Isnt this a little much for line breeding? - Page 5

Does anyone offer the GSD stud books on disks? The Malamute rescue does that and sells them as a fund raiser. If not, I think someone could make themselves a nice tidy amount of money doing it. It would ba a lot of hard work. You'd have to buy all the stud books, generate a program and enter all the information; it would probably take a lot of people to do it, but it is possible. With a click of my mouse I can bring up a pedigree for any Malamute that has ever been entered in the stud book and see the breeder, owner, DOB, color and the year of it's first litter. They have started to add dogs from show reports, OFA number, etc and now we are getting pictures too. I can generate a pedigree as far back as the stud book goes to the Byrd expedition simple by clicking on the pedigree. It's pretty neat.

The GSDCA charges for pedigree information, even if it's only online, and will only give you (I think) 5 generations at a time. It's a real PITA trying to fill out your dog's pedigree. Money-hungry SOB's... [grump!]

We had a client in our grooming shop come in with a 10 yr. old retired AM. show bitch that looked just aweful when she walked. It looked like her back was broken. :( -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You mean like this, Yvette? This is from a current ad on the site that I spotted today. I think he's from a Hungarian kennel, but his dad's side goes back to German showlines (Ulk v. Arlett is the great-grandsire I think.) And I've certainly seen German showlines that were just as extreme. Can someone PLEASE explain to me the justification for breeding a dog that looked like this? Yes, he's for sale, but there are other dogs on their site that are just as extreme!

So this (http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/414879.html) is a bitch who lived until the age of 10--with no linebreeding (up close in the pedigree, that is)--she still has a disasterous pedigree (of the "self-destruct" variety).

Ugh...just found Lakeside's Gilligan's Island way back in my pup's pedigree, twice, through Portrait of Fabrena (one of the foundations bitches for the Shiloh Shepherd.) Hmm...another reason to dislike his sire, Lance, who seemed to carry a bucketload of bad genes, including the blue and liver colour!

If you all have this info on these dogs, why don't you put it in the "Comments"? Instead of leaving things blank? I would advise, that if you don't have good evidence and it's just rumor, to state so. Rumor had it that Manhattan had "problems walking" and that's why he didn't show up all the time at shows. "Problems walking" translating to "dysplasia".

Re: finding pedigrees.... Is everyone simply using Google (Advanced is better) to do so? Try the various dogs' names in there, or parts of their names (sometimes people spell things wrong and it's only on www once). I've been trying to find my dogs' pedigrees back more and I did alot of this before having to capitulate and try buying old stud books that would have the info.

When researching American pedigrees a good place to start is  http://www.gsdca.org/GSDReviewed/wbitches/index.html  (also has links to males) and no the gSDCA does NOT charge money for the pedigrees on their website. They do sell " Red  Books" that have limited 3 generation pedigrees and info on the dogs. The older ones were far more informative than the current ones.  My favorite line from one of the very early ones was about Beau of Fran Jo - to wit -"Don't breed him to dull or deficient bitches"  Well yah but what does that say a. about what you are breeding to and b. about the dog himself.

Jackie, here is the link to Woodside Steeler http://www.gsdca.org/GSDReviewed/wdogs/WoodlandSteeler.html  includes a picture and a good description of him.

Rebel, why would you buy stud books as opposed to just using an old fashioned pay for it pedigree service since they already have all the stud books and often have more info than you can get ( color of dog etc)?

When using the web beware - many many of the pedigrees are incorrect - including ones on this site.

Other resources for American pedigrees include  http://www.angelfire.com/wi/gsdpedigrees/amgsdpeds.html  and http://www.webabout.com/gsd/grumpas/list.shtml   .

Don't forget too that sometimes the OFA databases can fill in the blanks. Go to advance search click on GSD and use a smallpart of the name and click on any part of name for best results.

Finally, it's expensive but you can always order a certified pedigree from AKC.  If you have the close up relatives , as long as you have the dog's name AND registration number you can order any dog's pedigree so you can start in the back if that's what you need.