DDR Dogs - Page 1

So DDR dogs do come with a the saddle pattern look http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/34480.html I think this dog is gorgeous. I do love sables and solid blacks and bi colors but I also love the saddle marked dog. I think its important to preserve all of the accepted variations of color. Its just really rare to see this in DDR lines. Whats the reason?

Because they bred for working ability not looks/coat color r pattern. As it should be. Any time any animal is bred for looks, good things get lost.

The saddle pattern does not detract from work, so that's not technically right.  But it is probably true that the beautiful saddle pattern was not intentionally preserved, as it was not common in the top DDR dogs of the DDR era (1961, Berlin Wall - 1989, fall of Wall).  Look at the DDR siegers in the DDR era:  After six straight very dark b/t or bi, there was one saddle sieger in 1968 (Dux) and then not again until 1986. three years before the wall fell (!Olf was sieger in 86-88). Two saddle pattern siegers (taking four titles) in 29 years! Every other top dog (being bred to a lot) was a dark b/t or bi and a few were sable (Xito in 69, Astor in 75, Fels in 80).  Surprising perhaps that so many were the color of Bodo Grafental (almost bi) and so few were sable, as folklore says sable is the color of the working dog.  So I guess the saddle pattern just didn't happen in the top dogs, so it went away, as no one was trying to preserve it for its aesthetic appeal. 

I had a Bodo v Grafental son that was also bi and I have a daugher of the dog cited above (Gerry) who is b/r like her sire.

MVF Do you have plan to have a litter from those two?

I wish I could!  That would be a wonderful breeding, but my Bodo son is long dead (1983-1996).  Thanks for asking.

There are still a few DDR dogs out there in the traditional saddle-back black and tan pattern, including (but not limited to)  Uncas vom Poppitz and some of the Konigswaldereck dogs.  I havem't seen any that are as "RED" as the showline dogs but blk-tan nonetheless.

Sorry, 4Pack, but I have to disagree with your statement.

A litter should always be bred with the breed standard in mind, regardless of priorities (WL or SL). A reputable breeder, IMO, looks at health, temperament, and structure (in that order).

I know that East German breeders definitely also looked at structure and preferred rich pigment and strong bones. All that make the "look" of a dog.

Chris

Yes I agree but it seems we have someone not asking about these things, just color. I guess the rest doesn't matter? I know it doesn't to some, that is the unfortunate part.