Pedigree curiosity

[RocketDog]

Background: Pup Rocket will be 7 months old on Jan 15. So far, he has shown no issues that I'm really concerned with. A bit of puppy behaviors (still gets excited over his horse friends next door and will bark when they start playing because he wants in the paddock too, etc) but no others. Very very well-tempered, with other animals and people. The training school we've been going to has remarked on how stable and focused he is, especially for his age. They do have quite a few shepherds in their classes. People in stores (mostly employees) also exclaim over his behavior. Training going excellent.

Still, curious to know what others might think of his pedigree. Having had a different breed the last 12 years, I sometimes wonder if some things are just a GSD thing, or a drive thing, or that kind of stuff. I honestly liked his breeder, I talked to about 8 ones close to this area, and didn't call any of them back. BUT, I didn't do as much research on the lines as I probably should have. C'est la vie. Next time, will be different. I know he is WGSLs. But is he strictly showline, or considered "working showline"?

Regardless, I really am happy with him so it won't change my view of him in anyway, he's about perfect, (certainly bright eyed and bushy tailed and a bit exhausting!) other than.....I never thought I'd have a long coat. He's not super long (yet anyway) but definitely not a short stock coat, and although I think he's super handsome, it's just not what I ever thought I'd have. Still, his temperament is so fabulous, I wouldn't trade him anyway. He has a great ability to settle, and so far, nothing has caused him any fear in the least. He's a curious, and confident pup.

Here goes nothing!

Also, his dam does have her SchHII and a V1 rating. I don't know why it doesn't get updated on PDB. Someone's just not taking the time, I guess.

Mating test - German Shepherd Dog


Hope I got the link right!

[GSDElsa]

West german show lines. Not overly familiar with these lines so others can comment on overall pedigree

[RocketDog]

You mean vs "working" showlines?

[Freestep]

Yes, show lines, not working lines. I'm not an expert, so hopefully someone who is will have some further insights.

[lhczth]

Mittlewest breeds European showlines.

[RocketDog]

Well, I knew that he was showlines. I just read on here that there are lines in showlines more "working". I guess what's confusing for an average joe like me, is you see SchIII's, some IPO's, etc....so it looked to me like he had good lines, who have been tested to some degree. How do you discern between those titles whether they're "real" or not?

Am I making sense?

[Lucy Dog]

All of the WGSL's need to be titled and have A stamp hips prior to breeding in Germany. It's an obligation or they can't be registered.

It's very common to see sch titles on all dogs in a WGSL's pedigree. It's the norm.

[Castlemaid]

I think you have to know the breeders and the trainers and the handlers to know if the titles are 'real', or if just slapped on for the sake of paper.

There are other members here with Mittlewest dogs - they seem nice and solid.

[RocketDog]

Is that a good thing or....do you think they've been "rushed"? Can you rush a III?

Oops, Lucia slipped in between that post from Paul.

[Freestep]

To put it simply, ALL GSDs in Germany have to pass a SchH trial (or herding trial) in order to get breeding rights... so anytime you see a German pedigree, the dogs are going to have titles whether they are show or working.

Usually, with show lines, the males earn a SchHIII while the females get a SchHI and then go on to the whelping box. With working lines, many of the females also earn their SchHIII. There are exceptions, of course, but that is one way to tell whether you have a working or a show pedigree is to look at the titles of the females. And the show ratings, too--show lines will be full of VA, V, and SG dogs. Working lines will almost never have a VA in the pedigree, but may have some V-rated dogs, along with SG and G as well.

Also, if you have pictures to look at, a show pedigree will be chock-full of black and red saddleback dogs. Workiing pedigrees will have sables, bicolors, and blacks as well as black/tan saddles.