va dog? w/almost 100zw ??..I thought purpose of VA - Page 1

Please someone help me further understand how a dog any dog can obtain a VA status anywhere much less a major show like in 2004 Karlsruhe with a zw rating of almost 100? Especially when this dog is supposed be a very capable producer as well as master of the ring...represenative of the breed etc....? Yes I understand he might produce some good pups and he will also produce many progeny with bad hips (this can be said about many dogs!!)while the main goal is to continually improve the breed ..this should be done with a much lower zw ...VA should have TOP attributes or not be VA.. ...personally I do not believe he should be allowed to attain VA but maybe a v-status w/stipulation not could be VA with exception of hips....etc....How could this dog be recommended for breeding..?????? Thanks for your knowledge in advance. P.S. Notice I did not mention any dogs name as I am out for an answer not to offend/upset anyone....

ZW of almost 100 does not necessarily mean the dog has bad hips. Look at VA Jeck Noricum's HDZW (94), and how many EXCELLENT dogs he produced. :) I do not believe you can rely SOLELY on a ZW score, since it takes many things into account when the score is calculated. Just my opinion.

I appreciate your opinion...I didn't know...interesting.... Thanks

Sportstuff, The ZW is not just an indicator of the HD production of that particular dog, but a mathematic formula of his own a-stamp, his siblings, parents, gran-parents, etc. And of course, his offspring. At least the dog you question is below 100. If you have a minute, check out Rikkor von Bad-Boll. But to be objective, there is no rumors or hearsay about high incidence of HD in Rikkor's offspring. I have a Rikkor-daughter with a current ZW of 96. No problem for me. I just look for studs accordingly. Also, please keep in mind that 100 and below is desirable. So, why do you think almost 100 is bad? It is in the permissable range after all. JMO, Chris

I am a novice and simply trying to learn...I'm not sure what the range is but thought it was rather high. I asked to learn more about the zw rating and am glad I am getting responses....Thanks for your help/information.. Dan

zw 100 means that the dog produces an average number of HD pups. Number above 100 means that the dog produces above average number of HD pups, and zw below 100 means the dog produces below average number of HD pups, therefore, a VA dog with zw 100 is nothing bad. Steve

Larus v Batu started at 104. He is now 95. Breeding of Zws is a match of sire and dam not to exceed 100 when you combine 1/2 of the male and 1/2 of the female ZW scores. Zw scores are reviewed every 3 months based on new xrays of "get" submitted to the SV. Scores will go up, go down, or stay the same. If a male like Erasmus v Noort has a ZW currently of 95 the bitch bred to him can be 105 or lower. Owning a low score bitch gives you the advantage of using almost any sire on the market based on your selection concerning ZW scores. Beyond ZW scores all you need is an understanding of the total anatomy, the total mind, the ideal instincts, flawless movement, and a concept of what is the ideal GSD type. Best of luck.

Very insighful comments...thank you!!! As usual I am amazed at the abundance of knowledge found here on this site..... Sincerely,, Dan

A ZW of 100 represents the breed average (GSD with a2 hips who produces average HD results). It has become somewhat of an "obsession" to go with a low ZW. Almost as if it was an insurance against bad hips in the offspring, which it is not. Since not all x-rays are required to be sent in for the a-stamp, the ZW is a rough guideline at best. The ZW changes every quarter and one or two bad HD results of a pup can greatly affect a dogs ZW, in the short term that is. The sire of one of my males went from 85 to 100 in one quarter! That was a year ago, he is now back at 90. A ZW can in theory be "controlled" by only breeding to females that are known to produce better than average, have a low ZW themselves as proven brood bitches with pups old enough to be a-stamped. And by only sending in the good x-rays of the offspring. The males that are used at stud more, like the VA males, and also to a wider range of females with all sort of breed values, will of course also produce more HD in terms of numbers, compared to a stud that is used very little and only to very select females. It would also be important to look at what percentage of the offspring has been a-stamped. A very low percentage of a-stamped offspring is not a very accurate representation and could possibly be an indicator that a larger number of x-rays has not been sent in for various reasons. How well a stud produces shows if he also produces better than average with females that are considered worse than average. In such a case, a dog will be more likely to improve on hips.

This maybe a different topic but i don't want to create a new one, since it does have something to do with Hips. I was wondering if you guys happen to know what lines or dogs (male or female, or both) that had produced horrible hips?