Quote:
Originally Posted by RubyTuesday
For numerous reasons, both practical & aesthetic, many people including myself, find these GS attractive & desirable. Trashing&Bashing doesn't change that. Most members who prefer the oversized GS either fade away to friendlier corners of the board or all too often leave entirely. Now that's sad & (IMO) accomplishes very little. Perhaps others disagree.
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I don't agree that these discussions are nothing but trash and bash. Many people have said over and over and over, that if someone likes the large sizes, that is fine. If a breeder wants to breed oversized dogs, that is their perjorative. The issues that are at the forefront, is the claim by some breeders that the oversized dogs are "old fashioned" (worthy of discussion), the unsubstantiated claims by many breeders of oversized dogs for working ability (if a breeder does breed oversized dogs and claims working ability and can subtantiate their claim other than "I know my dogs", that is fine), and the focus on size and weight as the main selling point (like those are the things that matter the most?).
And I doubt that many people know which particular breeder's site started the thread. I don't think it matters as there are a zillion breeders of oversized GSDs out there if you do a google search, and all the sites are pretty similar in pictures, breeding philosophy, and content.
And if someone posts that in their view, the oversized, and often overweight dogs is not what they feel a GSD should look like - (and I'm not saying that the breeders and owners who own breed and own these dogs have overweight dogs, but there are many examples of oversized dogs all over the 'net that are clearly overweight) - then they are bashing for stating the obvious.
I mean, I have a Sable Working line dog, with plenty of working drives, no issues taking a sleeve (haha, I think he surprised the helper yesterday by how hard he hit! -). My dog is what I believe the epitome of a GSD should be. That is what I wanted, that is what I am happy with. So if someone posted:
"I don't like working line dogs. I don't like the Sables especially, they look weird. In my opinion, a GSD should be a classic Black and Tan, and should be easy enough to manage and excercise to make a good pet for the average family, and should never ever even think of grabbing a person's arm, even if they are wearing a bite sleeve". I'd say fine, I understand, I don't agree, but I am sure that you can find a good GSD that will have the lower drive levels that you are comfortable with, and be what you would like and feel is correct. I would not feel offended, I would not feel that I, as the owner of a Sable working line is being bashed. I would not feel that the breeder of my dog, whom I hold in high esteem is being belittled for breeding goals that this person feels is producing GSDs that they just "don't agree with" .
Yet everytime such a discussion comes up about the oversized dogs, those that have a different view of how GSDs should look and be are bashing and slinging crud.
That I find offensive. I find the language and the accusations offensive, belicose and inflamatory.
To be fair, there may be some posts that are bashing - but in general, this whole thread has been a good back-and-forth between different camps, and to dismiss the whole discussion, the whole thread as nothing but crud and bashing of a specific breeder (which it isn't), is not a fair.