Sickle hock - should've been taken as a red flag.

Reading comments and felt the need to chime in.I had a grandson of Lance who was born in 1976.I miss him to this day.He was large,big boned,straight backed and sturdy.He also had one of the best temperament's I have ever seen .Ball drive that would make your arm drop off.He is the reason I always have and will have GSD's.I wish I could find a dog like him today.He set the bar so high for all who came after .

"is this what's responsible for the beginning of the end...?"

No, it was the stupid American specialty SL breeeders who heavily inbred/linebred on Lance--thinking that, if a little was good, more was that much better.

Actually, Lance resembled German-bred dogs of his day. My understanding is that Lance limped with panosteitis almost all of his life except the weekend that he finished his AKC championship. I saw him looking good as a 12-yeaar-old shown as a Veteran at a GSDCA National Specialty.

Much worse problems came through Mannix of Fran-Jo and his sons Scorpio/Sparticus of Shiloh Gardens--especially early death.

is this what's responsible for the beginning of the end...?

Verify death date; other sources say Feb 1973.

Considered the greatest influence of the "American" bloodline and the watershed dog in developing that "type". Likely so. Inbreeding on him, likely as well as attitudes about type, led to downfall of the breed into a mere bloodline now despised by many.

Died February 1974.