If Schutzhund titles can be bought...then what is the big deal with getting a dog from Germany or with German lines? I tell you, this whole breeding thing is way outa whack! No one agrees on anything. The only thing two breeders seem to agree on is what the third breeder is doing wrong! It's all very frustrating almost to the point of irritation! If anyone tells me that in a few years I am going to be so opinionated, narrow minded as some of the breeders/sports people/show people/schutzhund trainers that I have spoken to in the past 2 months, I think I might shoot myself. There has to be some balance!! GRRRR!! Arrgghghghghgh!!!!!!!!! Somebody please!! Tell me there is some balance!!!
~sigh~ okay...I'm better now. Sorry!

i would have to say imports and one found in the US tend to be the same the only difference ive seen being that i own 4 imports is that most imports tend to have a better look and better posture just my 2 cents though

Robbin - this isn't about balance, it's about experience. When many of us see first hand Show Lines dogs that are supposedly titled to a SchH III level that can't do the lvl of work that a SchH I dog should be able to do, yeah, we become "opinionated".

When we see Show Lines dogs that are "pronounced in courage" at big conformation shows but are weak nerved spooks....yeah, we become "opinionated".

There is not balance between the Show world and the Working world, just get used to it. When dogs are bred primarily for appearance, with working ability and nerves given secondary consideration, the breed suffers.

You'll see this when you gain more experience. And please, go watch some SchH trials ( preferably upper lvl ones ) and then go watch the "protection" portion of a conformation show. That will tell you the difference more than anything we'll be able to say.

When I caution about importing - it has NOTHING to do with the actual dogs. It's more about the horror stories that people often go through. If it's frightfully easy for a US based kennel to rip people off - especially newcomers, it is WAY easier for rip offs to occur internationally (more complex, costly legal protections and less of it).

Just my opinion, but I think for a first time pup buyer, there's no reason why you can't find a pup that suits your situation here where you have a better chance to know what you're getting and know who you're dealing with, and have some recourse if something goes wrong.

Beth

i would have to agree with you on that beth i have 4 dobie imports and thankfully nothing has been wrong with them and havent got ripped off. I must admit its hard to find someone that does business right overseas i seen a couple of people get there pockets hammers for some runty missin teeth dogs horible lookin thou state you can get hit over the head also its better to go by word of mouth get some recomendations and credentials before buying any dog

 Quote: Beth Fuqua

When I caution about importing - it has NOTHING to do with the actual dogs. It's more about the horror stories that people often go through. If it's frightfully easy for a US based kennel to rip people off - especially newcomers, it is WAY easier for rip offs to occur internationally (more complex, costly legal protections and less of it).

Just my opinion, but I think for a first time pup buyer, there's no reason why you can't find a pup that suits your situation here where you have a better chance to know what you're getting and know who you're dealing with, and have some recourse if something goes wrong.

Beth

Beth's advice is excellent.

It's not that difficult to find a quality Working dog in the U.S., you just need to do your home work and be willing to test any potential dog to insure that it meets your needs.

I would have to say in your case do NOT import. You're gonna pay more, and you may or may not get what you thought you were buying.

If you think logically about it, with all the blood people are importing and breeding here, why would you NOT be able to find good blood here, right?! It's not like somewhere half-way across the ocean in the cargo of the airplane a puppy loses all the GOOD characteristics of the Euro dogs, LOL. So when that puppy grows up and is bred, why would what he produces be any different because he ate American kibble instead of European kibble, you know?

Let's face it... You want a pet. Perhaps a pet with a bit more natural protective instinct than an American Show Shepherd (ASS for short, hehehe) but a pet nonetheless. You can FIND a great pet from working lines here in North America. Importing shouldn't even be a consideration for you there's just so much headache involved. Besides, it's said that if you aren't FROM overseas and/or have connections overseas, they'll only ship you junk anyway. So then why pay so much more for it, right?

Best of luck in your search.

I think its pretty crappy you have to get a working line GSD to get a decent pet. All the "pet quality" dogs I've seen have all sorts of problems. The "worst" thing about a working line is the activity level that you must maintain to keep the little monsters physicaly and mentaly healthy. You could say that about Labs and BCs as well

Will,
In our club I was getting so tired of soo many individuals asking us what is the difference between the protection work we do in our club that has mostly working line, especially when they see our courage test, and the ones that of the showline(sierger) so I started to bring the CD I have of the 2006 Bundesieger and asked them to watch the protection phase and let me know what they think is different.They always bring the tape back and we have a good laugh. I owned showlines prior to my working line and I love them both but they are night and day when it comes to the courage and the will.

Angelique,
excellent idea - I like the way you think!

I've also owned a Show Lines female in the past, I loved her dearly and she was a pretty fair dog when it came to SchH.
But after owning a hard-core Working dog like my Fetz, the difference between the Show Lines and Working lines is *very* apparent to me, lol.