Giant German Shepherds

[LaRen616]

Originally Posted by codmaster

Why?

I believe she said something along the lines of "I am getting out of breeding blacks and am now breeding black/tans only and very large GSD's."


She has several males over 100 pounds, I believe one is 120 or 130 and most of the females are over 90 pounds.

[VaBeachFamily]

So, did anyone ever hear back from the OP about whether he found something he was interested in, or a rescue? Seems the thread got taken over by politics.

[Mrs.K]

Originally Posted by Jessiewessie99

No one said that. Maybe 1 or 2 people thats it. No one said your dog was ugly or anything.

No-one ever said anything about EVA. I was shocked about the sire and the dam. They are grossly out of standard and I simply couldn't believe that they are czech or german working line, which they are simply not. Maybe waaaaay back in line...

[JakodaCD OA]

we all have our preferences when it comes to "looks",,beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say. And we all have our opinions on certain breeders, the standard etc.

Breeding way oversized gsd's for some, is never going to stop, just as puppy mills will always exist. People are still going to buy BIG gsd's because they want them and to each his own !

Eva is a gorgeous dog, I think much much better looking than her 'parents', who are not my cup of tea, but that is my opinion) To me, she looks more like the wsl vs czech or german working line, but as mrs k pointed out, waaaaaay back there are some, but to far back to influence today.

As one pointed out, all gsd's are gorgeous, we have our preferences and as long as you are happy with your dog that's really all that matters.

[LaRen616]

Originally Posted by JakodaCD OA

we all have our preferences when it comes to "looks",,beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say. And we all have our opinions on certain breeders, the standard etc.

Breeding way oversized gsd's for some, is never going to stop, just as puppy mills will always exist. People are still going to buy BIG gsd's because they want them and to each his own !

Eva is a gorgeous dog, I think much much better looking than her 'parents', who are not my cup of tea, but that is my opinion) To me, she looks more like the wsl vs czech or german working line, but as mrs k pointed out, waaaaaay back there are some, but to far back to influence today.

As one pointed out, all gsd's are gorgeous, we have our preferences and as long as you are happy with your dog that's really all that matters.

Exactly! I love my black/grey/red GSD that's 2 inches over the standard and missing his back right toe nail off of his back right paw.

[XTOL]

Originally Posted by VaBeachFamily

So, did anyone ever hear back from the OP about whether he found something he was interested in, or a rescue? Seems the thread got taken over by politics.

Im still here but the thread seems to have taken on a life
of its own. I didnt mean to start something so controversial
for my very first post here.

I should probably start a new thread...

[AbbyK9]

Why is the "standard" weight set where it is? Cannot there be prefectly healthy dogs 10 lbs above this "standard"?

Not to state the obvious, but there is no weight standard in the German Shepherd Dog, there is only a height standard.

The height standard is set where it is set because it relates to the working ability of the dog. Max von Stephanitz, who created the breed, specifically wrote in his book that "giants are never nimble" and that overly large dogs were not suited to keeping up with the demands of work for which his breed was created. He has said over and over again that the breed is medium sized and should be medium sized.

There is a reason that so many police departments and other agencies that need working dogs are moving away from Shepherds and toward Malinois and Dutchies. On the whole, it's easier for them to find the smaller, faster, more agile, and more hard-biting Dutchies and Mals than it is for them to find suitable working German Shepherds.

Also, I think "Eva von Selah" is turning the thread to fit whichever argument she wants to make. When she wanted to promote large dogs, she posted pictures of her dog's dam and sire - dogs who are grossly over-sized AND overweight. Then when people commented on THOSE dogs and the breeding of THOSE grossly over-sized types of dogs, she started taking it personally and is now directing the thread to "how can you say MY dog is over-sized". Her female is very little over the standard, as opposed to the HUGE dogs in her pedigree everyone is commenting on. Two different things.

People are discussing the over-sized dogs, such as the dam and sire posted in Eva's previous post. Not dogs that are maybe an inch or two over. Apples and oranges. Dogs that turn out on the larger end of the standard come out of lots of litters. Including good, solid working litters.

Actually, some working lines tend to produce dogs a little on the larger side because they're "sacrificing" (for lack of a better term) the ability to meet the height standard for all the other benefits of their breeding program, such as outstanding working ability. Brightelf's "Grimm" comes to mind - her breeder tends to produce dogs on the larger side, but in their case, it's NOT a case of "breeding for gentle, large, family pets" as it is with many breeders who breed PRIMARILY for size rather than ability. That's where the difference lies.

[Chris Wild]

Actually, the FCI standard does include minimum and maximum weight. The American standard does not.

But yes, based on overall structure dogs who are within height standard can be a bit over standard in weight and that is a good healthy weight for the dog. But we're only talking a few pounds. Any dog that is 100+ but not over standard in height is most certainly overweight.

[Chicagocanine]

Originally Posted by XTOL

Im still here but the thread seems to have taken on a life
of its own. I didnt mean to start something so controversial
for my very first post here.

Did you see the links I posted to GSD breeders in/near Illinois?

[XTOL]

Originally Posted by Chicagocanine

Did you see the links I posted to GSD breeders in/near Illinois?

Yes...thank you. One of the list I had already investigated.
The others I bookmarked for later scrutiny.

Even though I have not responded individually to
everyone I have read all the posts (at least those
directed toward me and/or containing relevant information)
and I appreciate the input...