# Rex's background please!



## Mozi (Oct 2, 2018)

Hello!

Please meet Rex. He is 9 months old. 68 pounds. Vet says he is a big dog and will be big. She loves him.

Experienced Trainer says: Working line as back is not sloping.

A friend here says WGSL

Another experienced GSD owner says: "classic plush saffleback showline"

Most agree that he is plush rather than long hair. To note, he still has puppy coat according to trainer and vet!

And I love him a lot!

Thank you for your feedback


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

The shape of his head says German show line to me. They are breeding for heavy, broad heads with an apple domed skull, rather than a straight forehead.

I think he's a handsome boy - has excellent bone, and is not extreme in angulation the way many of the showlines are.

Of course, without a pedigree, all we can do is guess! He could be a mix of different lines, and that's why he doesn't have the roached/sloping back.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

He is handsome he looks like a wgsl.


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## Chuck94! (Feb 8, 2018)

He looks Showline to me but a cutie for sure! Rollo says hi! He is 9 months too but around 90 lbs & working lines! He also is a big boy for sure


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Your pup is definitely a long stock coat. Plush isn't really a coat type. It is a term people have made up to describe a thicker coated dog or to avoid having to admit their dog is a long stock. 



Looks showline-ish, but could be a cross. He should keep much of his darker color too.


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

P.S. - I don't know if 'saffleback' was just a typo, but it SHOULD be 'saddleback', which describes the saddle - like markings of many black and tan GSDs. If a dog has more extensive black markings that cover pretty much the entire body, the phrase used is 'blanket back'.

And yeah, a GSD is either a long stock coat or a regular stock coat.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

good old fashioned 1070-1980's , non extreme , "domestic" American lines 
can go back into the Reviews - the magazine of the GSDCofAmerica , magazines
of that era.

no pedigree?


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## Mozi (Oct 2, 2018)

carmspack said:


> good old fashioned 1070-1980's , non extreme , "domestic" American lines
> can go back into the Reviews - the magazine of the GSDCofAmerica , magazines
> of that era.
> 
> no pedigree?


No pedigree. Re-homed from a horse jockey for horses owned by one of the rulers here. He got the pup from parents who came from the Ukraine. 

I did not understand the first part of your post  Nothing! Please explain. 

Cheers


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## Mozi (Oct 2, 2018)

Wow at 90 lbs! Rex says Hi back


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## Mozi (Oct 2, 2018)

Sunsilver said:


> P.S. - I don't know if 'saffleback' was just a typo, but it SHOULD be 'saddleback', which describes the saddle - like markings of many black and tan GSDs. If a dog has more extensive black markings that cover pretty much the entire body, the phrase used is 'blanket back'.
> 
> And yeah, a GSD is either a long stock coat or a regular stock coat.


Yes, it was a typo


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## Mozi (Oct 2, 2018)

lhczth said:


> Your pup is definitely a long stock coat. Plush isn't really a coat type. It is a term people have made up to describe a thicker coated dog or to avoid having to admit their dog is a long stock.
> 
> 
> 
> Looks showline-ish, but could be a cross. He should keep much of his darker color too.


Thanks for your feedback. Is the long coat on the "shorter" side? Coz I have seen pictures of long coats that are quite longer. 

He has an undercoat and the trainer and vet says he still has the puppy coat. I am very interested to see if there will be a change in colors and coat length / feel when he sheds it.

Lisa, when you say could be cross. You mean a cross between a showline and working line? It is clear though he is full GSD , right?

Thanks


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

What she meant was 'good old fashioned *1970s* - 1980s non extreme (nothing exaggerated, like angulation of hind legs) American lines. 

I think 'Domestic' means the dog is not bred for the show ring. The show dogs of that era had collie-like heads, and it was hard to tell the males from the females, because the heads were so fine boned. I've heard some critics say these dogs were so fine-boned they had feet the size of 50 cent pieces. NOT like your boy at all!

'Can go back into the Reviews - the magazine of the GSDCofAmerica , magazines'
of that era.' 

This is referring to the German Shepherd Dog Club of America magazine.

And I still think he looks more like a German show line, because he has such a broad head, and heavy bone structure and nice strong pasterns. American show lines tend to have pasterns that are longer and more angulated, and finer heads, though the heads have improved somewhat since the 1980s -1990s.

Also, the chances of a dog from the Ukraine having American bloodlines are extremely slim.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Mozi said:


> Thanks for your feedback. Is the long coat on the "shorter" side? Coz I have seen pictures of long coats that are quite longer.
> 
> He has an undercoat and the trainer and vet says he still has the puppy coat. I am very interested to see if there will be a change in colors and coat length / feel when he sheds it.
> 
> ...



Long stock coats can vary in length. I have seen some with barely any real fringe and fluff to dogs with extremely thick and long coats like a collie.
Mix as in a mixture of lines. Not a mixed breed.


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## Mozi (Oct 2, 2018)

Many thanks all for the valuable input


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## mnm (Jan 9, 2006)

He doesn't still have his puppy coat. :-( They loose that at around 6 months when the adult coat starts growing in. He's a long stock coat, as you can see the fringe on the back side of his front legs. His coat is still growing in and will not get real long until he is closer to a couple years old. He looks like a blanket back Black and Tan. Might have some show lines in him, but also has some working lines. He doesn't have the extreme angulation in the rear legs like most show lines do.


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## cesartriangle (Jun 23, 2018)

Not a big dog but a pretty dog.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk


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## Mozi (Oct 2, 2018)

cesartriangle said:


> Not a big dog but a pretty dog.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk


Thank you.

Well, he is 68 pounds at 8 months and 17 days. Vet and Trainer say frame, bones and paws are very big. But we ll see


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## Mozi (Oct 2, 2018)

mnm said:


> He doesn't still have his puppy coat. :-( They loose that at around 6 months when the adult coat starts growing in. He's a long stock coat, as you can see the fringe on the back side of his front legs. His coat is still growing in and will not get real long until he is closer to a couple years old. He looks like a blanket back Black and Tan. Might have some show lines in him, but also has some working lines. He doesn't have the extreme angulation in the rear legs like most show lines do.


Super. Thanks for the feedback and lion look when he gets older 

Do all of them at 8 months loose puppy coat? What is "blanket"?

Thanks !


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

Saddle back coat markings (top) vs. blanket back (bottom)

Note: the dog on the chain was removed from this home, and lived a long, happy life with me!


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

a major fact that was with held was that the parents were imports from Ukraine .

Sunsilver tried explain a few things -
such as "domestic bred" that means bred in and from North American GSD genetics
not specifically with a focus to produce "show line" or from show line GSD -- 

so the dog is from "domestic bred" Ukrainian stock which were not intentionally bred
for the show ring , and not for the sport podium - just good all round basic sound dog with
required pre-requisites for permission to breed and register requirements met .
That may include a title , and "a" stamp certifcation of the hips.

He is a nice looking dog .


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## Mozi (Oct 2, 2018)

Sunsilver said:


> Saddle back coat markings (top) vs. blanket back (bottom)
> 
> Note: the dog on the chain was removed from this home, and lived a long, happy life with me!


Thank you! That was super helpful. I looked at long stock coated blanket back adults and they look awesome. So looking forward to him growing


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## Mozi (Oct 2, 2018)

Thank you for the feedback Carmen 

Cheers


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

BTW, the girl with the saddle back markings has faded pigment. Ideally, the saddle should be much darker.

Her saddle pretty much faded away by the time she was 4 years old, which is considered a fault. The other dog has really nice, dark pigment, but of course HE didn't come with a fancy pedigree! :frown2:

The breed standard calls for dark, rich pigment.


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## Slamdunc (Dec 6, 2007)

Just an FYI:

*Experienced Trainer says: Working line as back is not sloping.*

Because a dog lacks angulation or has a "straight back" does not mean it is a working line GSD. Structure and conformation does not dictate the lines of the dog, just as color is not an indicator of a working, showline or other GSD line. 

While many can look at a dog's color and structure and have a very good idea of the lines, it takes experience. Too many people think a sable colored dog with a straight back is a working line dog, this is simply not true. The pedigree and lineage tells us what the dog is. There are many sable GSD's, with poor conformation or a "straight back" that are not "working line" dogs. 

I'm not referring to the OP's dog, but the "experienced trainer" who made the working line comment. This dogs does appear to be more of a SL dog to me, or a mix of lines. The only way to tell for sure is to see the pedigree.


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