Hello all. I adore the GSD breed and am considering getting into the show thing (puppy allowing!) Trouble is i have absolutely no idea where to start other than to find a local club initially. Does anyone out there fancy taking me under their wing and starting me off with the basics (and i do mean basic ha ha) My email is karen.fradgley@btopenworld.com or karenbutler21@hotmail.com. Thanks lots Kaz

The very best way is to go to a ringcraft class - run by a GSD club if pos. Your pups breeder may be able to help. GSD's are shown in a different maner to other breeds so you will need to ask if they know how to help you with your GSD pup. Another thing you can do is to go to a show where GSD's have classes and watch and ask. Ja:)kie

Thanks for the advice, i have located a GSD club involved in showing and will go along and join. Lets hope they are patient with poor little me as i don't have a clue tee hee :)

hi,
do you have a pup already, or are you waiting to get one regards tina

Hi there, i have just put a deposit on a pup who will be ready to collect in a couple of weeks. The breeder said he comes from show lines but when i chose one from two litters (16 to choose from) it was really a case of well they are all lovely and i prefer the dam for this litter:)

If you really want a show puppy Karen, it may be better to get one from an experienced show breeder who can guide you in your choice of a puppy & also help you with lots of advice on how to start showing, training etc. A puppy "from show lines" does not necessarily mean too much I'm afraid. A lot of commercial breeders of puppies can say this if there are a few show-bred dogs in the pedigree but it doesn't actually mean that their puppies will be of a suitable high quality for showing. An experienced show breeder won't usually let an inexperienced buyer choose their own pup if they intend to show - normally a show breeder breeds with the idea of improving on their existing dogs & will be looking to keep at least one puppy for the future. They will also be able to point out which other pups they consider to be promising from a show point of view & which they don't consider to be so good. No breeder, however successful, can guarantee that all pups in a litter will be show quality but a good breeder can at least guide you towards a puppy which has potential. It depends on how keen you are to show of course, but I would think it best to do as much research as possible into breeders & their experience of the breed (as well as the usual research into hip-scores & other health screening tests) before you take the plunge :-)

Jane

If this is useful to you,there is a GSD obedience and Champ Show on the 22 September held atSheffield United Cricket Club Bawtry Road Sheffield.I will be there with my GSDs for the obedience.

I'll be there too:) I think Agiosgsds (Tracey) is going too:) I'm not showing though just spectating and watching my breeder with her's:) What kennel are you buying your puppy from Karen? Good Luck and let me know if you decide to pop up to the Sheff show:)

Stacey x x x

karen--jane,s is right, i breed and show, i only want my best in the ring and i for sure wouldnt let a total novice [meant nicely :)] pick a pup from my litter to show, id be standing them up and telling them which virtues i see in them, why i think this ones better than that one------sorry but theres also 2 camps. the germanic and the english type, theyre a world apart and are shown completely differently, a lot of the germanic ones are handled by others as they do a fair bit of gaiting ,
if i where you and your serious id get to a few shows first, check out type and kennels you like then perhaps contact them, its worth waiting for the right one, -if you only want a pet one then stick with what youve left a deposit on, you never know your LUCK! it might turn out ok, :)

hi all,
have e-mailed this lady privatly, and have said nearly everthing you have all mentioned as was concerned also with the"show lines" and the two litters, 16 pups,
regards tina

let us know when you find out, hopefully she'll of fallen on her feet, but it doesnt seem so,

Hello Karen
I think the others have really said what I would say. I show a different breed to G.S.P. However they are all right in saying dont pick one from any breeder. Everyone will say 'oh my dog has lots of champions in its pedigree'.
That means nothing. You need someone very experienced so they can choose a pup with you. They will tell you why they are choosing the pup and for what reason. After all if that dog is in the show ring, you are putting their name in the ring and they will not want a dog of poor quality in the ring. So to say. I am speaking from my own experiences. It is really important to go to someone that knows what they are doing in the show ring. Its going to be a total waste of time and effort on your behalf if you dont. As every breeder will tell you their litter is the best in the world as they want to get a sale. In our breed if you wanted a dog to show you would have to wait a while to get the right dog. I am sure its like that in every breed. So be patient. Check out the breeders that show and get advice.
Nutkin

hi dizzy,
have had reply from lady last night, who realy does need lots of help and advice, re purchasing quality bred dog from showing stock to all aspects of showing, did leave my phone number and said i would return the call if she needs any help etc,but have not heard back after last e-mail regards tina

tina, you can only offer, a lot have to learn the hard way---all those many moons ago i thought one dogs pedigree was as good as the nexts --whewy ,!!!! i made my share of boobs too, but then we didnt have such readily accesable imformation as we have now, :)

Dizzy, how right you are. You can only help those who want to be helped but I feel so sorry for those kind but often ignorant people, who pay good money to puppy producers for inferior, badly bred dogs. I spend my working life trying to help and support kind and caring owners, who's dogs are either difficult in temperament or forever at the Vets, costing them a fortune in money and emotion worrying about part of their family who means so much to them. If only these puppy producers could know the heartache that their lack of knowledge causes ........:(

hi dizzy and all
have spoken to karen today,as i said ,everything you have all said has been passed on, she understands the gamble and the up's and downs,just a bit disapointed that the breeder has not helped her more, regarding the show side of things,i can't fault my breeder who is a credit to the breed, i just hope i am a good apprentice.
regards tina

Hi Karen
Can I ask what lines you are buying your pup from ??? :) as the breed is spilt a few ways :) :) and depending on what lines will depend on the type of training club to go to.
The breeder should be able to recommend a good club and point you in the right direction, we have training at our house for our pups who are going to be shown and you would be more than welcome to join in if you live near Lincoln.We set the ring up just like at the shows and have a judge( one of us) in the middle, we do lots of socialisation and basically have a laugh.
One thing to remember is that every one including the top handlers were once buying their first GSD and fell over , got the lead wrapped around the pup and them selves, so don't worry about being a novice we all have to start somewhere.
As Kash says, we'll be at the Sheffield show on the 22nd September so come along and have a look...:)
Tracey

Hello all.

Many thanks for all the advice and concearn shown by you all. I have spoken to Tina about the pup i have placed a deposit on and she has very kindly given me lots of help. It is a little unfortunate that i have put a £100 deposit on the pup and can't really afford to lose the deposit, therefore i will have to see what comes of the pup and if its not show standard i will love it solely as a pet and perhaps look towards agility/working trials side. I will certainly know more about the show side when looking for any future dog and fingers crossed it may be ok.

The breeder did ask what i wanted to do with the pup and at the time i was a little unsure about the whole show thing so i think she left me to it as i had also told her it would predominantly be a much loved pet. She was very friendly and professional and i really did feel she is a genuine lady. She also came recommended to us and was well known at the GSD club i went to look at last week. She was also in the show scene for many many years and seemed to be concearned about who was buying her pups, asking about our background and our previous experiance with dogs. If it turns out that the pup is not show standard i can only blame myself for not making up my mind initially and looking into it before choosing a pup.

Some of you have asked about the breed lines of the pup which i think must be from germanic lines as the pedigree shows the grandparents as - Timo vom Berrekasten (Austrian sieger 2000 and res sieger 2000 & 2001) & Dam -champion Tigram Biene on the sires side and on the dams side the grandparents are Arko vom Huhnegrab SG8(sieger show) greman import & dam Mariebar yvonne.

So there we have it, i will be interested to recieve any further info from you all and once again thank you for the advice so far. :):):)

Hi Tracey

forgot to mention above that i live in the Midlands and think lincolnshire may be a little too far to travel for regular training though it was lovely of you to invite us!

Thanks again
Kaz