In the States you have the GSDCA that is responsible for the decline of the GSD in your country in regards to working ablities. Here in Australia each state has it's German Shepherd dog club. In South Australia we have the German Shepherd Dog Club of S.A. Just recently they put an add in the newspaper informing everyone that they don't support Schutzhund training in any shape or form. WTF??? This orgainisation has been lobbying parliment MP's to have Schutzhund banned. In another state the GDSC of W.A. one of the " Grand Poohbaa " stood up in a meeting and said that in Europe they were going to do away with Schutzhund within the next two years. &#@$ I hate these guys. The funny bit is that they have been saying that Schutzhund dogs are trained to attack people and that they are dangerous. So when the draft paper for new dog legislation comes out and they propose to ban Schuthund they also say that any dog trained in Schutzhund in this State or elsewhere it has to be declared Dangerous and be desexed. Hahaha. Turns out that all their show imports from Germany that have KKL or Schutzhund will have to be declared dangerous and be desexed. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> . They then turn around and say " Oh my SchH titled show dog isn't dangerous, he doesn't need to be desexed" . Dumb asses.
So no matter how bad you think the GSDCA is our Australian GSD clubs are far worse.

http://www.users.bigpond.com/kampk9/index.htm

Darn,

X Australia off my list of places to visit.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Is NZ safe?

Breed clubs are crap but the fishing is good. Snapper anyone? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

http://www.users.bigpond.com/kampk9/index.htm

These showbreeders really makes me mad. Yesterday there was a tv-programm about showbreeders and which effect their opinion of beauty has on their dogs. Vetrinars described all the suffering dogs have to go through because of breedstandars. They disscussed a GSDs which had such sloppping back that the anus and tail was almost put together, which caused constant infections and suffering for the dogs, and the vets can´t do anything about this because it always gets infected all the time. A sled-dog have a total different structure, not showing this problems that is caused by human hands. If show breeders don´t want character in their dogs, at least they should breed for a naturall healthy structure. Hopefully this tv-programm will start a discussion about the ethics of breeding dogs for a certain look.

I think the problem is that the breed standards put in too many things that are subject to interpretation and very subject to the human desire to "up it a notch". Slightly sloping topline
will eventually produce dogs walking on their, , hocks, "fine boned head" will eventually get a
dog with a head so narrow that there are teeth, jaw and eye problems. Nature likes the median way
and medium is never going to cut it in the show world where extreme is the norm. The working line and show line dogs are very different in
any breed that still has some dogs of working ability. Show breeders will argue that they lack
"type" with total disregard for the breeds origins and ability to function for their original purpose.

My area probably isn't much better than in South Australia. That's a real shame about the schutzhund but has the legislation already been put into place in all states ?????

I think some show bloodlines can work but they are of course much harder to find compared to working bloodlines.
This is what generally comes up when i ask about how would show breeders go about to preserve or prove working ability in their bloodlines....

1. Their dogs do work... They do ANKC obedience & agility and occassionally sheepherding. What about testing their dogs nerves and protection ability????

2.Just because their dogs for generations have never been given the oppurtuniuty to work doesn't mean they don't have working ability ( hmmm which shows that for generations none of the dogs have ever had to prove themselves in working ability before being bred- its like searching in the dark)..... and if working GSD people say that they are just opinionated and are trying to be mean and promote themselves

3. A FEW show GSD's are in the police force..... so you know that must mean that all show GSD's can work.

4. Most GSD's go to pet homes anyway not working homes..... which means it doesn't matter if we focus on pretty dogs that are useless working dogs

Just thinking If some german show bloodlines are in police forces in Australia then it proves they can do real work. The black and white approach to the issue is sometimes not fair. But how many others can??? And is it possible they were incorrectly tested????? Does anyone think that within the showbloodlines real working dogs can be produced on a more consistant basis, if perhaps more show people started to chose the traits need to produce working dogs ????? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

about 10 yrs ago or so, my hubby and i were involved in a new forming group. for lack of a better place to train, we started out in the fenced-in back yard of the t.d. distraught neighbors called the police who, when arriving on the scene and seeing what we were actually about, said they wished more people would train their dogs so there'd be fewer problem dogs. they left us in peace. at that time, i don't believe there were any k-9 units in that city, but they have since added dogs to their force.

Patricia,
That is cool. I find that many people are very ignorant about dogs. I will give an example.
A few years ago I went down to the Humane Society. They had two Old English Sheepdogs. They were 8 months at the time. They, of course, where HUGE. The reason being given for them being turned into the humane society was because...THEY WERE TOO BIG!!!!!

I started researching GSD's because I wanted to purchase one. the first dog I ever picked out was a GSD for my grandfather - sicne then no other breed has been able to win my heart.
I figured a good place to start asking questions about breedlines and things of that nature would be K9 handlers. Everytime I saw a K9 and his handler I would strike up a conversation. One of the prevalent warnings was..STAY AWAY FROM AKC DOGS. ANother one - get your dog from Czechoslavakia, Germany or from a breeder in the US that only breeds from foreign lines.
When I see these dogs in the rings - I am appalled. They are deformed and can't functions.
Something needs to be done to put a standard n the breed that says "Dog should be able to perform as nature intended..." o <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />