I have seen one or two comments on the boards that lead me to believe that some fairly knowledgeable GSD people might (GASP) consider my dog too big.

He has, at leat to my untrained eye, great confirmations, a flawless sable coat, good hips & good head. (In fact I'd post a picture but cant figure out how to do it).

BUT... he is roughly 100lbs (not fat) and if I measured correctly 57" from tip of nose to base of tail and 29" from his spine to the floor or 27" up the side of my leg.

He routinely gets called "huge" and "enormous" et al by civilians on our walks.

My question is, is this dog too big for advanced training like ScH and Personal Protection? NOt that I have any ambitions for such, but out of curiosity, is his size limiting? If so, why?

Thanks in advance.
Brock

lets see a picture <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Try photobucket, that was the easiest for me to use to post pics

Dennis what a gorgeous pup! How old?

she was about three months in that pic. thier are more pics in the Bios section "Erika The Destroyer" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The Standard for the male German Shepherd Dog states that it should be 60-65 cm tall (23.5 to 25.5 in) and weigh 30-40 kilos (66 to 88 lbs.) Anything outside of those numbers, technically does not conform to the standard.

(Height is measured with a special device at the shoulders, directly above the front legs, also known as the WITHERS.)

That, however, does not mean you have a bad dog. The dog can weigh slightly more (or less) and be slightly taller (or shorter) than the standard without be severely penalized by a judge (for Breed Survey) purposes, so long as the dog's weight/height is proportional.

As far as training in Schutzhund, etc, with a dog that is outside of the standard, size has nothing to do with it (although a larger dog will tend to be slower and less agile and may have a tendency to have more health issues.)

The success (or failure) in training will come from the dogs natural temperament, character, nerves, drives and working ability. Without those, the dog won't be successful no matter how big or small it is.

Brock - the fact is your dog is too big - the breed was never designed to be this big. He is probably a nice pet but he is not a dog that should be bred. GSD this large are un-coradinated, they tire easily, they will have more health probnelsm and will not live as long. Thread closed.

I suspected as much. While to my eye he seems both coordinated and agile, and has as of yet dodged any serious health issues, my eye is less than objective, having once or twice seen the dog walk on water. Even if true, it's a hard thing to hear about something you are so invested in. Like hearing someone say "your kid will never be president".

Tried photobucket but kept having to "sign up" for community college courses during the registration process so I quit so STILL no photos.

Anyway, thanks to all who rsvped.

 Quote:

Tried photobucket but kept having to "sign up" for community college courses during the registration process so I quit so STILL no photos.

Look at the bottom of the page for a tiny line of fine print that says something like No thanks and a checkmark box. Check the box and it won`t sign you up. You still have to run whatever spyware/adware scanners you have but it`s not as bad as some other sites. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />