What is the advantage to have an oversize German Shepherd.... - Page 3

I think your dog looks fine Shtal -- he's at a proper weight and his coat and nails are healthy.  You're obviously taking good care of him.  :)

That said you seem to be convinced that an "oversize" German shepherd is something rare.  I don't know where you are, but where I am there are plenty of "grade" GSDs (i.e. no papers for generations, but no sign of anything other than GSD in them) where the males easily reach 100 - 105 lbs at healthy weight.  My previous dog was around 101 at peak condition and stood 29 inches at the shoulder.  Since we were doing a bit of volunteer SAR and therapy work it didn't matter to me that he was outside the standard, and he was a *great* dog -- even though I adopted him from a shelter at 6 months so he had no lineage to speak of.  That said, I actually prefer a smaller dog.  The current boy is 25.5 inches at the shoulder and 35 kg (78 lb), and I would happily have taken an even smaller dog.  (Again, not much choice as I adopted him from a shelter.) 

My reasons for preferring smaller are nothing to do with performance (though it's true what others are saying that smaller dogs are faster and more manoeuverable).  I would prefer smaller for practicality -- I often hike with the dog, and camp in remote areas.  When my previous boy was getting old and infirm he was a challenge to carry -- not just his weight, but the sheer *size* of him, which made it difficult to navigate stairs, or through doorways or tight turns.  In contrast a dog that is under 40 kg is much easier to carry by yourself if something happens to them. 

Just my two cents -- I appreciate that you love your dog, and that he's special to you.  That's how it *should* be.  My previous dog was the most perfect dog in the world to me, and I still miss him terribly.  That doesn't mean that he was an extraordinary example of his breed -- in fact I know he was flawed according to the standard (long haired, too big, and had a somewhat short, rounded face that made him look like a bearish version of a GSD).  Did I care that he didn't meet the exacting standards of breed purity?  No, because he was *my* dog, and we had nothing to prove.  That doesn't mean that I expected other people to consider him exceptional, though, or that he would have been worth breeding.

Shtal you have two beautiful healthy looking dogs and you sure take great pictures. My Benedict  at 7 months weigh 75 and he is 25 inches tall. He is thin,  but had pano from growing so fast,. How big do you think he will be? His dad is about 80 pounds and mom is 70.  He is also  from  working  lines on  sires side and show line on Moms

Well my female is at 70lb and she is 24" at 16 months. When worked by one USA helper he said that he never seen such a small dog lol ;) I went to measure her after that, and that's when I found out that the standards call for 24 for females (and that is the top of the standard) lol. So now I am proud owner of "miniature" gsd lol hahahahaha ;) she dose look small but she has a big heart and fights like a 120lb dog. Actually she puts most bigger and heavier males to shame, keep in mind that if dog is too big it has the mass but it will luck the momentum that he needs to be even better fighter.

"But why I created this topic - is because I believe if a German Shepherd is over ~120 pounds it becomes useless"

And I think GSD over 100lb becomes useless.

Shtal - what if your big boy grows up to be 121 pounds?  Curious, when did you switch him to adult food, or have you?  For a pet I'm sure he is everything you would want and that's great.  He is attractive on the screen because it's easy to think he's a normal sized dog, but if I were to see him in person I would likely think he's too big.

To answer your question, what are advantages to an oversized dog, that is one that is over the standard:

1.  They are more attractive to some.
2.  They have no problems finishing all the left overs from a huge family, without it causing weight gain, or simply put, they eat more.
3.  They add extra warmth on a cold night if you let them sleep with you, that is, if you fit in bed too.
4.  Although they may guard your property they are unlikely to hurt an intruder as they can't catch them, so no lawsuit.

I can't find the flip side to other disadvantages such as increased cost for nearly everything (vet bills, dog food, etc.), the shorter life span, and the fact that those that breed for size often don't care about other important traits that make a GSD a GSD. 

So interesting that you originally post "GSD over 120 lbs becomes useless", which puts your dog coming in exactly underneath that weight. Coincedence, I think not. It's a big ass dog that will have more health problems, be slower, and live a shorter life than a standard GSD. Unless you're compensating for something, it seems like a blatantly illogical choice.

A "little" bigger than standard?!?!  120lbs is over TWICE the size of my purebred, working line (show championed) 6 year old GSD and nearly twice the size of my German show line male (15 months).  I'd like to see a 120lb GSD that is NOT fat and is actually in good working condition...