im thinking about purchasing one of these dogs-anybody have one of these dogs from one of there top studs?how are they in a family situation?hows the temperment drives etc-any body no a good breeder- honest reliable-had some real dissapointments-thanks for any help

Hi Mike
Well what do you want the dog for? DDR and Czech dogs are very different so you have to know what you want. There are some breeders in the States with some of the best Czech lines around. Are you looking at a pup or older dog? Breeding or not? etc etc.

HI CHRIS
THIS WOULD BE A FAMILY DOG RAISED IN THE HOUSE-AROUND A SMALL CHILD-4 YEAR OLD-THE DOG WOULD HAVE SOME SCH WORK BUT PROBABLY NOT TITLED-I LIKE THE PIGMENT BONE AND LOOKS OF THESE DOGS-IM SURE SOME CAN LIVE IN THIS SITUATION AND SOME CANT-THATS WHY I NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE WHO HAS ONE OF THESE DOGS AND NOT A BREEDER WHO WILL HAVE A SLANTED VIEW-THANKS FOR ANY HELP
MIKE C

Mike C--

Okay, here I go... hope you have a few minutes.

My own education in dogs has largely been the result of STARTING OFF with a DDR-line male GSD. Would I recommend this approach to anyone else? Probably not--and definitely not if they have a four-year-old child. There are better ways to learn about dogs.

My ex (Renee Felknor) has posted something out here about the Czech lines. She grew up near the Czech border and was able to watch border patrol dogs train. The Czech lines ultimately extend back to the DDR (Held Ritterberg was a big source), which is where the great pigment and bone come from. But bear something else in mind... these dogs were bred selectively to run down human prey, period, end of sentence. They do not tend to be nicey-nice in the temperament dept., nor were they intended as family pets. If you check out the Schutzhund scores of many Czech-line dogs, you will see that they tend to excel in tracking but have low obedience and protection scores. That's their genetics: excellent nose, not a strong-human-interaction kind of animal, and not a dog bred for fighting (no fight necessary when bringing down defenseless prey, i.e. fleeing humans). That's the big picture. And I really don't think you would want to consider such an animal as a family pet.

Now I'm going to get a lot of people mad at me, which is unfortunate because I personally STRONGLY favor the working-line GSD. But if I was in your situation, I would probably get a dog from West German show lines. You would not have to deal with the temperamental sharpness of the East Bloc lines or the high-gain driviness of the working GSD (important consideration when you have little kids in the house). And later on, if you want to do Schutzhund, you could probably at least put a title on the dog if you do your homework before you buy.

Best of luck to you.

Pete Felknor

I'm not going to add alot, only to say that I live with 3 DDR GSD, one of which does have some West Working in the mix, but not much. They are awesome with my 2 year old twins. Never have any problems, but I also believe that is part of the puppy raising process. The dogs respect my children. And yes all three are indoor dogs.

THANKS PETE AND GSD LADY
WELL YOU CAN NEVER GET ENOUGH INFORMATION-IM SURE YOURE BOTH RIGHT-SO WHAT DOES SOMEBODY DO?I HAD A SHOW LINE GSD VERY VERY WEAK NERVES AND FROM A IMPORT MALE SEVERAL TIMES SCH3-BUT THATS THE THING WITH PUPPIES YOU NEVER REALLY KNOW-SPOKE WITH A BREEDER OF THESE DOGS HE AGGRED THEY DONT DO WELL IN SCH BUT ARE BETTER COMPANION DOGS-HES AGREEING WITH BOTH OF YOU-ILL JUST KEEP DIGGING AROUND-AND PETE I HAVE PLENTY OF TIME FOR YOUR COMMENTS
THANKS AGAIN
MIKE C

I have 5 bitches covering a good array of the different lines. 1 is west German working with a hair bit of show. She is nervy and I don't allow her around children (she is a great cattle dog, though). 1 is all West German working and she has been good around older kids, but at 15 months she is still way too much dog to have around small children lose and playing. My SchH3 dog is mostly West German working with a little bit of DDR (big head, big bone) and has always been super around kids. She truly believes that children were put on this planet for her. She LOVES them and is very good with them even little kids. Then the two pups are mostly DDR (sire is all DDR lines) with some West German working and Czech. The one, that even looks and acts DDR, has been good so far (they are 4.5 months) around a 4 year old very active child and a 10 year old. The other is OK with the older girl, but I don't trust her (she acts nervy) around the 4 year old. So, personally, I think it depends on the dogs themselves.

As for the suggestions of the West German show lines. I have seen some that are laid back and fine and others that are so prey driven that I wouldn't want them around children (heck, I wouldn't even want to own them).

We don't have children so I base my dog's behavior as to how they behave with friend's kids and the kids at training.

There are differences in temperament between individual gsd's then there is between breeds. To make a blanket statement like all Czech gsd's are this or that is less then correct. Like any other bloodline they need researched and evaluated. There are some difference in looks that are obvious and like you Mike I enjoy their rugged dark sable features. They are generally of very good working quality, but there was some fake papers etc from E. German dogs. As always buy froma reputable dealer, that has been around. Buy from someone who also trains, and has particular knowledge on what specifically interests you. What has been described earlier sounds more like a rearing problem, then a breeding problem. I believe Kevin Shedahl has a Czech import. These are fine animals, and are versatile, so rearing is very important. Remember, and all agree on this, that just because it is an import or Czech or German or anything thing else does not guarantee quality. Find a reputable breeder, that knows how to train, that has been in the business, and will back up his guarantee.

I meant to say in my first line..there are MORE differences between.

I am sure there are SOME Czech/DDR dogs that are wonderfully social and would fit into any family. But to find one is going to take a little luck and a lot of looking.

My concern with the four-year-old is not so much for the child itself as for little friends and visitors. These dogs can be extremely protective, especially on their own territory. My own dog (the DDR male) plays very well with kids in the park, but he is highly protective of my now-teenaged son.

Lisa C. is correct that just because a dog comes from German show lines is no guarantee that won't have enormous prey drive, which can be a problem when you have small children. This degree of prey drive is just less common in the show lines. It would be best to visit breeders with someone who has tested a lot of GSD puppies, or to buy an "older" pup where you can see what you're getting more clearly.

Pete Felknor