OK, time for the heat. This thread is taking a horrible and sudden downturn.
Caniche wrote: "There is a definate distinction between the two types. Like I said earlier in another post, most pet people want calm, good looking purebred dogs for a pet. They can't live with the high energy, high drive dog usually found in working lines. If they can handle it, they at least want it to look nice. More hair, nicer colouring, etc. Those that recognize (and want) working drive in a dog usually (in my experience anyways) are competitive educated dog people anyways."
"They want it to look nice. More hair, nicer colouring, etc."
Working line dogs don't have nice coats, pigment (nicer coloring?), etc. ?? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />
YES, they do. I see better pigment, body type, bone, teeth, and 'color' in the working lines. And if you spent as much time messing with their coats as show people do, you would not see a difference in the quality of the coats. Most of that is cosmetic. Form follows function. Dark pigments, healthy bodies, muscle tone, bone . . .
Show line dogs DO NOT LOOK BETTER THAN WORKING LINE DOGS. THAT IS BULLSHIT. Unless you like sickly angulation and sloped butts, slight bone, weak heads and mouths, and one color (vast majority).
Working line GSDs also make the best pets. Why the hell would you want a dud German Shepherd Dog??? Go buy a damn Poodle or a Pug if you want a big zero companion dog. Even the "show line" GSDs have energy and require good care and knowledge. They are also hampered by their weak nerve and fearful temperaments. Can you say fear bite? Dangerous to children? Mailman's worst nightmare? (Right Chuck?)
ANY breed of GSD isn't the right dog for the average dumb owner. You have to make a decision. There are working lines and there are Working Lines. Out of these dogs there are a lot of nice pets that are very calm around the house and are livable companions. They also have correct body type, vastly better nerves, and some drive for training and playing.
And for most people who want a "protective pet", a well selected working pup is by far your best bet for a healthy, good natured, companion. Do you try to select a PSD or a top SchH prospect? NO, of course not, but not all working line dogs are PSD/SchH material.
People who buy GSDs are for the most part snowed by the AKC and the show folks. They bill their dogs as the greatest animals on earth. Most people's only exposure to GSDs is watching dog shows on TV, or watching "working" dogs on TV and Film. They just naturaly believe that the well bred AKC dog is what they want. I have never met an average (uniniciated) person that wanted a GSD that didn't have the ability to protect them, that didn't have good nerves, and wasn't like the SAR dogs/police dogs that you see on TV.
The only people that want Show line dogs, and know what that means, are show people that want to compete in the AKC show ring. Everybody else is fooled by the constant BS. How many ASS owners are really happy with what they end up with when they see people with working line dogs, who have put a minimal effort into training to make them nice home companions?
I would bet the whole ranch that it is very few. It is very easy to put a little bit of work into a working line dog and make them a pet. My mother has done it for years. It would take the same amount of time and effort as training and raising a show line GSD.
Does that make any sense? At the very least, I sure hope it makes an impact. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />
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allow working line dogs to be represented in some way at dog shows. More educating for the public. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
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