Hi all, been looking at this weeks Dog World.
On pages 4 and 53 there are photos of two different winning GSD pups, and OH BOY what a difference.
I have no wish to start a war, so Im not telling you which one I prefer, but have a look for yourselves and ...you be the judge!

Even on the front page the one on the right looks much sounder (to me as a non gsd person) than the one on the left. I must admit that I don't like the look the ones where the backs disappear and they look like three-quarters of a dog

Why do they have such rounded spines/croups?

Christine

Hi there, Ooops, I apparently have upset Joedee with my posting.
I wasnt having a dig at the breed or either "type"
It was just such a huge difference in two types of the same breed, I thought it was interesting!!
If I have upset anyone on this board, sorry, I do apologise.

HI Philippa
It's very difficult to reply freely when there are owners/breeders etc who may feel very passionately.

HOwever i am going to be just honest, I haven't seen the piccies of either GSD but I don't like the ones which appear to be weak on their hindlegs. I know they are bred like that on purpose, but why?!

Oh god, i expect I'll get slated here, but they look crippled. Sorry if I have offended anyone, but it's true.

GSD's are proud and physically beautiful dogs. Personally I would like to see them always like that and with a great temperament too.

From an anatomical point of view i cannot see soundness in the hindlegs is possible once the "weak-legged" GSD's get to be veterans or over.

Eeeek I'm off, where's my tin hat...?!

I also apologise if I upset anyone but if we don't ask questions then we won't learn, so if something puzzles us about another breed of dog surely we should be able to ask?

Christine

I thought the same, although i'm not a breed expert either. Photo's can lie though!!

I don't think one has to be a real breed expert to give a real opinion, although it always helps to know bloodlines, breeders policies etc.

I met a bulldog a while ago, she was lovely and a real sweetie, but she really couldn't breathe very well, I can only suppose she struggled through a life most dogs live very normally and happily! Some onwers of bulldogs manage to gert them to a good age and all credit to them; however as far as I know the "breed experts" are still breeding them the same - basically what I would call physically unsound. (i would love to be corrected here...)

I feel it is very important that all of us who care about dogs can discuss these issues, if BSD's were getting steeply sloping backs or had any ohter problem I would want to know about it!!

I'm not a GSD owner or lover as such, but I do find these comments really interesting. As a person who doesn't know that much about the breed, I would like to know why some of the dogs you see around now have such a 'crouch'. They just look so weak.
There is a new pup around here (about 7 months old now) and even though the owner is obviously proud, the dog looks like it has incredibly weak back legs because it is in such a crouch position. Is it supposed to be like that? Or is the dog likely (or already has?) to develop hip dysplasia?
Do breeders breed them to be like that or are they avoiding it?
Looking forward to some answers (really out of interest) - like some of the others have said, if you don't ask, you don't find out.

I must admit myself that I am a litle confused about the appearance of the show G.S.D, it wasnt all that long ago I was speaking to a show breeder who said they were being bred over angulated to improve the gait in the ring! She also went on to say that no other type of G.S.D moves as well, i.e the trotting gait and for as long a time as the modern Germanic show types.
Not being a show person myself I don't know if this is true or not, but I must admit I think the show German Shepherds are being bred now to follow a fashion, if you know what I mean. It happens everywhere in the world of show breeders, cats too, just look at what they are doing to the Persian cat, and the Siamese, all in the name of fashion, all so show breeders can win best of breed etc and heap glory upon themselves.
I don't think show Shepherds are prone to hip dysplasia though just because they look weak on their back legs, as I do know that the show breeders hip score all their stock and most of them sell their pups with a contract saying the dog cannot be bred from unless it has been hip scored and scores below breed average.