work lines - Page 1

hi Can anyone explain to me the difference in west german working and DDR lines, i want to know about there basic structures, temps, drives, and even some history on the making of these types of shepherds. when did these two types split into todays types. For each of work types, who is producing top sport dogs (Kennel names). i'm doing alot of reseach on this, but i get confused, the dogs look so alike and so many people are crossing them, is there really any difference? thanks

Bun Bun, to begin with, the "DDR" dog is the same German Shepherd dog as its west German cousin, as they both have the same basic ancestors, so there is no difference there. But, there is a major difference here: The "DDR" lines were developed behind the closed border of eastern Germany and progressed with little or no influence from the S.V. of western Germany until the early 1990's. The dogs developed in the eastern Bloc were done so with more utilitarian uses in mind and far less concentration on beauty and gait. Usefulness vs. looks, if you will. And, when one is not breeding solely for conformation to what seems to be an ever-changing beauty standard, then one can concentrate on working ability, trainability, and good health and vitality. But, it has now been seventeen (17) years since there was an eastern Germany, and all of the dogs alive then are now sadly gone. Certain breeders feel these dogs were superior specimens of the breed because of their isolated development over a fourty-plus year period under different, and in some cases stronger rules concerning breedworthiness. Are they, or were they "better" dogs? I guess that answer depends on one's desires and interpretation of the standard. In my opinion it is really not much of an issue these days as these dogs are long gone, and the S.V. can now have its hands in nearly every part of the former eastern Bloc nations. And there are those who blame the modern influence of the S.V. for diluting or taking away the "superiourity" of the "DDR" and other dogs from the former eastern Bloc. That argument is nearly as intense as the ongoing conflict between show-line enthusiasts and working-line enthusiasts! So, who is correct? There are several posters here who own, produce, and really admire the dogs whose lines are from the DDR and the other countries of the former eastern Bloc, and these people can give you much more detail than can I, especially about certain lines. Bob-O

there are ddr specific sites on the net ddrlegends adn vondombergerland are dedicated to perservation of ddr type and lines history is cloudy and many stories around about why types are different, and possibly pedigrees worng - legends say many breedings were done with WGR dogs when helpful border guards on duty, etc etc so is paperwork right on these? also prey drive for sport not high priority. civil drive and aggression more often seen when usign tehse lines conformation was bred as a balance with drives, not overlooked, nor top goal Still lots of DDR line dogs who have better conformation than WGR workign in general Jim Thomas