German rules for German Shepherds - Page 12

Kit kat
If you go to a Club and Train then forget the past and go there with an open mind; if you need help ask there is always someone to help out or ask on here there are Guys who Train in IPO who will try and help. You have a Bomber Pup; It is now that you should be implementing what will be in the future but make it a play time. Tracking can start, i do not know how old your Pup is but Gina started at 9 weeks old in a circle getting bigger every week and she worked only in that circle for several Months before a line was started. it paid off as i said she can track on anything and anywhere in daylight or in the dark with the aid of a Torch light So the basic time spent without pushing it worked well. you should be teaching him to sit and down and most of all come to you within days of getting him These sort of Pups live for this kind of work but in play. The main thing all this does is to create a Bond between the Pup and you, once you have that then things will go along but it is a long road ahead so be prepared it will not all go as you plan it too
Steve1

Right now I'm training with Gun Dog People. I am absolutely impressed with their dogs and what they are capable off. The reason I am working with Hunting Dog People is to broaden my capacity in SAR. My team defaulted and I was the only one left. The next good SAR K9 team is two hours away from here and they train in two different spots, one of which is 3 hours away from here. I was told to check into Hunting Dog Trainers because I might be able to benefit from them.
That was an understatement.

Working Labs are AWESOME!
Working Shorthair Pointers are INCREDIBLE!

The familiarities are mind blowing and I will most certainly continue to work with them for as long as I can. SAR can definitely put a dog to the test and if the dogs don't have it, they will never succeed.

Anyhow, a good working lab? I'd own one in a heartbeat and I'm through and through a Shepherd person. That being said, as a handler, if you have the chance to get a good dog, I wouldn't care if that dog was a Spaniel, Lab or Pointer, if it's a good dog it's a good dog, no matter the breed.

I´m glad you remember about the working breeds and their ( former ) purpose...
Baerenfang made a great point: "...if it's a good dog it's a good dog, no matter the breed. "

And there is no use any more for a lot of working breeds, like Samael stated.
But I don´t think, it´s only up to the consumer, in my opinion ( and this is my personal opinion, no German opinion ) a breeder does have the responsibility for his breeding stock, he is the one, who decides, not the consumer.
Right now we are struggling about the definition of "pet" - I need to clarify. For me a pet dog is a dog not bred for working abilities, be it hunting, guarding, a sled dog, protection, or anything else. It´s a dog I bought for fun, but not because of any working abilities. I don´t await my " pet " to be capable of doing any job, I would buy a " pet " just for " home entertainment ".

The German Shepherd dog as a breed is no " pet ", but the breed does change, as a lot of other breeds did change ( in my country it´s almost impossible to find a Labrador out of working lines any more, they are a dime in a dozen ), but I´m not willing to loose the German Shepherd as a working breed, too.
That said it´s the responsibility of the breeder to decide if he wants to breed pets or if he wants to breed dogs capable to work.
Even if consumers are looking for a German Shepherd as a pet, I don´t need to breed them.
The German Shepherd, unlike a lot of other working breed, did find its niche in police, military, and in several kinds of sport.
That´s where this breed as a whole should be bred for, not for lying on the bed ( although my current male does love it, too ).

Why not demand harder rules in germany to start with, maybe also x-ray of back, regulating the number of offspring a stud can have, and a breedsurvey that is harder to pass or more usefull for workingdog selection just as a few examples? As long as there is no motivation and knowledge to breed good and healthy workingdogs the german rules doesn´t exactly help much for people wanting a dog for more than being able to pass a breedsurvey, how many people looking for an impressive working GSD pay much attention to the breedsurvey anyway also in germany? The clueless puppybuyers would probably don´t care if the dogs are breed surveyd or not, I suppose those who actually are looking for more than a pet also in US are going to select their dogs from breeders who have european lines or some kind of basic healthtest done, or?

Excellent Post Susie
There is no need to breed German Shepherds for Pets as Susie says there are more than enough Pet Dogs of all breeds in Dog Pounds throughout the world and certainly going on past Posts plenty in the USA yet Breeders still insist that if a Dog does not turn out good enough for doing a Job of work or Sports then they are sold off as PET QUALITY with a limited Pedigree or details whatever that means. Dogs should only be bred for one purpose only and that is to do a job of work and the Quality as such that it will further the Breed in generations to come; But 90% of Breeders on this Forum will disagree and throw there arms in the air with the shock of it; You can actually see the Dollars and Pound Notes shining in there eyes at the thought of what cash they could lose. One day a bill will be bought in every modern Country that Breeding animals must meet a certain standard and be tested fully and all complete health checks, Show graded SL and WL, do a job of work. of some kind; It will come in one day the world is saturated with dogs of all breeds just waiting to be put down in pounds and the G.S dog is no exception and who is at fault the Breeders of this world who are greedy and have no real  love for the animal other than to make money out of them. and they can shout far and long as they like,they know the truth but as i said they are greedy people with one mind set making  Money.
Steve1

Thank you, Steve -maybe not very polite, but at least true...
Johan, I´m talking about international problems, Germany does have these problems, too, but because of some rules and regulations these problems are not as big as in the United States, where there are almost no regulations at all. Besides that, our regulations are not bad, but it´s up to the people to fill them with real life.

Steve, is right! .....and there is a tremendous international market for show stock which in most cases is pet stock in pretty colors. It is all about the Benjamins or Euros......very sad!

The breeders I know don't breed "for" pets.

If you look at the amount of working line Shepherds produced just in Germany alone, where do you think the majority of these dogs go?

Pet homes are crucial part for breeders. Without pet homes, the majority of the puppies wouldn't have a home. That is why it is so important that these dogs are not only working stock but socially stable! So keeping pet homes, and sociability in mind, is important! If you have great working dogs but you can't place them with families because they lack certain aspects than in my opinion it's not the total dog!
 

Breeding less dogs would be fine...

Bärenfang, I don´t know to whom your father sold his puppies, but in my area the German Shepherd is very seldom sold to " pet " owners.
Almost all of them do train at a club, and do learn how to train and handle this kind of breed.
A German Shepherd living " only " as a pet is the exception, not the norm.
And after all a caring pet home is the best place for a " pet quality " dog, there are not only champions born, BUT THESE DOGS OUT OF PET QUALITY SHOULD NOT BE BRED.
And as long as there is a strong market in America and in Asia, people will continue breeding too much puppies - maybe Australia will open the borders for German Shepherds, too, and Africa might follow in the future...a lot of possibilities for us.