Looking for a smaller GSD - Page 1

I am very experienced with WL dogs...love them and done well with them.  My interests have veered to a sport that makes me want a smallish dog.   I love agility and my big males and females are doing well...but over time I think a smaller structure would fair better.  I have big goals for the right pup.  Ideas on who to contact?  No DDR thanks....too much bone to be what I am looking for   Current dogs are W German Working lines over Czech...great combo for drive...not so terrirfic for size.

Its probably easier to find a dog larger than standard, than smaller.
I don't think anyone breeds for small on purpose, where its common place to breed larger these days.
I'd think the standard would be small enough.

Try looking at the Belgian working lines.  I've found them to be smaller and finer boned, but real powerhouses.

Margaret N-J

Thanks Margaret 

Thats exactly the direction I was looking for.  There is a BIg difference between 80 lbs and 60 lbs on some of the international courses....I am after longevity in the sport as well as ability.

My dog is 65 lbs at 2 years old. He's DDR/Czech and his small size definitely doesn't come from the DDR dogs. I think that there are some Czech lines out there that are smaller. I'd bet it's harder to find them because people like to advertise how big their dogs are: "EXTREME TOP HUGE MALE FOR TRUE SPORT" <--haha real ad.

Many of my female pups are in the 50 - 65 lb range when adult (and lean) - they are excellent for SAR, agility and obedience (and they can still do schutzhund just fine) - they are west german working lines. 

molly
Eichenluft
http://workinggermanshepherd.com

My two year old male weighs in at 60lb Belgian bred and a really fast powerhouse of a Dog, couragous loves to work will go over the A Frame and m jump and a high plank just have to point to them and he is gone over or along them what is more if you do not stop him he will go back and forth until he is stopped his height is  61cms
Steve

I have a working line female (primarily west German lines I believe), 55-58lbs, 6 years old in October.  Great size for agility!  I don't think 55-65lbs is uncommon at all.  My younger dog is west German show lines and his mother is "large" for a female but the other females owned by the breeder are 55-65lbs, V-rated dogs.

Just to jump in here:

I love dogs that look well built and well muscled, regardless of size. A giant, whispy dog is not impressive to me. I've seen lots of oversized, yet oddly feminine males advertised for stud on the internet as of late.

I had a rottie once, and that little girl maxed out at 17" tall, muscled like a mini mack-truck, and every dimunitive inch a rottweiler. True, she was a freak of nature insofar as her size, but even a judge told me that she had perfect proportions... she was just itty bitty. I called her a "pocket rottie."

I would have no problems with a smaller male as long as he was correctly built, well-proportioned, and had nice secondary sex characteristics. For tactical work, I would actually prefer a smaller dog that I can actually lift up without risk of a hernia *laughs*  

This is my Axel at a Koos seminar

He is 68 pounds max weight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQEWsyXqEBY