Hi,
I am new to this board, but have been reviewing past posts. I am currently lookng for a GSD and have been drawn to DDR lines more than any other GSD, but I do not intend to compete with the dog or train for some professional service duty. I do not want a super prey drive dog....just a balanced, stable, obedient companion.

It seems many of the members here are professional trainers, trial competitors, and breeders, and I would like to hear your opinions on whether DDR/Czech lines should be kept as a family/house pet only.
thanks,
John

In most ANY litter you will find dogs that are good candidates for pets. Let a good breeder do the selection for you. Either way, a working bred dog is the only way to go.

Greetings John. My family and I recently purchased a working line Czech male pup and our plans at that time was to just have him as a family pet. After we got him into our home and got a chance to get to know him, his trainability was awesome! NOw that i have seen the difference between a working line and the American line, theres no comparison. Best of luck in your desision.

They are great dogs, but I agree with the suggestion of letting the breeder help you pick. I have a Czech DDR dog that will drive you crazy if he is not worked daily. He has tons of drive. I have seen quite a few of the DDR dogs that are just like him. Communicate what you want and go with the breeders suggestion.

Well keep it as a pet, just dont forget hey were ment to work, make sure you know the breeder and also get into research about less temperamentl dogs, or you will dig a big hole. They are not fun to loose controll off

You can end up with so many different drives even in a single litter, it's good to let a breeder know what you want. And I agree, a working bred dog is the only way to go.

Hi John,

I'm new here too, but I have a dog very similar to the ones you seem to be drawn to. I,too, was only looking for a nice, healthy pet and was immediately drawn to the DDR lines primarily, and likes some Czech lines also. I kept picking out dogs of the same lines over and over. I'll admit a HUGE portion of it was looks. He (Caleb) was a gift for my boyfriend at the time who had always wanted a black german shepherd. Well, I started looking around, and wow-there are lots of scrawny, nervous, hip-dysplasia-ridden, ugly black dogs out there. I decided I wanted a working line for health reasons, and didn't want a puppy from two dogs who were only put together to make black puppies. The hardest thing was finding a litter in which I liked the look of both parents, and both had good hips. I decided on Dargo von den Thuringer Kronjuwelen (who passed away earlier in the week) and Elba z Esagilu, a Grim z PS daughter. Dargo is pure DDR, and Elba is primarily DDR, with Czech. Anyway, what I'm saying is that while Caleb's pedigree is made up almost entirely of titled dogs, he's an absolute pleasure to have in the house. Well, if you don't count HUGE muddy paws and black hairy tumbleweeds flying around the house. He's just starting to mature, and I'm seeing that he needs to do something to burn off some energy/drive, so I'm going to try Schutzhund soon. If he can't do it, he'd be the first in his family! I know a lot of people have negative opinions of DDR/Czech lines, and some of Dargo in particular, saying he's only good for size and pigment, but I disagree. I have spent much time on the phone with both current owners and people who've seen him work, and if nothing else, there's something to be said for a dog his size (he was huge) at his age (over 11) in the health he was in during his last weeks. Part of what drew me to him was that he was still healthy, free from hip-dysplasia and other common hereditary ailments at his age. I want my pet to live forever! Elba also is not a youngster, so I felt like I had a better shot in the health department than if I'd selected a set of two year old parents. I could go on forever, but in my uneducated opinion, DDR/Czech dogs make GREAT pets/companions and depending on the drive of that individual dog, don't require any more than any GSD deserves with regard to exercise and work. Feel free to send me a private message if you want any more info. I stay in close contact with several of the breeders who have dogs from Caleb's lines, since I'd eventually like to breed him, if everything checks out ok.

Hello (Hi Jenni) I have an 18 month old brother to Jenni's Caleb, Baron. Because of his size and bone structure I have decided to protection train him instead of schutzhund title him. He is an absolute pleasure to have in the house, however, as mentioned, most of these dogs come from working lines, and need to be exercised and they like to make their brains work. So we play search games, also do tracking, and lots of playing ball in addition to his weekly protection training.

"Because of his size and bone structure I have decided to protection train him instead of schutzhund title him."


Huh?
What's the logic behind that, if I may ask? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

This is an old thread, but Hi Tina. How's Baron? I gotta wonder the same thing Will's wondering though-HUH? Are you PPD training him because of size/bone structure or because he's only got so-so prey drive, but is very defensive, like my little Caleb? I'm as confused as Will. Please clarify! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />