Looking for something specific. What do you recommend? - Page 9

Refer again to the part about people who can't read what others say -- even when it is right in front of them.

Or were you just deliberately playing stupid?

Hey Jim,


Thanks for the compliment on little Oakley.  She's a spitfire!

I think wdog's post was actually aimed at me, judging by it's proximity to mine...

It's amazing how someone who appreciates a breed for everything that it takes to keep it what it is, is an asshole. It's actually been quite a while since I met someone who was so charming as to say such a thing, and call me stupid at the same time, when it is they who don't seem to get it.  This thread is really about beating a dead horse, and I think we'd all be doing wdog a favor if we just leave him to his interests, and get back to things that relate to the GSDs we love.

None of us read your post?  We just keep picking apart the size because we're too stupid to focus on anything else.  Here goes: 

1.  120 plus pounds, 29 plus inches.  Size Large?  Size giant is more like it.  Large is 90 pounds and 26".  This was the part that bothered me.   
2.  Highly Intelligent and Easy to Train.  Well, most GSD fit that bill regardless of size.  No comment was needed.
3   Mild temperament, good with kids, high prey drive not necessary.  Most GSD are good with kids and mild tempered.  A breeder of pets, with no need for working drives, likely wouldn't have a high drive dog if your life depended on it, so again, no comment was needed.
4.  Don't need working dog...Don't work dogs.  No comment needed.  Typical pet owner.  Nothing wrong with that.
5.  Will be family dog, don't need Schutzhund.  Don't have time to mess with it.  Same as number four, just worded differently. No comment needed.
6.  Good hips, good health, long life.  A lot of that depends on genetics, and the rest on you.  WHen you get a pup, you get no guarantees, like all else in this life.  Again, we all want that, so no comment needed.
7.  Straight back.  Don't like the slope.  The slope is part of the GSD, and many breeds, since dogs aren't built like coffee tables, but the degree of the slope depends on the lines, and the individual dog. Most of the showlines have more slope, where the workinglines have less.  Pet lines, with absolutely no show or working history at all, are whatever the breeders have made them into.  Again, a fairly level back is a good thing, as long as it is not taken to extremes.  There was little to say to that, so I didn't.
8.  You want a puppy, not an adult.  Okay.  Fine.  Lots of people want puppies.  No comment here, either.

Didn't miss the jab about the guy with the puffy sleeve...either.

The biggest beef is with your insistance on insulting those of us who respect the standard that was used to create this breed.  Whenever a breeder decides to create something way outside a breed standard, then he reduces his gene pool and takes a big risk.  Yes, some of these oversize dogs might live long healthy lives with no problems.  And there are lots of standard GSDs with tons of health problems, ranging from hip dysplasia to allergies, spinal issues to digestive problems.  But at least breeders of standard GSDs have a larger gene pool to draw from, a better chance of eliminating or reducing the occurance of problems.  But that is done through adherence to the standard.  Without that, we have problems propagating left and right.

Go buy your big dog, but please lay off the name calling and insulting.  I have not insulted you, though I would be well within my rights to do so after what you have said about me and others here.  I love the 24-26 inch, correct GSDs.  If you want the big dogs, the ones that really don't look all that much li

Got cut off...Here goes again...

Go buy your big dog, but please lay off the name calling and insulting.  I have not insulted you, though I would be well within my rights to do so after what you have said about me and others here.  I love the 24-26 inch, correct GSDs.  If you want the big dogs, the ones that really don't look all that much like GSD, like I posted above, then fine, go buy one.  If you can find a more GSD-like pup, then great.  It's your money, your home, your preference.  But the other dog I posted...That's my preference.  Jim's dog...That's my preference.  A stunning, medium/large sized dog that has all the presence, all the beauty, all the strength of a real GSD.

That's my preference...

Crys

wdog86 is yanking your chains.

They came here to promote their "shiloh" shepherds, not for advice. 

shiloh shepherds are not German Shepherd Dogs, anymore than a peek-a-poo is a poodle. 

Rik

That's sort of what I figured, Rik....

Why else word the post the way they did, and be so damned aggressive about it?  Sort of reminds me of a drama thread or two I read here with the Shiloh debate, with Tina Barber and friends...Been a while back.  I know that Shilohs aren't GSDs...They're a mutt with wolf (malamute, they claim, but the pic of the mal they used looked a lot more wolf than malamute to me....Having been around them before) or malamute blood, and who knows what else...Maybe a little Collie?  By that face?  Not sure...Doesn't matter anyway.

I think this thread is pretty well dead now.  Good riddance.

Crys

Wow! I love this place!

1. you already know what you want. It is not a real GSD. This breed has as much of a standard as other breeds. It would make as much sense as wanting a pint-sized Saint Bernard. The dog is a specific size for a reason, and for the GSD it is not purely esthetics. MvS eschewed that sort of thing.

2.For the work the dog was meant to do originally - herding and guarding livestock - it needed to be big enough to protect the animals from wolves, etc and be athletic enough to be quick, to get over obstacles with ease, and have the endurance to often travel long distances. The GSD is a trotting dog. It was built to excel at this gait.

A huge GSD would not be able to achieve this standard. I understand you like BIG dogs but there is nothing as show-stopping as a gorgeous, deeply pigmented with a dynamic gait and noble, confident bearing. A dog like this is a thing to behold and size has nothing to do with it.

If you like huge dogs, you need to get another type of dog that resembles a GSD. You have been given names like Shiloh Shepherd, King Shepherd, and you can also Google straight-backed shepherd, giant shepherd, etc, until you find something. Or you can go to another breed entirely.

I like big myself - but my dog is big enough for me. Let me give you an example. I love Clydesdale horses, and but I really prefer the features of an Arabian. I could say that an Arabian could be bred much bigger and argue about my tastes. But I would be wasting my time. It would make more sense to look for a breed of horse with more refined features but that naturally grows to be over 16-17 hands - like various types of German warmbloods (among others). I may have my heart set on an Arabian but a monster Arabian is just not going to happen.

Anyway, a Shiloh Shepherd is NOT a German shepherd or else they would not have split off to become a Rare Breed. This is no slam against Tina Barber, the woman who worked to achieve this. If you like your friend's dog, get a Shiloh. It is a waste of your time to try to convert others to what you already agree is a matter of taste. Breeds of dogs were developed for specific purposes. As taste is relative, it only muddies the pool as everyone like something different. An Olympic gymnast isn't expected to go up againast a sumo wrestler anymore than a GSD is supposed to look like it could pull a wagon.

I certainly mean no disrespect or to be nasty. Arguing about some topics here makes about as much sense as demanding that the sun rise in the west just because you don't like it to shine in your bedroom window in the morning. Or trying to teach a pig to whistle. You are just wating your time and annoying the pig.

Good luck in finding your dream dog.