Should I go Working or Show line? - Page 1

What do YOU really want to do? Do you wan't to run around a ring, or compete in Obedience and protection work.... There are a lot more to the sport world than just Schutzhund. I am going for my French Ring Brevet, possibly PSA PDC This year & early next.... All with WGWL/Czech & Czech GSDs

Both of the bloodlines will provide you with a nice dog. Just because a dog is a workoing line doesnt mean that it will be hard for you to handle.

You need to find a reputable, good breeder who will listen and pick the right puppy for you.

I placed many dogs as pets, active pets but still pets. I also placed some from the same litter as working prospects and they are working.
A good breeder will take care of you.
I personally would go with Jean Schrader.  People out there have nothing but good things to say about her. I've dealt with her and she is one of the nicest people out there .

Good luck

Both types will give you what you need. But in my honest opinion, you should start off with a working line dog. If you are merely interested in the sport and not showing, this will give youa better angle at acheiving what you want to do. Mainly because working lines tend to bounce back from handler error a bit more. Since you will be a first time Schutzhund handler, having a dog that is a little less soft will help you if you make mistakes.

Where are you located? I suggest Molly Graf for a working line breeder. 

Workinggermanshepherd.com       I have a puppy out of her breeding program who is just phenomenal. And she does an excellent job getting the right puppy to the right people.

Amanda

James:   My best advise I can give is to suggest you start frequenting the schutzhund clubs in your area.  Get to know the members and talk to them about their dogs.  Talk to them about the breeders of their dogs and the dogs that they like.  After a while you will begin to get a feeling for the types and will be able to make an informed opinion as to which type is the best for you and your family.  There are many good breeders of working line and many good breeders of show line dogs. 

You've been given a lot of good information...  I'd go talk with the local clubs (you can use the opportunity to audition them).  I'd also recomend that you look into a working lines dog mostly because the temperament issue has a more narrow variation.

I'd make sure that when, I spoke with the breeder, I emphasized that the dog will be around children, that you want a pup out of a breeding that produces clear-headed dogs out of a kennel that socializes the heck out of their litters.

If you were in Kansas, and were looking for strictly working lines, I'd recomend Webberhaus, but I'm assuming you're elsewhere.  Once you have your pup, there is still a lot of Obedience to go through.

Hey James!

Yesterday I swore off any further participation in this forum because of some reprehensible behaviour on another thread.  Today I'm back.  Go Figure...

There are some good folks and good information available here, but a person certainly needs to use their own discretion in sorting everything out, as in other aspects of our lives outside of doggie concerns.  I can not speak with a great deal of personal authority and so I don't.  Once in a while I might be able to make some small contribution to a thread, and I seem to be inclined to direct people to good articles or resources I have found, or been directed to, elsewhere on the web.  Pertinent to your question is an article at the Videx website, a kennel in England owned by David Payne who sometimes posts in this forum.  See it here:

http://www.videxgsd.com/STRENGTHS_AND_WEAKNESSES.htm

It is a pretty good article which provides some history of the breed and is a good introduction into some of the questions and considerations everyone needs to confront, whatever their involvement with the breed.  Speaking from my own perspective, the choice between showline or workingline is a bit too simplistic, as either way you go there are many subdivisons and varieties, as well as the individual dogs that parent a pup and, finally, what is manifest in that individual pup.   Finding the right pup for you and your family deserves a lot of consideration and research and even then I think a person could use a fair amount of luck to get paired up with the "perfect" match.

Hope this helps.

SteveO

P. S.

Good Luck cutting through all  of the Hype out there!

James,

The best advise has already been given, do not get a dog, do not put a deposit on a dog until you find a good local club and go out for a few weeks and watch, learn and make sure that SCH is what you really want to do. It is a long and hard sport and takes a great deal of time on and off the field. You will see the differences between "show lines" (if there are any at the club) and "working lines". That was the advise I was given, fortunately I didn't have a dog and it save me from making a huge mistake and wasting a bunch of money. Once you have decided, then talk to some of the members and find out where they got their dogs. My opinion would be look for importing a dog, see if any the members have any German breeder contacts and work with them. I just went through this entire process, it took about 6 months, but it was well worth the wait.

I was able to find a great male pup from one of the top breeding males in Germany right now and the female was a young strong multi SCH 3 titled with a great bite, and high ball drive, most importantly, both had great temperament. The female is as important, if not more important than a good male. So make sure you do your research. No breeder will care more about the type of dog you get, than you. There is  a difference between a breeder breeding a male and a good producing male. Some dogs are not good producers, may be great on the field but are not a good producer and some might not have any podiums, but produce great offspring. Find the dogs that are good producers and look at their offsping and see what there doing. That could be a be a little misleading because the owners has a part in what they do with their dogs. Always remember, breeders are in the business to sell dogs, so take what they say with a grain of salt. No line is perfect, don't let the breeders tell you it is. Also look for the dogs that the breeders are looking at to improve they own breeding program and will be taking a pick from, than just a breeding that they want to sell all the pups.

If it sounds like a lot of work, that's because it is, but finding the right male/female combo will make your work in SCH easier with the right pup/dog. You can't train drive into a dog, so make sure the parents have drive. My dog will be more than just a SCH sport dog. He will be a inside/outside, mostly inside dog and a part of the family. I specifically was looking a for a dog that had that on/off switch. Calm at home and a drive monster on the field, he is just 11 weeks old, but is fantastic at home and shows great drive at the club, no dog/people aggression. They were the most important traits I was looking for and so far he is everything I looked hard to find. The breeder was in Germany and with the help from my clubs training director who was the go between, really came through. The owner of the male took a female pick from this litter and scouted out my male for me. She knew what I was looking for and delivered.

Good luck,

pcw