What Is A Reputable Breeder? - Page 7

No question, it benefits GSD breeders to learn all they can about normal hip conformation for the breed or, at the very least to use vets who are experienced in taking and reading hip xrays. Luckily the vets who xrayed the dogs I bred knew immediately that OFA had made a mistake and suggested another xray. One dog was owned by a novice who had not a clue what a normal hip should look like like. The other was owned by a long time breeder who also recognized that OFA was in error.  I just heard from another breeder friend who had to re-xray her male and resubmit the xray after OFA said the dog was mildy dysplastic.  She knew he was  not and so did her vet. He got a good the second time around. Another received a fair rating on a dog that both she and her vet felt was at least good. Another xray got him a good. And the beat goes on.......

Panzer, thanks for the links. I haven't had a chance to study them yet. My problem with OFA stats is that they are based only on the xrays they see and stats by their very nature can easily be manipulated.  Most I know do not submit xrays they don't think are going to pass so there isn't a lot of indepth information available on most breeds. Then there's the fact that OFA sometimes issues a different rating on the same dog whcih calls their reliablity into question. Still it's good to be able to see the numbers in black and white and take them for what they are.

I used 2 males with fair ratings over the years, both bred to OFA good bitches.  Out of 14 puppies, all were xrayed and only one didn't get an OFA clearance which is better than the odds of breeding 2 goods together.  No fairs, 3 excellents, the rest goods. The one that didn't clear was borderline and her owner opted to not xray her again, so I don't know if she'd have been certified with another xray or not. One of the worst cases of HD I had in a dog of my own was one sired by an OFA excellent out of a good dam. All 4 g-parents were either good or excellent. The most tragic litter I bred myself was from 2 OFA good parents with 3 generations of OFA behind them. At 6  months 2 puppies were put down - literally no hip sockets. I think if it were as simple as breeding the best hips to the best hips, there wouldn't be nearly as much HD in large beed dogs as there is.

Blitzen, In the two litters that I referred to above.In the first litter there were three pups with heart murmurs. One was grade 3 out of a possible 6.She was euthanized.The other two outgrew theirs.In the second litter,Two pups had esophagus problems..no heart murmurs.They as well outgrew the problem.Is there any way of telling which or both parents this genetically came from?Are these problems more prevalent in the male or the female from your knowledge?

I think one is one whom knows what their lines produce and not one who has bought a bitch, bred it and then advertises that THEY are a breeder. Never even works the dog truly. To me a CGC, TDI, are {She calls them titles} NOT titles at all they mean hardly anything. Only true stress on a training field tells you what you do have, I think?

This person I refer to I met a little over a year ago.She had a littler that she has advertised as part wolf and GSD. I have worked with some great breeders trainers etc,but she truly beats anything I have ever seen. When I saw this past litter of hers she had kept them in a wire cage till they were all gone. I mean about a 26x36 cage! They should of been away from each other and not cramped into some little cage like a puppy mill does! Now that she has bought a breed that she knew nothing about ,but has now owned for a year barely, she knows it all!!  PFFT

She started a website that she presents herself as some top breeder, and has had many past experiences with dogs period! BS I then find it funny that she comes to this forum and ask questions about how to do this, and that. Odd huh? I went overboard for a year teaching her about training,drives,health,diets,but she was so frugal that she fed anything that was cheap,but NOW says its all Natural diets for her dogs? Sheesh

Shes cannot evenn assess proper temperament of a dog, and now she claims that she is doing teaching, seminars, etc to the public? What hype!

Short story know what you have and PRODUCE before you claim to be a breeder,be ethicalnot there for the money, which she IS.

I think one is one whom knows what their lines produce and not one who has bought a bitch, bred it and then advertises that THEY are a breeder. Never even works the dog truly. To me a CGC, TDI, are {She calls them titles} NOT titles at all they mean hardly anything. Only true stress on a training field tells you what you do have, I think?

This person I refer to I met a little over a year ago.She had a littler that she has advertised as part wolf and GSD. I have worked with some great breeders trainers etc,but she truly beats anything I have ever seen. When I saw this past litter of hers she had kept them in a wire cage till they were all gone. I mean about a 26x36 cage! They should of been away from each other and not cramped into some little cage like a puppy mill does! Now that she has bought a breed that she knew nothing about ,but has now owned for a year barely, she knows it all!!  PFFT

She started a website that she presents herself as some top breeder, and has had many past experiences with dogs period! BS I then find it funny that she comes to this forum and ask questions about how to do this, and that. Odd huh? I went overboard for a year teaching her about training,drives,health,diets,but she was so frugal that she fed anything that was cheap,but NOW says its all Natural diets for her dogs? Sheesh

Shes cannot evenn assess proper temperament of a dog, and now she claims that she is doing teaching, seminars, etc to the public? What hype!

Short story know what you have and PRODUCE before you claim to be a breeder,be ethicalnot there for the money, which she IS.