It is very common for AKC GSD people to breed the bitch on her second heat and the male as early as possible if he shows promise.

The AKC and the GSDCA do not have one single mandatory policy in place for the health and betterment of the breed.

The GSDCA talks the talk, forms lots of committees, has lots of meetings and makes lots of reports. In the end anything goes in the U.S. Breed bitches and males at  a very early age, get AKC championships and GSDCA Select titles with no OFA hip or elbow certification.

The breed in the U.S (AM/AKC showline) is an absolute joke. It is up to the breeder to do what is ethical.

JMHO,
Rik

P.S. GSLover123, I have to say that I agree with you 100%.

Rik,
 I agree with you about the AKC and doing nothing for the breed. As far as American Showlines SOME of us do not fit in the mold and we pay for it because we do not have the angulation of the Anerican Showlines. When I went to the UKC Conformation Shows The very first time the judge looks at my bitch and says "I'm glad to see you, I'm sick and tired of seeing overangulated and roachbacked GSD's. Needles to say we took Breed and a Group First. I don't see what breeders get out of such an angulated or roachbacked GSD. With the physical deformities (my opinion) they cannot work as they were bred to. My bitch can move sheep all day and would continue into the night if I would let her...


Oh btw she's three and I'm breeding her for the first time as we speak...

There is no point whotsoever in bringing up the AKC when discussing breeding ethics.

Unfortunatly the AKC in the US cannot be avoided easily if you are purchasing dogs born in the US.  They should be ashamed.

thunder9, my point is not the lack of ethics with individual breeders.

I have met a very few AKC/GSDCA breeders who do care about what they are breeding and a great many who could give a sh*t  less what they produce as long as it is at the front of the line.  I will admit that I was once in this group.

Anyone who doubts this only need to do a little research on the lack of H&E certification in AKC/GSDCA Select/GV/BOB/Group/BOS winners in the U.S.  If these people don't care about H&E are any of you dumb enough to believe they care about anything,

My issue is with the AKC/GSDCA who profess to care about the advancement of the breed in the U.S. and then give a sh** less if dogs with bad hips, bad elbows, poor temperament are bred and foisted on the pet buying public to deal with. 

It's a social club first, a business second and pi** on the health/well fare of the breed as long as we get registrations/show entries.

KCzaja, I have to disagree with you. I think that "lack" of ethics should be discussed any time the AKC/GSDCA are brought up.

My nightly rant,

Rik

What i find bad about this talk regards breeding at such a young age is, There is no mention of Joint testings done, and temperament testing will not be done and to me this is vitally important that the Dog is tested out, If you put a dog under pressure such as on the work field if there are any nasty temperament issues they will show up, again no Qualifications at all no breed surveys or nothing else, all we here IS IT READY TO BREED, this makes me so angry when i read stuff like this, the female at that age is hardly ready or even mature enough to breed Y.R says it all in that respect
So all you people out there who are thinking of breeding with a female Dog just because it is a German Shepherd does not mean it can be bred
If you are short of money and who is not, then find a more creditable way of earning it not through breeding an untried Female Dog, for to me it is akin to rearing a bullock just for its meat there is no difference at all
 For you are sure making the breed weaker and worse than it already is now
And the whole idea of breeding at any time is to make the breed stronger more and healthy, not the bloody opposite
Steve

After a couple of years of being into real GSD's, training, titles, etc.........I once spoke to a "breeder" of AM. show line GSD's....he wanted to breed his AM "champion" show-line male with my Brawnson daughter.....(I laughed HARD!) However, I tried to be poilte and asked a few questions about his male, training, health certs, age, etc.....
His male was only 15 months old....had NO training, had sired 4 litters with NO health certs....when I asked him why, he stated to me that if his male couldn't "produce" anything then he wasn't worth investing any money into or doing anything with.....I promptly told him what I though of his "hick back yard breeding ways" and told him he needed to seek professional help ASAP and left.

One thing I have noticed in my research for knowledge of pedigrees is that not a lot of people seem not to focus on the dam or the "mother line". All I hear about when talking about pedigrees is this sire or that grandsire.....NOTHING about the females. A few breeders yes but overall it's VERY hard to find information about females in pedigrees.

k9sar06
Good for you, a pity more do not follow your example. you thing you are not correct on though is the mother line
I am forever saying how important the mother line is, In breeding of animals and birds i.e Racing pigeons. but the same applies to dogs and horses etc,
The Daddy of my Pup Izzy has a wonderful line, But it was her Mother that i was most interested in getting a Pup from I know the female very well and twice before i tried to get a Pup from her when she was mated to the great Darthez now unfortunately deceased , and twice the mating failed, She is a really beautiful Bitch, Very courageous, Strong steady nerves but also very fast, plus she can switch off the work field to home life without any trouble, she lives in the house with her handler and his family, but on the work field she is a different Dog, Yes, the female is very important and it is in us humans as well, My Mum was a tiny Lady, But very strong in body and very mentally strong, she had to be bringing up ten kids and several during the last War carrying them all over the country with no where to live
I think that is where i get my stubborn streak from.
Steve