GSD breeders \ type

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Lara575

GSD breeders \ type

Post by Lara575 »

Hi

After getting great advice on here from Erica and Nettle on the GSD I decided to go with my heart breed. So now I have decided breed I was on step 3 of finding the type of Shepherd I wanted so I went to crufts on Saturday and met 3 different types of GSD.

The first I met were at the show benches and I was watching them get showed as well but show line just did not appeal to me as I'm not a fan of the sloping back and some had very roached backs and looked as if they could not walk. Some of them looked really uncomfortable to the point of being in pain. The second I met was at the police display and he was a beautiful dog not as extreme as the show and I really liked the way he looked but the officer said he was bred by the police so would be to high drive for a pet home. But he said he owns another GSD who he does Agility with and he does search and rescue with her so he asked if I wanted to meet her and I said yes if he is OK with that and he said that she would be at crufts on sunday. So I went back on Sunday and met her and I did not now the colour so I asked he said she was a blue and tan long coat GSD. She was gorgeous and was not sloping in back and she was the type I like and wanted so I asked if she was from a breeder and he said yes and he gave me the name of the kennel.

I wanted to ask what you thought and what you think of her dogs compared to show line?

These are the girls http://www.glebevonwood.com/thegirls.htm

These are the boys http://www.glebevonwood.com/theboys.htm
JudyN
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Re: GSD breeders \ type

Post by JudyN »

To my non-expert eye, they look like smashing, healthy dogs.

This is interesting:
We are now no longer part of the Kennel Club Accredited Breeder Scheme. We removed ourselves from their listings. We were disappointed that at no point, not one person from the Kennel Club either contacted us by phone or came to view the conditions in which we look after our dogs.


Our cheque was cashed within 2 weeks and our Certificate of being an Accredited Breeder was issued?

Not much of a standard really!!!
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Lara575

Re: GSD breeders \ type

Post by Lara575 »

JudyN wrote:
This is interesting:
We are now no longer part of the Kennel Club Accredited Breeder Scheme. We removed ourselves from their listings. We were disappointed that at no point, not one person from the Kennel Club either contacted us by phone or came to view the conditions in which we look after our dogs.


Our cheque was cashed within 2 weeks and our Certificate of being an Accredited Breeder was issued?

Not much of a standard really!!!
I was interested in this to. I can understand and believe her . after seeing the state of the show line GSD for myself and the standard is for them to be so deformed that they can't walk then the kennel club can keep there standard. To me it sounds like all they wanted was her money.
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Nettle
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Re: GSD breeders \ type

Post by Nettle »

I wonder if this is simply an oversight? I know a number of KC Assured breeders and they are all inspected.

Those look proper healthy GSDs. Interesting colours especially the last male with flashes of white. I wonder if there has been at outcross at some stage?
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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Lara575

Re: GSD breeders \ type

Post by Lara575 »

I thought that to Nettle as some don't look like GSD with there colouring. I'm glad that I'm getting good feedback on her dogs as I really like her type.
Lara575

Re: GSD breeders \ type

Post by Lara575 »

Hi all

Still doing my research on breeders , I have come across this breeder online and her dogs look really good but wanted to ask on here first?

http://skipmyregermanshepherds.co.uk/welcome/4535829277


I still like the other breeder but I want to look at more than one breeder , I don't want to choose the first one I see.
Erica
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Re: GSD breeders \ type

Post by Erica »

Warning for anyone else who checks the site out, there's autoplay music, so make sure your volume isn't loud :lol:

It doesn't look like they do much health testing. The hips are scored, but what about elbows? Do they test for Degenerative Myelopathy? Von Willebrand's? It sure doesn't look like it to me! They talk about producing healthy pets but don't really put anything out there to prove the health of their dogs. Delta's breeder had several tests done and included the results for the sire and dam in the puppy package - checking eyes, skin, hips, elbows, and a few DNA tests for conditions found in poodles. (The puppy package had *so much* good information in it - the folder had a good half-inch stack of various health, training, and other sorts of articles for puppy parents. You want a breeder who does this sort of thing - goes above and beyond to make sure their puppy has a good life!)

No mention of health guarantee or what their contract is, beyond having to inform them if you need to rehome the dog. They don't guarantee that they'll take the dog back, either, which isn't great. They don't seem to have a plan in breeding - nothing about their dogs showing or competing in sports of any sort.

Personally, I would not recommend them or purchase a puppy from them.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
Lara575

Re: GSD breeders \ type

Post by Lara575 »

Hi Erica

Thank you for your reply. This is why I prefer to ask on here first.

Erica what do you think of the first breeder in my first post?
Erica
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Re: GSD breeders \ type

Post by Erica »

They do the bare minimum health tests I'd look for (hip & elbow scores + DM testing). It's mildly concerning that they have non-standard colors, but they don't seem to charge more for different colors, so that doesn't point towards unethical breeding necessarily.

I would wonder why they're breeding. Again, there's no mention of competition of any sort. Personally, I would ask some questions before committing to a pup from them - eg, what do you aim for in a breeding? Why did you choose this male for this female? What goal do you have for your breeding program overall? What do you do with your dogs - any showing or sports? Why do you use dogs of non-standard colors in your program?

My feelings on non-standard colors:
I wouldn't strike a breeder off my list for breeding non-standard colors or having dogs with non-standard colors in their program. With limited colors come a limited gene pool, but it does raise a red flag. You want to check breeders out thoroughly. If someone is specifically breeding *for* non-standard colors, rather than for performance ability or conformation, I wouldn't go to them. If they are breeding for performance, health, and temperament, and just happened to find that a dog with non-standard color that fits their requirements, that's no problem. There aren't health issues associated with the colors that that breeder has, but with so many non-standard colors it's just suspicious. The dogs aren't very typey, either. They have some German Shepherdy traits, but walking a few of those dogs down the street I would suspect they were mixed breed rather than a well-bred GSD. I have nothing against outcrossing - in fact I strongly support it - but if the breeder isn't honest about it, that's bad.

Overall: Personally, if I were looking for a GSD, I would go elsewhere. I prefer sporty dogs rather than pet dogs (these dogs seem pretty heavy-boned so I would worry about their ability to move well and quickly - think mastiff versus greyhound), though, so maybe if I were looking for a good pet for a friend I would, again, ask some questions about the breeding program's goals and want to meet the dogs and see them moving. I'm suspicious of their motives. They don't have a clear goal or a stated goal.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
Lara575

Re: GSD breeders \ type

Post by Lara575 »

Hi Erica

Thank you so much for you advice.

Erica what do you think I need to look for in a GSD breeder what are you top tips on me knowing if I have found a good breeder. And what health testing should GSD have?
Erica
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Re: GSD breeders \ type

Post by Erica »

Hip/Elbow scores are vital. I also would want DM testing, and bonus points for Von Willebrand's and MDR1. (By bonus points, I mean I would much prefer a breeder who tests for those! I'm not sure how many breeders actually test for them, though.) I prefer low inbreeding coefficients.

Physically in the dog, I would want a straight back, rather than roached. A slanted-but-straight back if the dog is in a GSD show stack (one hind leg forward, one back) is okay; I'd like to see the dog standing naturally as well and would prefer a level back in a square stack (normal dog pose). If they're breeding German Shepherds, they should look enough like German Shepherds to be identifiable. Even if they aren't show type, they should not look like crossbreeds (unless the breeder is outcrossing and is being honest about it).

The breeder should do *something* with the dogs. Even if it's low-level agility, or therapy dog work, or nosework, rather than schutzhund or conformation (in my country, I'd personally steer clear of AKC conformation, but the American UKC seems to have better standards). Something to show that they spend time with the dogs, that the dogs take to training well, that they aren't just throwing their pets in the backyard to make more puppies. Along this line, they should state why they breed.

I wouldn't want a breeder who brags about size or "rare" colors.

Check out the pdf "Before You Get Your Puppy," by Ian Dunbar. It has good tips for what to look for in a breeder too. I'm not adding those things to this because it would turn into a novel :lol: This is just GSD-specific stuff I'd look for.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
Lara575

Re: GSD breeders \ type

Post by Lara575 »

Hi Erica

Very good advice in there and I have written a few things down.

I have been searching for breeder and have found one who does good health testing and test's for MDR1 but I'm not sure of the look of the dogs and if there to slanted she works and shows her dogs.

Can you tell me if you think these are to slanted?

http://www.vylanogsd.co.uk/
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Nettle
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Re: GSD breeders \ type

Post by Nettle »

Look for yourself - because you need to get your eye in, and if you can't tell by those photos then you won't be able to tell with the real thing before you and the breeder doing the sales pitch.

Look particularly at the dog carrying the stick, and the ones in the bottom row of photos.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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Lara575

Re: GSD breeders \ type

Post by Lara575 »

Hi Nettle

I think what I need to do is learn about the look and type of GSD more and understand it all more.

Do you know of any books or websites that might help me understand better as I don't really understand it?

I have had a second look and I still can't see if or how there bad ( as I'm presuming that's what you mean by the one with the stick)
ScarletSci
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Re: GSD breeders \ type

Post by ScarletSci »

Lara575 wrote:Hi Nettle

I think what I need to do is learn about the look and type of GSD more and understand it all more.

Do you know of any books or websites that might help me understand better as I don't really understand it?

I have had a second look and I still can't see if or how there bad ( as I'm presuming that's what you mean by the one with the stick)

This might show you more clearly. This is the first female they listed: http://www.vylanogsd.co.uk/#!beyonce/ck7y

I really don't like the slope of that back, do you?
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