I didn't say you can't live with the bad ass dog, I just said that you are not going to be able to breed them unless you are breeding bad ass dogs to bad ass dogs.

I live with bad asses and love it. I also have dogs that never see the inside of a kennel or a crate. I manage to get by. The dog can't do his job in a crate, or in the kennel.

Hey VanCamp,

Thank you (gotta stay caught up).

Versatility is perhaps an overused word, but being versatile is what has earned the GSD it's popularity, good or bad. It's overall abilities to be trained and used for a variety of different jobs has earned the breed a place in the top 5 of the most intelligent breeds of dogs.

If you look at Stanley Coren's much publicized book The intelligence of dogs, his descriptions of the various types of canine intelligences LINGUISTIC, ADAPTIVE, INSTINCTIVE, AND WORKING OR OBEDIENCE, you come to the understanding that not all dogs are created equal. Some breeds have more aspects of one or another, or rate very poor in say working or obedience. It's the breeds that in general have the highest proportion of all of these intelligences that make the best working, or all-around dogs. Whether that work is sheepherding, policing, dog sports of any kind, guiding, etc., that in essence is what versatility is.

It is unfortunate that there are many poor examples of certain breeds, even if they are in the top 5, but in general a certain proportion of dogs in these breeds still do retain some of the characterists that merit a high score.

Versatility is not made solely from physical characteristics, a fact that some show people have yet to learn (regardless of breed), and that (I would presume) the majority of board members have already stated through hot debate and very educational forums.

As far as High drive dogs go, I got one as my 1st GSD an w/no working dog experience it was an eye opener!! I have to thank my former trainer,(God rest his soul)Ed Wilson for helping me train her in basic OB.

I have 4 kids and 2 cats(whom I haven't seen in 2 1/2 yrs.LOL)and then aquired a pup for good measure.The relevance of this is that she is sooo high drive that she has plenty to keep her mind active and stimulated.I half got the pup because of her, I thought she would like a companion, which she does.

I think it would be cruel to have this dog in anything but a stimulating environment of SOME kind.I am trying to find time to get her to a nearby DVG club, but that is my fault because I have so little outside the home time.She LOVES to bite,working is in her blood,when I do let her play tug she glows w/ happiness.

By contrast, my show line pup is almost boring(but I love him too <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> )