# Benefit to crossing/mixing lines?



## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

I am wondering if there is some benefit or drawback to choosing a pup from "pure" lines versus "mixed" lines (in working dogs).

What I mean is, I see breedings that are "pure DDR" or both parents are Czech, and I also see breedings of East german/DDR crossed with West German. What kinds of pups would one expect from such a cross? Is it better to go with a mix of east and west for any reason?


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

When I was looking for a pup, first I wanted the DDR line purely. 
Then decided a blend of Czech/West would be better for what my goals were. I couldn't be happier. 
My pup is very agile, biddable, has just the right amount of drive with an off switch. He is very willing to please and not stubborn or bullheaded(not that it has to do with his lines, or does it?)

His structure isn't blocky, but he has a nice masculine head. 
The litter is very consistant in temperament and coloring with this breeding(other than the long coat, she is very dark). The blending of E/W took the best of both lines in this case and created a very nice litter of puppies


----------



## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

Its not a matter of "mixing lines" and what will you get because its more complicated than that. First, you have to know what is the base foundation of the traits that are exhibited in the dog you are breeding regardless of line. Or put another way, what is the probability of the trait you see in your dog being passed in a breeding to a majority of the progeny. To do that you have to know the genetic strength of the trait in the past say four generations. Your dog could be a Czech dog with say very little drive, but was the only puppy in that litter with this low drive. If you breed this dog with expectations that this is type of pups you will have, odds are you will be greatly surprised. So the prediction of what to expect in mixing lines is determinant upon the strength of visible traits genetically, in conjunction with the same formula for the other parent, in conjunction with the recombining of recessives/dominants of the parents into what the resulting puppies will be.
This last comment is not meant to be malicious, but if what I just wrote doesn't make any sense, then you probably shouldn't be breeding GS anyway, because the depth of knowledge is insufficient. JMO


----------



## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

I don't think she is wanting to breed, she has been looking for a puppy for a while so is probably just asking for that reason.


----------



## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Thanks for the info! No cliffson you are correct, I have next to no knowledge of these things and would never want to be a breeder! I am just trying to educate myself enough to make an informed choice in choosing my next puppy. I think from what you said, a knowledgeable breeder will be far more able to choose a good breeding for what I want than I could alone. I'll be sure and talk with breeders so they can help me out with that.

Thank you


----------



## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

I wouldn't consider breeding together DDR/Czech/West working as crossing lines. Crossing working/German show, or working/American, or German Show/American would be crossing lines. 

With the working lines, while each of these subsets has some few traits more common to them than other subsets, they are all working lines and have far more in common both in terms of bloodlines and in terms of physical and temperament traits than not. This is no where near the separation that exists between the 3 main types of GSDs (working, German show, American).

The different subsets of working lines were separated from each other mainly due to geographical and political reasons, not so much due to breeder focus, and those separations were for a relatively short period of time, with tons of interbreeding of the subsets before and after those geographical and political issues went away. Certainly those issues did contribute to slightly different preferences amongst breeders based on the form of work the dogs would be performing and that is why certain specific traits are more common say in a Czech dog than a West German dog, but still there are more similarities than differences across the subsets.

Crossing these different types of working lines is very, very common. A large percentage of "Czech dogs" go back on DDR lines, but also have West German lines up fairly close in their pedigree. Lots of "West German" dogs with Czech and DDR strewn throughout their pedigree. And many of the "DDR" lines go back on the same dogs considered pillars of the other lines. Go back several generations on pedigrees of dogs of any of these working line subsets, and there is very little difference. You'll see mostly the same dogs in the pedigrees. These comonalities in ancestors are much greater, and closer up in the pedigree, than if one compared working to show pedigrees, or German to American.

Because the separations are very minor comparatively and they have much more in common than not, these sorts of breedings are generally much more predictable and consistent in terms of results than if crossing of far more divided lines like German/American, etc...


----------



## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Thank you Chris, I understand. That makes perfect sense.


----------

