GSD - Page 2

Hans,

You are a bit critical, I think.  Remember there are a good 1/2 of these GSD whom can not get their coat wet or muddied, it may dammade their coat.  Plus their nails must not be broken
or damaged. 

Jenn, children as prey items sums up my thoughts exactly. I do not want dogs that my grandkids cannot be exposed to.


Then get a Shiloh!  

Okay, just teasing here, but seriously, that IS why Tina started to breed her dogs as family dogs, rather than hard-assed schutzhund and protection dogs. She had small kids, and was worried about their safety. Since she bred and sold dogs for a living, keeping the kids and dogs apart 100% of the time was not a practical option.

Hans, good post! I agree 100%

Yeah, Rik, you daren't let those fragile ASS run free...they might break one of their delicate legs! 
ThenThenThen 

Nadeem6, I hope that is a joke, otherwise, did you inform your breeder that you didn't research the breed?

Naadem6: When I was getting  work done on our house and pool, I had to warn all the workers to hang onto their cell phones as I would not be replacing them due to the fact my pup was an excellent thief. Also, they should take care where they placed their lunches  and tools, if they got distracted. It was never a dull moment, that's for sure! LOL

Yes Beetree i know what you mean, never a dull moment. lol.

Yes it's just a joke Chaz.  My breeder is actually one of the people who posted on this thread, i was just teasing her 'cause she always
claims all her pups are just "sweet little angels." lol. 

I actually got UScA certified as a helper recently for my club so i kind of know what to expect from these dogs :)

HA! Nadeem, it's not my fault if you don't understand sarcasm.   And Nadeem has no excuse; he saw the mother no numerous occasions, not to mention previous puppies at 6 months old.  He cannot now claim ignorance! LOL  

SS, great that you love Shilohs, but rather than make a new breed, why not just breed "hard- assed" dogs with proper temperament? Seems like a good idea to me, and one I am pursuing tenaciously. I have yet to meet a "hard-assed" dog who was bad with children who impressed me in the least. I see "unbalanced" where others see "hard-assed." A highly confident dog with no loose screws does not see children as either threatening or prey. Here's the part where I get told  I just don't have tough enough dogs, but I've said my piece on this and I will not waver on it. 

Case in point, I have heard people talk about Nadeem's dog (who is just a pup!) several times in terms of how serious and aggressive he is and how TDs and helpers try to remember he is only a pup because he performs like a much older dog. I have heard this from SEVERAL different people, and a few of them had no idea that I bred the dog when they were telling me how impressive he is. Huge compliment, and yet he lives in the home, plays with a toddler, and Nadeem thinks he's a sweetheart. Isn't that how a GSD should be with family vs. strangers??? If not, then I have a lot to learn! I observed the sire for quite a while and how he interacted with the children in the home (because he has a bit of a reputation for aggression...to say the least) and I know how Capri is, and felt sure that regardless of the level of aggression produced, children would not be an issue. All of them are in homes with children. And I mean IN HOMES, not kenneled on the back of the property.

I might have a couple dogs lying around here that people would consider "hard-assed" (just guessing, as Lord knows what a given person's definition of that might be, lol) and I do not have ONE SINGLE dog on this property that I do not trust with my son. I have one young one who might knock him over with a tail, but as far as seeing him as a prey item? NEVER. Nor would I tolerate it or make excuses for it. There IS no excuse for it other than lack of balance and/or mental clarity. People say you can't expect a dog to just "know." Maybe not, but if you only breed the ones who do "know" you can make a hell of a lot of headway in that department. 

Jenni, that's how it should be IMO, yeah.

But there were a few other factors at play that resulted in her deciding to start her own breed. Such as a German import she'd paid $5,000 which turned out to have the worst hips the vet had ever seen, plus what we all saw happening with the American dogs in the 1980s. You can breed for good temperment and structure all you want, but if there's nothing decent out there to refresh your bloodlines, what are you going to do then?  She tried different German lines, she tried different American lines, and was disappointed with both.  Thus the outcross which created the Shiloh Shepherd. Not what you or I would have done, of course, but I respect her decision.

A good dog, past the puppy stage, understands what a child is. The same way that in the beginning, they had to understand what sheep were. 

When the GSD had to make his living herding, I doubt that many were long on the earth if they did not have the discrimination to know what they were to protect.

SS, if I ever decide to get a shiloh, I'll call you for sure. Don't go far from the phone.

Rik

Exactly, Rik. If people let these things dictate which dogs were bred, dogs would be vastly improved. Natural selection is still a great tool! Prager had a post about this a while back....awesome post. Common sense, which unfortunately is not so common anymore. 

SS, my plan is to get enough of my "own" stuff and keep it (either with me or in foster homes I trust) so that in a few generations, I won't need to outcross too often. If I can get a couple winning combos, I'll be happy. 

Hans,

Do you know where or from whom a person could get such a dog?