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by Gemini on 10 December 2010 - 19:12
Thanx Rik. How about you personnally when you bred them. Is that what you were breeding for or did you see other traits that made those dogs worthy in your eyes.
Reggie
by Rik on 11 December 2010 - 00:12
hello Reggie, I guess I could say something like I only bred for the betterment of the breed, etc. But is mostly b.s. I bred for dogs that could run fast in a circle. As did everyone I associated with.
I did have my pet peeves, namely light eyes and twisted tails. I stayed away from bad elbows as much as possible. Spooks/flakes, I detested. Many of the very beautiful and top winning Am. s/l are absolute fruit cakes. They run from the foot steps behind them and look very good doing it.
Showing dogs can very quickly go from being an enjoyable activity to an obsession to win. When it reaches this point, then it is no longer about the dogs. They become secondary. This is just human nature and true in any area that involves competition.
After a 5 year leave of absence from dogs, I decided to find out what the German dog was. Went to Germany to see first hand. Gathered all the info I could from this board and selected my first German dog. And guess what he was. A spectacular gaiter. Despite promising to never enter a show ring again, I did. Placed at the front of the class. Hooked all over again.
all this is kind of disjointed I know. Just some ramblings from an ole granddad. But there is a purpose in my starting this thread. And it is not to promote the direction of the s/l as correct. I just prefer to make my point with my dogs and not point at what others do.
Who knows, maybe a grasshopper snatches a pebble. I have seen it happen.
Rik
I did have my pet peeves, namely light eyes and twisted tails. I stayed away from bad elbows as much as possible. Spooks/flakes, I detested. Many of the very beautiful and top winning Am. s/l are absolute fruit cakes. They run from the foot steps behind them and look very good doing it.
Showing dogs can very quickly go from being an enjoyable activity to an obsession to win. When it reaches this point, then it is no longer about the dogs. They become secondary. This is just human nature and true in any area that involves competition.
After a 5 year leave of absence from dogs, I decided to find out what the German dog was. Went to Germany to see first hand. Gathered all the info I could from this board and selected my first German dog. And guess what he was. A spectacular gaiter. Despite promising to never enter a show ring again, I did. Placed at the front of the class. Hooked all over again.
all this is kind of disjointed I know. Just some ramblings from an ole granddad. But there is a purpose in my starting this thread. And it is not to promote the direction of the s/l as correct. I just prefer to make my point with my dogs and not point at what others do.
Who knows, maybe a grasshopper snatches a pebble. I have seen it happen.
Rik
by Sunsilver on 11 December 2010 - 04:12
Rik, why did you stop breeding and showing the American SL dogs? I'm just curious to know if it was because you got upset at what you saw happening, or if that realization came after you began showing the German dogs.
by Gemini on 11 December 2010 - 21:12
Rik, I gotta say thanx for the info that is what I wondered. And thanx for being candid. Not to easy to do when talking about breeding am s/l. Considering it seems you dont like the contributions you have made to the Am. gsd I would have like to see you hang around that seen to influence others on what the breed should be bred towards as far as traits. Thanx for starting this thread I am enjoying it. I love dog shows have since I was a kid. Still watch them on Animal Planet 5:00am on saturdays just for the joy of dogs. I would love to see Am. s/l breeders wanted to get these dogs back in touch with there heritage. I have a beagle and although I dont hunt I wanted my beagle to have hunting traits because that is what the breed is bred for. That to me is the joy of owning a purebreed dog for the purpose of that particular breed. Not a dog with a nice fur coat.
Reggie
Reggie
by Rik on 12 December 2010 - 01:12
Hi SS, the German dogs came much later.
In 1995, I bred this female (Lyrik"s Ain't Miss Behavin) from Ch. Clayfield Trieste and Ch. Schokrest Playboy. I showed her a few times, but she was loose in the rear, which hurt her in the all breed shows and did not have enough front for the specialties. A "two piece" dog in which the rear did not match the front. I liked her a lot though and kept her and her sister "Alibi"
In 1998, I bred Annie (above) to Schokrest-Crimson Pacific Tide. Tide was a result of an out cross breeding of two of the top Am. s/l kennels in the U.S. Schokrest and Fran-Jo.
From this breeding, I got my dream dog. Lyrik's Intrepid.
She was a star at 4 weeks. In the show, she never placed behind any dog. It was a dream come true for a small hobby breeder. This pic is her first show out of the puppy classes. BOB over adults and finished AKC Champions. Her next show, she got her second required "major" for AKC Championship. People were offering me large sums of money for her. But you don't swap a dream of 20 years for money.
In her 3'rd show from the puppy class, under Fred Migilore in Alcoa, Tn. she was very quickly placed at the front of the class. A couple more laps and Fred stopped the show and asked for Intrepids owner to come forward. He said he wanted to put her up, but she was not moving her tail. Asked me to speak to her and see her tail move. She could not. He thought it had been "fixed".
It turns out that it was a spine issue. A gift from her very famous Grand Victor great grand sire. Bred and promoted by a very top GSDCA judge/member. Dogs to this day, from this line, have this issue.
It was the end of the line for me. I placed my dogs in homes, except for Intrepid. I did not breed her and have not bred a litter since.
The German dogs came several years later. That is another story and again,
JMO,
Rik
In 1995, I bred this female (Lyrik"s Ain't Miss Behavin) from Ch. Clayfield Trieste and Ch. Schokrest Playboy. I showed her a few times, but she was loose in the rear, which hurt her in the all breed shows and did not have enough front for the specialties. A "two piece" dog in which the rear did not match the front. I liked her a lot though and kept her and her sister "Alibi"
In 1998, I bred Annie (above) to Schokrest-Crimson Pacific Tide. Tide was a result of an out cross breeding of two of the top Am. s/l kennels in the U.S. Schokrest and Fran-Jo.
From this breeding, I got my dream dog. Lyrik's Intrepid.
She was a star at 4 weeks. In the show, she never placed behind any dog. It was a dream come true for a small hobby breeder. This pic is her first show out of the puppy classes. BOB over adults and finished AKC Champions. Her next show, she got her second required "major" for AKC Championship. People were offering me large sums of money for her. But you don't swap a dream of 20 years for money.
In her 3'rd show from the puppy class, under Fred Migilore in Alcoa, Tn. she was very quickly placed at the front of the class. A couple more laps and Fred stopped the show and asked for Intrepids owner to come forward. He said he wanted to put her up, but she was not moving her tail. Asked me to speak to her and see her tail move. She could not. He thought it had been "fixed".
It turns out that it was a spine issue. A gift from her very famous Grand Victor great grand sire. Bred and promoted by a very top GSDCA judge/member. Dogs to this day, from this line, have this issue.
It was the end of the line for me. I placed my dogs in homes, except for Intrepid. I did not breed her and have not bred a litter since.
The German dogs came several years later. That is another story and again,
JMO,
Rik
by nonacona60 on 12 December 2010 - 06:12
Rik, I remember your Intrepid....What a sight to behold....Always wondered what happened to her....Thanks for sharing that .....
by SitasMom on 30 December 2010 - 17:12
Rik.....Very sad about Intrepid, good luck with your new direction......
by eichenluft on 30 December 2010 - 17:12
Rik, I have nothing to add to this thread, not being involved or at all educated in American-line dogs. But I do have to say thank you for your interesting candid honest posts.
molly
molly
by sueincc on 31 December 2010 - 17:12
I would like to echo Molly's sentiment.
I also want to say to Gemini, if you meant you would like to see Rik hang around and breed to improve Am Line dogs......NO WAY JOSE!!!!!!! call me selfish, presumptive and possesive, but no, the American Lines can NOT have Rik back, he is the kind of person we need more of in the European Lines too, so they cannot have him back.
I also want to say to Gemini, if you meant you would like to see Rik hang around and breed to improve Am Line dogs......NO WAY JOSE!!!!!!! call me selfish, presumptive and possesive, but no, the American Lines can NOT have Rik back, he is the kind of person we need more of in the European Lines too, so they cannot have him back.
by Sunsilver on 31 December 2010 - 18:12
Rik, that must have been heartbreaking for you. So very sorry that your dream ended so badly.
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