bloodline ????'s - Page 2

OFA will do a preliminary reading under 24 months, they will not take the "official" reading until the dog si 24 months old. A very good idea to have him prelimed prior to finalizing the purchase. The a1, a2, a3 ratings are from the German SV, many US people do OFA versus SV. The SV ratings can be done anytime after 12-months of age.

animus do you know how long it would take to have the pre-liminary reading done? as i have roughly 30-60 day's depending on when my daughter decides to come out :) thanks kenny

It took only a couple weeks to have our dogs OFA report done. It may speed things up if you can find a GOOD vet that can submit the x-rays electronically. Ask for a copy for your own records also. Have hips and elbows done as elbows are starting to get more attention also.

well hip's are already done and there w/dog, so it shouldn't be a problem, will wait on elbow's until i get there. hate to but want to have them done by a ''competant' known vet that know's what their doing. thanks though kenny

Have the hips checked by "your" vet at the same time as the elbows. If possible get a copy of his current hip x-rays and have your own vet take a look now. Finding out now can save a lot of heartache later....

Good luck with your new dog... Please be very careful when you expose your children to this dog. Watch very carefully for how he responds when children run and scream. Nothing against your dog but do this for any dog when first exposed to kids especially if not raised with them. Sometimes the running and screaming will "turn on" their prey drive and they will attack. Does not happen that often but I have seen it happen.

PS...A good chance you are getting taken advantage of..lots of warning signs...

DR, thanks about the kids, your #7 that has told me same thing which i plan to watch for? after how long do you think i will know if the running and playing ''triggers'' his prey drive? i mean is this something that may not show up for month's? or should it show right away? and you said lot's of warning signs? which are? i've learned taht trust is earned so that being said, i will take all criticism good or bad here, i've been waiting for this site to be back up and running. notice i'm not on a "dog's" board, i figure if anyone would know that i wanted to talk to the same people the breed and train gsd's, i want to get breed specific information. i figure the kinda money i'm spending, I want to know what to look for and such, facts from experience not hear say are the key. thank you all for everything so far. hope you don't mind but i'll be here picking your brains for the remeainder of my time here on earth or till this site is no longer which ever comes first, as i get older my want's and needs have changed also. again thanks, kenny

Kenny, you are right,if parents are a3, this does not automaticly mean that the offspring will be a3 aswell. But, since HD is a genetic based defect, it becomes more likely that, when animals with a a3 status are bred, that it will have an affect on the offspring. In the case of the dog you choose, it gets even more tricky since you have an a3 in one grandparent aswell. On top of that, there are a lot of a2's down the line and it occors that the HD has manifested. For me as a breeder, i can not understand why one would breed with 2 a3, as i believe the goal should be to eliminate HD, which can only work if we breed with normal hips. Now , i do know that there are great dogs out there that have a2 or a3 hips that produce superb dogs, but then we look that at least one parentline is free of HD. As to your question about how this dog will react towards your kids, no one can tell you. This depends on, for a great deal, how this pup was raised and socilised. That a 8 month old is aperently allready worked extensively, is something i do not believe in. But, others have different methods, so be it. In my opinion, a pup, raised by you and your family, would be more suitible. One thing, that you have to have in mind at all times : Regardles of how good or bad a dog is trained, it is still an animal that will react like an animal. Meaning, never ever leave your dog unatendet around your kids. I do not want to take your spirits, but you did get a lot of sound advice, the final decision lays with you. Best wishes for your family and all the best for the new Baby. Kind Regards Ulli Dresbach

thanks oscar, i had already coveyed to my wife the same thing, along with he will not be aloowed to be around my kids and their friends while playing, or any of my friends while any horseplay might be expected.as far as him being socialized, i've been told by the trainer/importer of the dog that he is good with other animals and has been in his home around children, so that does make me feel alittle better, but hey i have a 3 yr old and understand i can't tell her what she can and can't do and her understand shy because of her age. again thanks kenny