the Malinois entries at Westminster this year.  Not a ring/schutzhund/police title in the entire entry.  In fact, many of the Mali breeders who cater to the show circuit boast they don't cater to those who want dogs for grip work/sport.  Here in the USA , the majority of  people want bigger, fluffier, softer temperament dogs that require no work & are happy to lie  under your feet all day, day after day after day. A dog like that is much more easy to handle in the show ring, too.   The other herding breeds you mention  haven't stayed truer to temperament for any reason other than they haven't been hit with the popularity hammer.  Mali breeders who don't pay attention will be repaid for their complacency  with a wrecked breed.

I hope the mali people use the GSD as an example.  I know it will be only a matter of time, but money rules the world.  I don't care for Malinois, but I would hate to see another working dog get ruined.  It's not often that you see a good Dobe at work.  i think Dobes are beautiful, but they sure have been reduced to nothing.  It's hard to find a good Dobe and I would hate to see the same thing happen to the GSD and Mali.

I'm not in favor of our government telling us what to do, but in some sense, the laws that Cali tried to pass would cut down on all of the BYB and people that shouldn't be doing it just to do it.  We wouldn't have the mistakes,  the market wouldn't be flooded with crap, and you would hear of less scams since there wouldn't be 1,000,000,000,000 breeders and their reputation would be more important.  I'm not saying I'm 100% for it, but it has a plus side to it.

"They want to make sure that some old  Blue-hair, wearing eveningwear, thinks that their dog is pretty". 

DC, you're really labeling the older members of the board here! You know people in their 60s like happy pills too, so we can't be all that bad.

Charles Manson!!!

PS I'll bet most Showlines aren't owned by BLUE HAIRS!

It's 5:04 PM here and I don't have my pajamas on yet!

NInja

I was talking about the 90 year old judges that they always have at these shows.  You know the ones that cant see five feet in front of themselves and cant hold their hand still to fill out the results.

Gawd I hope Lucky #7 pans out because Ivan's just raised his puppy prices to near GSD levels.  D'oh! (Yvette)

Not everyone switches dogs like that, and I really think the problem lies with those doing all the switching, not the dogs.

God only knows the last thing we need on a dog board is discussion on dog food. Or hips for that matter. I mean, it's not like hips are a problem for the GSD, right?   ????????????

I agree totally Don.  If a person is too ignorant to know how to recognize a GSD trait how the hell can they breed for it? I hate all the breed and breeding laws that are popping up around the country. What I hate more are the uneducated morons who breed with no knowledge and cause much of the underlying problem.  No true evaluation of breeding stock and no understanding of the difference between stable and nervy.

Isn't that the truth Sue? But these people don't get that these are the very dogs you can't trust when a situation arises that is more demanding than lying at your feet day after day.