# Can someone explain?



## DSudd (Sep 22, 2006)

I am pretty sure DH is on a mission to find another GSD. We have been discussing it and I know he looked at a bunch of ads yesterday. He acutally found some working line pups that he was going to call on

Before we get another dog (I am leaning towards rescue) exactly what is the difference between different types of dogs? I know there are "working lines" but exactly what does that mean? 

When we resuced Rocky from his BYB I didn't know much about shepherds and I couldn't tell you anything about his parents except the daddy was black and the momma was brown with a black saddle. 

Can someone explain to me (in layman's terms please) the breeding differences and what it means? What does working line mean? We spend alot of time with Rocky and will walk him/play with him/do some training on a daily basis, but he is just really a family pet. We don't do agility, or Sch or anything else like that. I would think that when looking for a pup or a second dog we would want to find a dog that would fit into our family. 

The other thing DH is concerned about, if we get an older rescue (I am thinking a female between 2 and 3) how do we know that the gos will fit in with our family?


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

While there are alot of threads discussing this already you can read for more in depth analysis, here are a few basics...

There are two main "groups" of GSD - bloodlines and "type"

Euopean

American (domestic)


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## tibvixie101 (Nov 26, 2007)

Im not sure about the "lines" portion of your answer, but when it comes to making a proper fit i think rescue is your best bet. With a rescue you can bring Rocky to meet the new prospect, and also take it home for a trial run. This way he/she can spend a few days at the house with you and your family to see how he/she interacts with rocky, as well as if their energy fits what your looking for. If it doesnt work out, you can bring them back, and talk with the workers there explaining what it is your looking for, they may be able to help find the right dog that your looking for.


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

HIT SEND TOO FAST and too much time typing to edit:


There are two main "groups" of GSD - bloodlines and "type"

*Euopean*
*American (domestic)*

These two main groups have subgroups or "*types*"


<span style='font-size: 17pt'>_*European Type*_</span>

* 1. High lines or show lines * 

99% of these are black and brown (encompassing red to tan shades), there are a few lines of saddle pattern sable dogs too. While these dogs must meet the working requirements before being bred - ie. Schutzhund titles - their owners primary goals are to be sucessful in competiton in the show ring.

* 2. Working lines - *

These dogs are primarily sable, with bi-color and blanket black and tans, and pure blacks common. They are not as consistant in look or build as the high lines. These breeders also must follow the same rules for breeding by meeting the SV requirements of having a conformation rating and koer as well as working title, but they are the opposite of hte show breeders as they are competitive on the trial field rather than the show ring. 

<span style='font-size: 17pt'>
*Domestic or AKC Type</span>*

1. Show 

The AKC show ring has a distinct type. The primary focus is the conformation and sidegait. The dog is bigger, longer, narrower in body than his European style counterpart, with a higher head set and substantially more "angulation" in the rear.

2. Everything else - BYB/Commercial Breeder

This is sort of a catch all group - breeders who don't show, train or title in any way their dogs - breeding for pets. They often will mix the types and subtypes and have great websites marketing pups for companions or working with great dialog, but digging deeper will show no experience in the breed other than producing puppies for years and years. They may have working lines with the first "titles" appearing in the 2nd or 3rd generation. They may have Domestic show lines mixed with European or just plain BYB GSDs of "rare" colors.


***********************

You can never be sure of how any dog will fit in - with a rescue, you are vetted by the rescue, the dog has been evaluated and you have a support system.....many wonderful dogs here have come via the shelters and rescues.....Historian on this board has a pure European highline female she pulled from a pound. If there is a good rescue in your area, please contact them as well...some of these dogs end up in rescues who are wonderful wonderful dogs.

Lee


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

There's a thread here about some of the differences between German and American lines...

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=627118&Main=49885#Post627118

I have a West German workingline dog and I loved him so much I got another! A workingline dog is bred to work, they need to have drives so that it is easy to motivate them into training, they need to have sound nerves, and be able to think under pressure, looks are usually last on the list when breeding workingline dogs (but I think they're the prettiest, so obviously their's a certain amount of personal opinion involved) Also, if you're going with German line dogs, you can get a really nice working line puppy for less than a Show line. 

My dog loves his crate and that makes him very livable in the house, however, he is a higher drive dog (although certainly not the highest I have seen) and he needs a good amount of exercise (20-30 minutes of ball chasing at least 3x a day) and training otherwise he starts to get into "trouble" around the house finding an outlet for his energy. Of course there were other puppies in his litter that had less drive and would be perfectly wonderful pets. If you're honest with the breeder they should be able to make a nice fit between you and the puppy. 

Rescue can also be a good option, but I think when you go into rescue it's important to be honest with yourself about what you want and how the particular dog fits into your life. Do you want to be able to crate? Make sure the dog crates. Do you need the dog to get along with your dog and your children? Accept no behavior that makes you nervous, thinking it just needs adjustment time or some training. Clingy is not necessarily cute. Clingy can mean some major seperation anxiety issues that you will have to deal with forever. Check noise soundness. I live in FLorida and it thunderstorms here every day for a couple of months, a badly thunderstorm phobic dog freaking out every night can be hard to handle. 

I have seen too many people take home a dog, obviously not suited for them, because the dog is pretty, looks sad, and their compassion and impulse to "get the dog out" overrides their common sense. I know a lot of shelter people who LOVE animals and WANT HOMES for them, regardless of suitability. The dog is going to look a whole lot sadder when you return it in a year or two when you finally come to grips with the fact that this particular dog was more than you could handle, and then you are soured on rescue for the rest of your life. There are a LOT of dogs in rescue and one will ft you, just make sure you take the time to find it.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

<span style='font-size: 14pt'> if you want a puppy find a reputable breeder. i bought by dog on color preference. i wanted a black and red male. i bought a German import show dog. he comes from a full line of schutzhund trained dogs. ours is a pet that's obedient trained. he's super friendly and very calm in the house. i think alot of how they're going to be has alot to do with the way you raise them. getting a dog from the rescue is a wonderfull thing for you to do and for the dog. with the rescue you bring the dog home for a few days and see how things work out. take your dog that you have now to the rescue to meet it's new family member before bringing him/her home. take your dog to the rescue and take the two of them out for a walk. if you could do this a couple of times before bringing one home the dogs will get to know each other and you'll see instantly if they get along. now that could change when they're in the house maybe not. good luck and take your time.</span>


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I would recommend rescuing. If you work with a good rescue they will help you find a dog that is a good match for your lifestyle and who gets along with your other dog.


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## ldpeterson (Feb 13, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeowI would recommend rescuing. If you work with a good rescue they will help you find a dog that is a good match for your lifestyle and who gets along with your other dog.


I second this! Rescuing is great and there are so many out there that I'm sure you can find the perfect fit for your family.


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## Kuklasmom (May 13, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: mamagoose
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: BowWowMeowI would recommend rescuing. If you work with a good rescue they will help you find a dog that is a good match for your lifestyle and who gets along with your other dog.
> ...


Ditto!

One more recommendation for rescue here! 

I believe that the rescue group for which I have done volunteer work (http://www.gsdrescue1.org) has it as a standard policy that all adoptions are considered to be in a "foster" situation for their first month in the new home.

I think it's a very good policy. A month allows time for the new dog to settle in and gives the new family an accurate idea of his behavior in this new setting.

I'm sure that each rescue group has its own specific policy, of course.

I heartily agree with those who are recommending adopting a GSD from a rescue group.

Another reason: when a dog is first taken in by our rescue group from a shelter situation, that dog lives with a GSD-savvy foster family for at least a month, so that they can really get to know the dog by observing the dog's behavior in a home setting in a variety of situations. 

Why? They want to place the right dog with the right family. They want to be as sure as possible that <u>everybody is happy</u>!


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