There wer only two Americans who went into the DDR on dog business before the wall went down. I was one of them. Not sure if it was the ass puker that resulted from going through check-point-charley or simply a lack of interest. My gut feel is that it was the ass-puker effect. I always had the hair up on my back when I had to get through with video camera.

So with all this said - I will say that the DDR dogs are over rated. Yes they had nice head, yes they had nice bone and yes they were soft and alledgedly had good hips but they really not very good working dogs.

If they were such great dogs why did the breeders from the DDR not continue to breed them? Answer is they knew the problems and ran from them. Some people used to use the excuse that they sold all the good ones because they needed money. If this was so - where did they go? I never found or saw them. That was pure bull shit.

So if one wants a pretty dog with a big head and nice pigment get a dog from DDR bloodlines. But if you think that a breeder who advertises his great DDR working bloodlines has somehow pulled a rabbit out of his hat - think again. He is a newbee who made a wrong turn down the road to breeding working dogs.

Ed wrote:
Over the past 10 to 15 years the Germans have been forced to use more and more imported dogs for their police force. These are mostly Malinois from Holland and Belgium and a few German Shepherds from the Czech Republic. http://www.leerburg.com/99bundes.htm

Why have the German police started to use Czech line dogs if the German dogs are so much better?

Small note, Chris.
I do believe that DDR is East Germany rather than the Czech republic, two different countries I believe, and I thought that Ed was talking of the GSDs of the former country.

Since I don't own dogs from either place, I now return you to the ususal discussion. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Just for the record, my Czech dog (Ciro z PS grandson) did a 93 in obedience and 97 in protection on his SchH 1....he was Handler/owner/trained and also my first dog to title...ever.
He has given me more of a human/dog bond than my west german working line male who could care less.
He is a house dog, loves people, and is not dog agressive.
If you're near me, I invite you to come out and meet him, and watch him do obedience and protection.

Michelle

I HAVE HAD DDR DOGS FOR YEARS I'M A POLICE OFFICER AND HAVE USED THEM AT WORK. AT HOME THEY LOVE MY CHILDREN AND THEIR FRIENDS. THEY HAVE TREMENDOUS DRIVE. THEY ARE OUT OF GRAFENTAL BLOODLINES.IN FACT I AM TRYING TO BUY ANOTHER. I KNOW EVERYBODY HAS THERE OWN THOUGHTS AND LIKE WEST OVER EAST ECT. I AM ONLY TELLING YOU ABOUT MY K-9S I HAVE BRED THESES LINES FOR SIX YEARS AND I WOULD NOT CHANGE.I AM TRYING TO FIND A SOLID BLACK WITH A HISTORY OF BLACK IN THE BLOODLINES. I ALWAYS WANTED A SOLID BLACK DDR SHEPHERD.IN FACT THE REASON I BRED MY FEMALE AND HAVE PUPS NOW IS BECAUSE THE LAST LITTER WAS SO GREAT,AGAIN LIKE ANYTHING THERE ARE GOOD, AND BAD. I ONLY DISAGREE WITH PEOPLE WHEN THEY GROUP ALL ONE GROUP OF DOGS AND SAY THERE NO GOOD.BECAUSE LET SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T LIKE DDR COME TO MY HOME AND SEE MINE I'M SURE THEY WOULD CHANGE THERE MIND.

Hello Mike,

My club, Machtig Strom S.V. is located in the western part of Illinios, @ 2 1/2 hours from Chicago. My training director has 2 Czech GSD's that he's raised from pups to SchH3 FH, & his wife has 2 DDR dogs out of some of Joe Kuhns dogs. We have another 4 Czech dogs in the group also. These dogs all have good temperaments, & have been involved in not just SchH competitions, but community events as well. This is basically a long winded invitatation to come & see for yourself.

Gretta

Christopher,
You make a good point since many of the Czech working lines go back to the old DDR lines.

Glad you caught my drift. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Also many of ED's dogs go back to DDR lines. I don't get it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />