Question to Working Line Breeders - Page 1

Just curious what the percentage or ratio of your puppies that are in working homes vs pet homes. I doubt I'll get a bunch of responses. Just seems to me that if I was breeding for a purpose and most of what I produced was going to be farm/pet homes, I would reconcider my actions. Maybe I would breed less often or only breed when I already had working homes for most of a litter. How else do you evaluate your puppies? I'm not saying that every puppy needs to be K9 or sport. I understand there are people out there that want working line GSDs for the family. Just curious what some of you have produced.

Oh, and I didn't ask the Malinois breeders because I don't believe they have this problem yet. Most of the public has no idea what a Malinois is. Most of their pups do go into working homes.

V, I really don't even think about showlines. But since you brought it up, I'll bite. You're a breeder. I'm sure you've gotten a regular Joe Shmoe call for a pet, right? Most of them want the black and tan pretty dog anyhow, right? They don't want high drive with active aggression. They want the sheep in wolve's clothing. If you are truly breeding decent working prospects, most pet owners cannot handle them or don't have the time to fullfil their drive. I would think that as a breeder, I'd steer a person in another direction(lab) or if they just had to have a GSD, I'd recommend they look at showlines. To me, that's all they are good for, is a pet. Please, all showline people, don't get into a tizzy! It's just not what I'm into. I don't care if that's what you're into. It is your right.

ALL my working dogs are great family pets!!!!

Bhall, Very well played! That's not what I meant. I understand that a police k9 can go home after a days work and hang with the kids. Out of all of the family pets you've produced how many are title or working? And kudos to you for breeding stable dogs! (And I didn't mean that they live in a stable in the barn, smart ass)

Hmm...............

It is very interesting how things are viewed in the USA and how it seems there is a constant effort to distance the two sides (show-line/working-line)...and to compare the The German Shepherd puppy buyres to those of the Malinois.

First of all the Malinois is no where close in popularity as a breed on an International scale and so to say that most puppies of breeders end up in working-dog owner hands is completely guess work and could even be missleading. Would be very interested to see some hard facts back up your statements.

Secondly in the motherland of the German Shepherd (Germany), there are some one thousand two hundred registered breeders with the S.V; who in turn have a 'cap' on the maximum amount of litters the can each register each year. It is accepted and known that almost 90% of these breeders, breed for their own requirements and keeping the youngsters with team people for future assesment. It is true, that whether it is show-line, or work-line, a great number do not reach competition level as there are many hurdles for the dogs that need be cleared before they can reach top level.

Examples of early rejection: long coats, missing teeth and/or incorrect bites, faulty ear carriage, monorchids/chriptorchids,HD/ED beyong a3, etc.... At the early stages also character tests are made to distinguish whether puppies will withstand the work ahead if everything else is fine.

So gradually from the age of two months until 12 months the selected few will make it to the next major hurdle, which is the examination of BH/AD/SchH1.

Must add here that the puppies from 9 months can go to the show, and even though some of those never make it to Championship level, many many owners keep their loving pet/show dogs and do their sport. The same applies to the owners of working line dog owners who's dogs never make the desired standard but are still loving and loved pets

A great number of the dogs (male or female show-line or working-line) are exported to other countries to further their carriers as breeding, show, and competition dogs and a small percentage only as pets, since this is covered by the local breeders.

In Europe generally, even your so called "pet" owners are members of OG and bring their dogs and make the xamination purely for their own satisfaction...not thinking for one moment as to whether they will have the highest points or be the best...Just for the love of their pet...who 90% of the time sleeps on the bed and that includes working-line dogs!!

Coming back to the second hurdle as mentioned above, dogs that do not pass this examination are not elligable for a breed survey and hence their progeny would only be given white pedigree papers, and therefore 99% of the breeders/owners of such dogs will rehome these dogs (working-line or show-line) or sell the better ones to countries which do not have these requirements.

All the while there is constant effort to bring the best qualities of both lines into one and that is getting stronger every year.

However to insinuate that show-line dogs are "pet" dogs only and working line dogs the genuine thing...is rather narrow in thought and reality!! 

SH1, Appreciate the response. You actually argued and made my point in one post. We do not have what you have in Germany. It is the responsibility of the breeders. That is why I am asking. Our pet owners do not go to OG. As to the showline response, I have to break it to you. Majority of showline GSDs in USA do not touch the ground of a training field. They are not evuated for working ability and temperment. They run in a circle and are evaluated on coat, gait and bone structure alone. We will never have the organization you have in Germany. We do not have a limit on how many breedings we have a year. You just have to pay for an extra stud fee to AKC. That is why I asked the breeders how they measure their production if they are not being evaluated. As to the Malinois question. I'm pretty secure in my assumption. In America the general public has no idea of the breed. I know a few breeders personally that I have trained with and I'd say there % is between 90 and 100.