GSDs back in the days - question - Page 2

For the life of me I will never understand what a progeny class has to do with working ability.   Yeah they all look somewhat alike, now what.  Does the sire reproduce himself in working ability as well.  Oh what does that matter.

Uber,

I saw that add too.  I guess that dog would be in the Schutzhund special olympics.  I wish we could say it had ........ as a disease.

Interesting to note

"Von Stephanitz had become alarmed at the trend in the breed toward oversized square dogs. Other problems included lack of steady temperament and faults of dentition. He and the breed wardens decided drastic measures needed to be taken. At the 1925 Sieger show von Stephanitz selected Klodo von Boxberg as world sieger. This dog was dramatically different from the type of dog that had gone before him. He was of lower station, deeper and longer in body, short in loin and with a far-reaching gait. As it turned out Klodo proved to be a potent sire, successfully heralding a "new" type of shepherd."
 
So changing the breed type is not a new phenomenon - Stephanitz himself was also not averse to changing the type of Shepherd to suit his ideals. 

The problem is not whether they think THAT dog is correct or beautiful, but that they cannot see that there ARE some dogs being shown who are like this.   

Here's where the apologist and people that defend the SL dogs miss the boat, IMO. Read the post again by Doppleganger on the status of the breed  in 1925 in terms of problems that were becoming too prevalent. Sounds very similar to what we see today????? NOW, read what the correction strategy for this problem. The founder made a 180 degree turn in terms of TYPE and temperament to correct this. Thus leading to the period of the 30's to the 60's when SL dogs were producers of fine working dogs. Million dollar question????Do the powers that be have the cajones to make a decision like that today to try to correct some of same issues???(Maybe because it is a million dollar issue, that the million dollar question won't be fixed the same way) Regardless, nothing is new under the sun, so this issue tried to crop up before at the Seiger leve;l and they handled it much differently and in fact the way some people have advocated for years. Just an observation, don't get mad at me get mad at the founder of the breed for seeing this and NOT tolerating it!

Come on Doppleganger,

"Von Stephanitz had become alarmed at the trend in the breed toward oversized"

"So changing the breed type is not a new phenomenon - Stephanitz himself was also not averse to changing the type of Shepherd to suit his ideals. "

His ideals had not changed.  He wanted the GSD to stay a working dog.  He saw the body politic moving away from the vision and chose a dog that would once again maintain his working vision.  How you could use his statements and actions to substantiate the current SL product is disingenuous at best.

Kyle

wow thanks for all your helpful replies, and good photos from way back, prager!
cool to see taht dog in 2007 so similar to the one in the 20s.


though i dont mind the look of a slightly broader gsd, as long as it's healthy. i guess there are pros and cons on both massive and more slender.

uber land, wow.. that's insane. that's kinda how i sometimes think some people want their dogs to look like, ugh it's horrible! it can't be good for the dog! and when was it ever ... good for anything? xD

(dont get me wrong, i'm not hating on people that prefer the sliiiiight bent look of the back, but that picture is sick!)