How did you choose????

[CzechGSD]

Don't know if this is the best place to post this question of not but here goes.

I was just wondering WHY everyone chose the lines they have. By lines I mean either the "type" I.E. W.G. Show, Working, American Show ect... OR, the individual bloodlines of their dogs.

HOPEFULLY, if anyone chooses to respond, we can do this in a NICE way. My intent is NOT to start any of the "this line is better than that line" mess.

My intent is only to see WHY everyone chose the lines they did. ;D

[Nightshadows]

Well when I first started looking for another pet/SchH dog, I originally wanted working lines. I had the kennel picked out and everything. Then I had written to a woman regarding tracking mentioning the puppy and she replied saying she had a litter that would be suitable for SchH. I went and had a look and they were adorable. I met the mother and an uncle of sorts to the puppies. Then I got invited back to watch them do some SchH. The male impressed me alot with his working ability so I started spending more time up there. I helped soacialize the puppies taking them for walks and to the beach, around strangers and other dogs. I fell for Angus when I first saw him and then I took him home for a weekend of socialization and he just never left. ;D

[JanisN]

Hi, Tracy! I think we can do this in a nice way.<grin>

I came into showlines really bass-ackwards. When we moved from Australia to Indiana, my kids wanted a GSD. So, we started checking out breeders and I found Julie Martinez, kind of before she was Mittelwest. We bought Sheila (working line cross), did our training with Julie, etc. Several years later, I was at Julie's house and she showed me a litter that she had downstairs and I just fell in love. Julie didn't know it (thankfully!) but I would have done ANYTHING for that puppy.

She was looking for a co-owner, explained that it meant getting involved in showing, schutzhund, etc. Sure, sure, sure, whatever, gimme that puppy! There was just something about her...

That was Enschi... after Enschi came Quincy, then Largo, then Enschi's progeny, Bushka and Bette were our keepers, then Tito... then more progeny, Saxon and Sera, then we branched out and got Ando and Amore... then Rikki, and Samos and Barry...

So... I came into it knowing a lot about GSDs in general but nothing about showlines. Certainly no research was done! Definitely didn't do it the "right" way but I can't say I regret any of it! Talk about packing a lot of learning into not too many years!

Since getting Enschi, I've learned a lot about bloodlines and learned to identify exactly what it is I like in her lines and I have a pretty fair idea of where it comes from. This has led me to do more and more pedigree research and look at more and more dogs. A never ending, ever widening circle!

JanisN

[Jezzi]

My first GSD was a brb American line dog. I got him because I felt I needed a protection dog at that time, so I joined the local SchH club to learn how to train him. He was a very nice male, but was plagued with health problems, and didn't have the drive to do the work. So in hanging out with the club, I became fascinated with the German line working dogs the other members owned. I did my research and bought a 9 week old sable male pup from Gary Hanrahan's Asko v. Siegelgrund, and an East german line mother. Gunnar was my first 'real' SchH dog, but he also had some health problems, all four of his canines broke off by two years of age, and he had one bad hip. He did go on to SchH 3.
I bought a couple of other working line puppies, one female in particular was going to be my foundation bitch, she was a daughter of the *infamous* Fero. A beautiful black and red girl with awesome temperament. She broke my heart, when I xrayed her at 1 year of age and discovered severe hip dyplaysia in both hips.
During this time, a lady showed up at our club one day, with a young male dog she wanted evaluated. She brought him out of her car, he drug her around like a ragdoll, completely out of control. I noticed immediately how good looking this dog was and asked her where she got him. She told me Mittelwest Kennels. We evaluated this dog for the work, in protection, he took the hard sleeve, with a full hard grip the first time out, and also had very good prey drive, powerful, and hard to corrections. The owner could not and did not understand what she had. I asked her if he was for sale, and she was not interested. I did manage to get information about the parentage of the dog, and called Julie at Mittelwest to find out more about him.
I talked with Julie, and she told me she would be repeating the breeding. At the time, I could not afford to buy a pup, so after several conversations, she offered me a pup if I could train one of her young females to a SchH1. I jumped at the chance. Julie sent me out Jezzi. Jezzi basically *is* the reason I have chosen the bloodlines that I have now. She is 100% West German Showlines. Jezzi is my ideal German Shepherd Dog. She is highly trainable, healthy, beautiful, sound, and she is my best friend. I finished her easily to SchH3. I admire and appreciate all the lines in our breed, however, I've evolved....and prefer the type like my Jezzi.

[barongsd]

We were looking for a "pet/companion". I had owned a couple GSD's over the years (mostly brb's) but now I thought I was older and wiser so I did my :searching and looking" over the internet. We found many breeders in our general area and it was not all that hard to find out more about them. We made many visits and made many inquiries. We settled on ShadowVAlley Shepherds in Caro Michigan. Through a twist of fate we were offered the "pick of the litter" (he was suppose to go to someone else but for some reason they could not take him) if we would agree to show him if he was "showable" ... he was and we did (and still do) ..... from that experience we decided to get a bitch so the only natural place was to go back to ShadowValley in search of a female. Elle came into our lives, completely different lineage than Baron. We look forward to haveing baby Barons sometime late next summer. We love our "American" GSD .... but thats just because he is what we have. I do not argue or debate GSD lineages or differences ..... it is a never ending, no win arguement that will only lead to hard feelings ... I say if you are comfortable with your dog, no matter what he or she is, then you have the best one for you!

[Schaeferhund]

I got Tara, as most of us got their first dog, not caring about lines or anything. She's a VA daughter, but I *shamefully* admit that it ment nothing to me back then. Only when I got her papers and typed father's name into Goolge, did I realize what the story was.
She made my addiction with high lines, as she turned out nice looking and with great drives.

With Perry I've done my homework before. I've been into shows and training for a while then, and I've been to BSZS, where I made notes on males performance, and what I personally thought of the dog and his type. (I've been doing it throughout the year, but BSZS is THE opportunity to see them all)Then I narrowed my choice to only a few males I wanted a son from, and was looking in the SV paper and internet for their progeny with a female I like.
That's how I found Perry

[Schaeferhund]

I've been to your website. Very nice...
BUT HOW BIG IS YOUR CAT?!??!??! ;D

[barongsd]

LMAO ... you must have seen the pictures of our cat "Simba" with the dogs. He is a heafty fella for sure. I am not sure what he wieghs exactly but I would venture he goes around 25-30 lbs. He i snot afraid of our "big bad" German Shepherds ..... as the missing chunks of skin on their noses will attest to .....

[freundhund]

Well my first German Shepherd was from what was called old Australian lines pre the import ban being lifted. She was breed by the parents of a friend of mine and actually came home as a X-cross bred Kelpie. My parents were not about to allow me a SAVAGE ALSTATIAN.

Once home I got hooked on obedience, next dog was my sister's after ban lifted he came from imported bloodlines via New Zealand to Australia the sire of this puppy was a Dog called Alert Riot, well parents announced I had to train dog as my sister wouldn't this was when I found out about correct temperament. This dog was trainned wearing a muzzle, on a check chain and by me carrying a riding crop, this was after desexing him. He bit, and bit and bit. Next time I have a dog with this behaviour it will be doggy heaven, there were 10 puppies in his litter non lived to older than 1 year except ours, they were all put down for attacking owners people etc.

Next dog came after marriage he was a combination of what I now understand as high and working lines. After his death it took me 14 yrs to replace him with another male. Bitches have been easy but a male has been so hard it was a totally emotion reaction to what aI sant in a dog.

I wanted a show dog that I could show do obedience use for USAR, agility and other sports, well hopefully his problems can be overcome. The dog I chose, I now have. A Triumphs Gucci grandson who I obtained at 12 mths of course he has his problems but to live with he is a delight. Drop dead gorgeous to look at, and he suits me. His grandfather (mum's dad) is Fax von Emstor. His hip score is 6 and elbow is Grade 1 with one elbow is Normal the other is less than 0.05 on Arthritic Change.

Regards

Freundhund

[Adkins]

Years ago, I adopted an AKC American GSD from the Breeder. He was a beautiful dog. Shown in his younger years then put in a crate in the celar because the Breeder got into Australian Cattle Dogs. The male didn't get along with the GSD. So, the GSD got about 4 hours a day in a run and then back to the celar for the rest. Anyway, I got him and he was well behaved, good with people, kids, other dogs, and house broken. But, the longer we had him the stronger he developed Seperation Anxiety attacks. Long story short, it got SO bad we had to place him. He also had very bad hip arthritis. I think due to being kept in a crate for so long. But that had nothing to do with letting him go.
During that time I researched the AKC American GSD, finding BAD results.
Never owned another GSD for 6 years. As my Husband worked nights, I wanted a protection GSD, and from German blood. When I purchased Ando, I didn't know a thing about German bloodlines. Now, 3 years later, after researching his pedigree, and along with many other German Dogs, I love these lines and will never, ever return to anything other than.
That's my story, hope you enjoyed. Adkins

[Norm]

My first Shepherd was a pet that was sired by an imported Select, champion son of Axel vd Denininghauserheide. We had bought the dog from a professional handler/breeder. Through this person we imported a bitch from Germany. The bitch turned out to be a terrible specimen and one who produced an overabundence of hip & elbow dysplasia. Meanwhile our friendship with this breeder got us interested in showing. I was lucky to then acquire some very knowledgable mentors who taught me about every aspect of the breed. I was fortunate enough to buy a bitch puppy that was sired by my favorite male, Ch. Tannenwald's Igor. I knew that I wanted to combine the the things I liked about Igor, GV Lance of Fran-Jo & Ch. Bernd v Kallengarten into my breeding program to get the qualities that I wanted in a dog. Along the way I was fortunate to be able to buy a son and 2 daughters of Lance.

I gave no thought to American vs German since at that time there was no difference between the two. Igor was a grandson of a double Sieger. Lance was the grandson of an import and Bernd was an import.

[Anakin & Phoenix]

I lost a sibling sister pair to Degenerative Myelopathy and another girl to Addsion's Disease. The first two dogs were GSD/Lab x from an accidental breeding between an Am line GSD and a showline Lab. The owners sent the pups out to homes via the all breed kennel club they were both members of. A friend of mine bred Huskeys and knew I was looking for a sister pair to raise with my kids after we built our house. A couple years later my hubby adopted a working line GSD from a friend at work. Prin's owners both died of cancer the same year and left her ownerless and homeless.

We lost our daughter's 13 yo Springer and hubby bought a BYB GSD. Hannah is 1/2 German 1/2 'generic' Ambred GSD. Has lots of allergies and has some immune related problems.

When the second sister of the pair, Hope, and Prin were both near the point where they would have to be euthanized I was checking the various breeders out in my area and getting nowhere fast finding another GSD.

Quite bluntly when asked how healthy their dogs were I was either lied to outright or ignored and if I mentioned DM at all a few of them hung up and wouldn't continue to talk with me...after having to watch three of my dogs die slowly over the course of 5 years I wanted to find healthy dogs.

So I went directly to my vet who raises Labs with her partner...knowing that she understood my worries about buying a pup that would get sick by 5 and die by 9 and being a real fanatic about temperament on top of that...I asked her for a breeder reference. And she only had one.

It was to a small kennel that has been breeding Am show lines since the 1960's. The owners of that kennel spent hours with me talking about their dogs...in all honesty, the good and the bad. That won my heart over.

I now have Anakin and Phoenix. The temperament I wanted and so far so good on health. I have Am lines right now only because I have spent the past three years getting to know which Am lines carry what disorders and have 'chosen my poison' to coin a phrase. I would love to get a European bred dog...but have met too many people who have dogs with various illnesses out of the European lines and until I know more about them and can 'pick my poison' again I won't buy one.

Now I would like to stress one thing before anyone gets up in arms......
All lines carry disorders and buying any pup is a crap shoot. I am not knocking any particular line here. I lost three very beloved dogs within a three year span and it was heartrending and expensive for our family...so I have become a bit of a fanatic about health and the disorders that can kill young dogs. Right now I only know what I am facing with Am show lines...when I feel I have a better understanding of other lines I may purchase a dog from them.

[lauren]

I got Auster based on false info. She's had almost every immune system issue known, and with the help of a holistic vet now her major problems are just gas and upset stomach (huge improvement) with yeasty ears that need treatment about once a month. Except for the health problems and the nerve problem she's a decent pet, but I could have found better at the shelter.

[liebejungen]

How did we choose? Well, last may, when my wife and i started the hunt for a GSD, I was mostly ignorant about bloolines, the differenced between German and American dogs. But, as is my nature, I spent about 1 month compulsively reading everything that i could get my hands on concerning GSD's, where they came from, what they are supposed to be (breed standards both AKC and SV), and what the supposed strenths and weeknesses of the differnent strains.

The more research i did, and the more I understood, the more my prefernece drifted away from American lines to German lines. I like how the Germans aproach breeding, the way they make thier dog's prove themselves generation after generation. I wanted my dog to be intelegent, sound bodied, and have good drives.

After doing the research i started looking at members of the different lines, and found most of the German dogs to be a bit more beautiful to my eye.

And then my Wife found and fell in love with Kolenda Kennels in Dorr Michigan. After that, I am not sure my wife would have accepted anthing but a German dog.

I have to say, we are very happy with our choice. German dogs suit us better, our tastes and expectations. And in the end, that is what it is about i guess. You choose the line that fits you best, no matter which line it is.

It guess to summerize, for us, it came down to Genetic Integrety, physical beauty, and proven utility.

That is our story.

Hooked on West German lines.

J

[VonIsengard]

My first GSD was a show/working cross. I got him for SchH; both his parents were titled, but I knew very little about bloodlines. He was a flashy showline red, with all the hardness of a stereotypical working dog. I lost him very suddenly at 2 years of age.

In the meantime I had gotten Tigra, a showline import. I wanted to breed, but I wanted to start in schutzhund with a dog I assumed would be easier to handle. I saw a lot of the working line K9 at work, and was concerned they would be too much for me. As it turned out, Tigra has every ounce the confidence and drive as most working line dogs. Through her, I learned that there are still dogs who present the whole package, excellent structure and excellent working ability, and since have devoted myself entirely to showlines. ;D