Kristen,

I found your post rude. Some of those dogs have competed at the regional and national level, in Schutzhund trials. I may not like the look of some dogs trialing, but I would not post it. Your post shows your inexperience with the working dog. Learn more about the working lines, then make a intelligent post.

Brad

This is pretty funny.

Hey Kristen, since apparently it's MUCH worse to slam the looks of some dogs than it is to slam members on this board trying to educate themselves............ I'm hoping you are still hanging in there! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

People are right about the way the dogs are positioned exaggerating the slopes of the dogs backs. I think many of the dogs are typical of working lines and you may have noticed the arch in the backs as well. I believe the arch (roach) is more common in German lines but could be wrong and sure I'll hear about it!

I also PREFER the square standing dogs so Wulf von Der Kalenborner Hohe
SchH3 IPO3 F.H. KKL2 D.N.A.
Gunder (Butch) England would be the one with the looks I like on the site! But it's all a preference and not necessarily a sign of their ability to work.

In case you haven't seen them, here are some sites that compare the different 'flavors' of GSD's.

Germ vs. Amer 1

and

Different GSD's

I'm still looking for a dog that will make me look good by comparison. Either that, or one that will make show people croak when they see it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> .

Not to mention that camera angle will also make a topline look more sloped. Trust me- I can take 15 different pictures of my dogs and they will all look different. If you know what you are doing you can hide things or show them off. None of my dogs are lowriders- but I could take pics that would make them appear that way.

Pictures of a dog only get you so far.


In all honesty, their club has a wide representation of the different styles of GSD's out there. I have not visited that club (I lived in Hendersonville for 9 years) but I have corresponded with Toni (haus Brezel, it is her field) about visiting and she was very nice. Instead of trashing some dogs based on some photos- why not go to a trial or visit them. You might just learn something.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, and it appears some judges have determined a high percentage of those dogs to be confirmation show champions (Sieger title). I'm pretty new to all this but it seems 278 points is a pretty good trial point total for a show dog.

I also wanted to comment on a few comments made in response to a question posed on a forum a while back. The question was asked about Dobermans and one person who replies often said they suck. I can understand that if you haven't seen a good one as there aren't too many around it seems. I brought a dobie pup back from Russia last winter. She seems to be working out pretty well. At our small local club we have a good Schutzhund national and world competitor (with GSD dogs) who told me "as a beginner in Schutzhund you have no idea how good this dog is and won't until the next dog you get". So apparantly not all Dobes suck. Looking forward to seeing how good she/we can get.

I also wanted to comment on some early posts, regarding quality of competitors in USA vs Europe. I have spent a lot of time at a few clubs in the past year (for a few months before getting a dog and since January when bringing her back). Actually a discussion came up after our training session on Sunday that may be connected. At our small local club, all of us train at other clubs. Half come down from Canada to train in addition to what they do up there. The other half go up to Canada in addition to what we do here. 4 of the folks have been in Schutzhund for 15 to 23 years and the other 3 of us have been into it a year or less. What we agreed about in regards to the 4 or 5 clubs we have been involved in, was that there is not much attention paid to teaching a foundation or system to relative newcomers to the sport. In addition it was brought up that there is much conflicting information that gets thrown out there contributing a lot of confusion to a newcomer. Some of the veterans took it a step further, stating that even in clubs with national and international competitors the building blocks/foundation are not in place and people tend to be a little too quick to jump to the e-collar, which in some cases they claim can lower the enthusiasm of the dogs.

None of my dogs are lowriders- I didn't even know there was such a thing. I better get one. And I shall call him....Hoopty, the Holy Terror of the Southern Extremity.

Again, for everyone here; I said NOTHING about these particular dogs' working abilities. I wasn't "trashing" anyone. I just simply said I didn't like the way they looked because I am not a fan of those deformed looking slopey backs. I believe that it not only contributes to health problems like hip displasia, but it also hinders their ability to do what they were originally bred for.

Jenn, yes I'm still hanging in here. I believe you're correct about the arching in the back, but according to the other members who have posted here that took my original post the wrong way, I do not know what I'm talking about. lol

I DO plan on going to one of their trials, because I AM interested in the sport, and hope to get a Schutzhund dog one day in the future when my husband and I are settled in a house and have the room to add a dog. I am glad there is such a club nearby, because as I originally said, I didn't think there was one within 100 miles of where I live. It's exciting to me that this IS an option for me in the future.

Not to beat this subject to death, but I can appreciate the fact that you find a sloped back unattractive, however these dogs are not deformed. There is no evidence that would support your theory that it causes hip displasia, or impairs working ability. In my mind any serious breeder has their dog's OFA certified prior to breeding to try and prevent passing on hip displasia to new generations of dogs. In addition, all of these dogs are titled, so I cannot agree that the "sloped" backs have hindered their working ability.

At first, I was excited, because I will hopefully be getting a Schutzhund dog in the future, but then I found the page of photos of the dogs that they are advertising puppies from, and singing praises of. They are AWFUL looking dogs Myself and most poeple here that read your post took it as you rating this club on the looks of the dogs alone and because they dont look as good as the dog you HAVENT got.
Im sorry but your post cant be taken any other way so please dont get frustrated with responses that you should have expected. These are working dogs what the hell do there looks matter anyway?