lol..sorry about that Nathan.

I think i was just typing faster than I was thinking.

Nathan, I hope you can find the breeder. Regardless of whether or not to breed, its valuable to have this info. for health related issues. Patricia would you care to reply to your comments about this pup not being "stud-dog" material? Are you a showline "breeder"? I've seen impromtu pics of VA dogs (ulk von arlett, rikkor von bad-boll, kevin vom murrtal) that would lead you to believe that they were "just Pets". <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Did you check the ears for a tatoo or check
for microchip?

Congrats on your new pup.
Bob

I've never noticed any tattoo in his ears, but I'll give it a close look. As far as the microchip goes, that's a great idea. Is that something the breeder typically does? Or the owner after they receive the dog?

I ran across some info today that might be helpful. It appears that the AKC has a DNA program to establish parenthood, but I'm not 100% clear on how it works. Can I send them a swab and have them tell me who the parents are (provided they have the stud / dam dna)? I'm not sure if this is how it works or not, because the info on their site is a little confusing. I know there are some AKC people around on this board, so any info you can provide to me would be much appreciated.

Thanks again everyone!

No, my understanding is the AKC can compare a dog's DNA to another dog's DNA to see if they are related (ie sire/puppy) but you need to have both DNA profiles listed. It is not like CSI where they can scan the entire database for a match <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

My best advice is to track down the woman whose name you have and speak to her. You are going to have better luck tracking the ownership of the dog from now to the point that it was at the breeder's place than you will trying to find a GSD breeder in CO.

It is the proverbial needle in the haystack otherwise. GSDs do not have a small breeder base and your pup could have just as easily come from someone who decided to breed their solitary female and than listed the litter on one of the puppy advertising websites as it did from an established breeder. Just because breeders have said that he looks like european lines does not negate this. My young male who shows tremendous potential in the show and performance ring came off a ranch from a person who was not a "breeder" so to speak.

Good luck in your search!

Good point, the ex may not speak to her ex, but she may still care for the dog, and be happy to tell you more.
It won't hurt to ask, might reveal the answer.

Good luck with that!

Someday, DNA screening done before breeding might really help to show the shadow dogs in each parent, so a breeder will know which pairs of recessives might flip and throw an undesirable dominant gene into the mix beforehand. It might be the best hope to eliminating genetic deficiencies in the future.

Well I`ll answer. Obviously without the background and the hip and elbow ratings you should never breed. Then there is the proofing of this dog, titles to show he is worthy of breeding and carries the proper temperament structure and movement and add in the health certs. For a dog to be worthy of breeding there are many steps involved. Then ask yourself will breeding this dog improve the breed or continue a great line. I have had German Shepherds all my life (I`m 52) and some were incredible and came from great lines, the "ridiculous thought of I wish I had one of his pups" even crossed my mind. Then reality set in and realized there would be no guarantee that a pup would turn out like him. I`ll leave the breeding to the pro`s like Ed, and Molly etc.

thank you, roger. i am not inclined to "pick-apart" other people's dogs. believe me, i've had some real POS dogs over the years but still loved them dearly. some have been great dogs in themselves, yet clearly not breeding quality. i think one has to be brutally honest with themselves about dogs in terms of what the dogs has to offer and what the dog can and cannot do. like you, i am also 52 yrs old and have had dogs all my life; gsds exclusively for the past 25 yrs. when people were asking for my reasons on why i did not feel that this dog is stud material it was pretty obvious that i was being set up. it didn't matter what i said from there on, somebody was going to find fault with it. i still say that this young fella is not stud material and i've been around the block enough times to know that when somebody starts asking questions such as the ones in this thread that there are thoughts of breeding going on. just love this guy for what he is, have fun and train him in something you will both enjoy doing. in that light, his lineage is really unimportant.

Patricia,
You have no idea who this guys is but you "know" by the questions he is asking? That is one of the craziest things I have heard. I would want to know where my pup was from as well to rule out disease, hips, etc...
And you being around the block enough makes you qualified to judge a dog from a photo without knowing anyhing about the dog? That sounds crazier then knowing the guy wants to breed him by asking a general question. The CIA might hire you as a human lie detector and to predict the future if that is the case.
As for your pup I wish you all the best finding out the family history and know how much it can worry you if you dont know. Good luck and keep us posted!