The different GSD lines - Page 1

I have a idea of why there are diffrent lines because each set of breeders have their own ideas on where they want to see the breed in the future but how many lines are there and how different are they all? Is it common to mix the different lines together or is it expected/advised that once your breeding a certain line that you should stay to that line?

I know of:
The German Working line
The German Show line
American Show Line
The English/British line

Do each line have different temperments? I know their looks can be very different but how different are their temperments? Are some lines better with young families than other lines?

In GB in my opinion we have three broad groups :
German imported dogs, or breeding lines that have followed from relatively recent German blood and 'naturalised' but still are of International 'type' (though many would disgree with using the word type in such a context).
  Most of these kennels still cross back direct to German dogs, as available.  This group contains
 some of the very best - and some of the worst - representatives  of the Breed  The majority unless only pets are
conformation showdogs, but a sizeable number are either in working competition of one sort or another (Shutzhund / Trials / Obedience etc) and quite a lot go to the Services inc Police and Prisons.  My own experience is that temperament is generally excellent within this category,altho' we get some overactive, highly driven dogs which don't suit every one. 
I would INCLUDE  those dogs which are referred to as 'middle of the road' in this category,  most
of which are basically 'Germanic' but tend to be bred to retain a structure including topline closer to older generations of German lines, without some of the really extreme backlines, those with
hinges for example!
In the second group we have the real Working Line dogs, I don't think these always share exactly the same bloodlines as current-day US workingline dogs but its pretty similar, lots of Czech imports behind them, etc.  Most of these would be regarded as quite hard dogs.  Because of the
DDR etc influences, these working dogs are mainly shaplier than UK WL used to be, without
being exagerated.  Many are sables / grey, much more so than in the first section.  Sadly from my
point of view I see some deterioration in body type, more so in US dogs particularly where these have been gradually crossed in with US show lines, so they are becoming more             s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d ... which is not mirrored in the UK.  Don't know enough about WL on either side of the Pond to comment much on their temperaments, personally.

Then there is the third sort - the remaining kennels breeding "Alsatians";  the Kennel Club has dropped the name recently, but the dogs still exist.  However pretty some people find pictures of these online,  fact remains they have longer, often "softer" backs, shorter legs with greater angulation and more "knuckle", deeper bodies.  Today's breeders of these have in the main come
into the 21st century but behind these lines there are an awful lot of dogs known to have too many lines going back on epilepsy carriers, there have been too many instances of close and
repetitive line-breeding, unscored hips, dogs with windy temperaments.  Those combinations are all still there behind the majority of the pedigrees.  Not to say International dont have some bad breeders, too, of course.  Sadly more of the puppy-farmed dogs in the UK appear to be from Alsation stock;  not to say some International breeders don't overproduce too, of course, but loads of the dogs which are pure pets and never go near any kind of competition
are churned out this way, and some will of course be fine in temperament but as there's no
competetive check / peer pressure on P/Farmers many will get behaviour and/or health problems somewhere along the line.

Hundmutter,

Excellent informative post

Ibrahim

Thanks Ibrahim,  trying to keep it moderate ! :-)

Thanks Hundmutter :)

U r very welcome.

The lines seem to be diverging (and blending) even more.  In the American lines, there seem to be "types" depending on regions and single breeders who have been breeding for 30+ years or small groups of breeders.   The same is true all across the world.  There are the heavier, blockier working lines (usually Czech and DDR) and smaller, more agile working lines (usually West German working type)  and then there seems to be working lines that are large and dry (think Hessel)
I've noticed that dogs from Mexico and South America seem to be wet, oversized West German show type. 

There are so many "sub-types" within the "types" and constantly changing every 10 years.  
Lately some

The dogs coming out of Russia, Estonia, Latvia (and other bordering countries) are pretty interesting, working lines that have the structure of showlines and showlines with the colors of working lines. 

As far as keeping lines pure or blending the lines, it's all a matter of opinion.  Some people are die-hard purest and other people like the moderation that blended lines seem to have. 

Thats all interesting, Euroshepherd; Thank you.