# Show vs Working - Calmness



## BrianB (Oct 26, 2011)

Are show dogs calmer than working lines? I want to get a new GSD after my last one passed about 1 year ago. My main thing is I want a calm dog, a couple people I know have bought puppies and they are 1-2 years old and just seem crazy, running around like maniacs. I was talking to Bill Kulla with Kulla Dogs and he breeds working lines but said his dogs have a great temperment and no nervous energy. He said they would be happy laying on couch or running 5 miles. I live in north burbs of chicago and want to buy from a breeder somewhat close by that offers training. Any thoughts? I was considering an older puppy say 1-2 years but may just go with a puppy now. PM me if you have had any bad experiences with Kulla!

Thanks,

Brian


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

It all depends on the dog. I've seen show line dogs with a lot of drive and I've seen working line dogs with very low drive. But I guess show lines tend to be calmer. Bill Kulla is a good breeder, he should be able to match you with the right dog.


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

It really depends on the individual dogs. Even good breeders can't tell you what an 8 week old puppy will do once they mature. 

My friend has Showline who was the quietest in the litter, yet he needs to be run and REALLY exercised a few hours a day, this dog can run all day if you let him.

Zeus was happy to stay home and walked 2x a day. He loved swimming so that was his extra exercise. 

Odin and Koda are pretty much the same, Odin had a crazy of prey drive. Even though Koda is a big guy, he is no couch potato. He needs lots of exercise, which he gets. If we can't go for a walk for some reason, we have to play fetch for a good 20 minutes, a tug afterwards and a little bit of OB- that's the bare minimum.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Not to sound like a politician, but it all depends on what you mean by "calm." Any German Shepherd is going to need a good amount of exercise, and none can be calm without it. It's going to be very difficult to find a young GSD that's ok with a 30 minute walk around the block and can be calm the rest of the time. And they all get the "zoomies" where they basically do run around like maniacs. 

Keep in mind that one person's "calm" is another person's hyper. I've been really impressed with my 10 month old DDR pup's ability to settle down in the house. But he walks 3-5 miles a day, plays fetch several times a day, and other people who come to visit say, "Oh my god, how do you put up with him?"


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## BrianB (Oct 26, 2011)

You guys are great! Thanks for quick replies!!!

By calm I mean running circles around people when they come over and jumping all over and not listening very well. Maybe I just have a selective memory but I dont remember my dog being that crazy when he was a puppy. Maybe I just got lucky, people actually used to ask me if I drugged him he was so calm. Mine was a working line but from recent talks with the breeder I dont like what I am hearing so may go a new route and try for example Kulla. I did exercise my dog pretty good by riding my bike and having him run along side but I didnt do this every day and he wasnt bouncing off the walls. I have 3/4s acre and would throw the ball everyday.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

BrianB said:


> By calm I mean running circles around people when they come over and jumping all over and not listening very well.


Oh, well that's a training issue. The most drivey dog in the world can still be trained to be respectful and not act like an idiot with visitors.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I have a puppy from Bill Kulla, Boy x Hilde. He was a very mild, mellow little puppy. NEVER mouthed/nipped on me, very calm, SUPER confident, energetic but not over the top hyper. There were 2-3 pups in the litter that were Schutzhund prospects and mine was one of them. For a while he wasn't super interested in tugging or chasing down toys but around 6 months he "woke up". I did a lot of food training with him before 6 months to imprint some obedience behaviors and focus. He's a fun dog, very confident but not overly pushy, not overly suspicious, likes kids and people.

I also have a show line male, now 3 years old. Honestly he was very similar as a puppy, no nipping or mouthing, pretty mellow, not overly crazy. He showed more prey drive at an earlier age (and actually matured a bit faster, started to show more defense and aggression - the good kind - earlier, Pan is 14 months and is still a goofy puppy). Overall, Nikon the show line was slightly more demanding as a puppy.

If you get a dog from Bill I highly recommend Boy as the father. From what I can tell he throws nice, social, stable, confident puppies.


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## nitemares (Dec 15, 2005)

BrianB said:


> By calm I mean running circles around people when they come over and jumping all over and not listening very well.


that's a training problem has nothing to do with whether a dog is calm or not.


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## jprice103 (Feb 16, 2011)

I have a WL that is 10 months...and an absolute couch potato! She goes for about 10 minutes tops...then is just done! Lol. It all depends on the dog...not the line!


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## BrianB (Oct 26, 2011)

So it sounds like it is more the dog than the line. I guess I was thinking the show lines might be calmer because "showing" doesnt require the high energy level of a shutzhund working dog. 

Liesje - The breeding Bill has planned is with Boy and Mia so good to hear Boy produces nice puppies.

I have seen a few people comment that you shouldnt buy from a high level shutzhund working breeder if you dont plan hard core shutzhund because you would have too much dog and the dog would go bananas. When I mentioned this to Bill he said that was rediculous. He said a dog with a good temperment can do anything. I guess I just wanted to confirm this before I commit.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Not every dog in every litter will be a top prospect. The majority of Pan's litter went to pet type homes. I think Bill and Jen aren't kidding themselves, they know that even if you HAVE litters that consistently produce Schutzhund prospects, there just aren't enough people that interested in SchH for those dogs (or people that insist they are doing it change their mind or lose interest). A German Shepherd should have *some* amount of drive, good energy and athleticism, that is just what the breed is, but I think the majority of GSDs from any line do just fine in active homes as active family companions. If I had to quit Schutzhund and other dog sports I would not feel like I had to give up my dogs. I *might* sell Pan in that scenario only because I would want for him to have the chance to live up to his potential. I'd never in a million years sell Nikon and even though he does Schutzhund, SDA, agility, flyball, dock diving.....he still does just fine being my couch buddy. Pan has a bit more raw energy but he's better at entertaining himself, he's a bit more independent than Nikon. If you give him a few cheap toys he will make up games like Sunday night he kept trying to stack a large Nylabone on top of a medium ball even though the bone slides off the ball every time, he tried forever.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

This is Halo's sire: H'Doc vom Rex Lupus

She has siblings and half siblings competing in Schutzhund, and one of her littermates is a SAR dog. We are what would best be described as an active pet home. If there is fun to be had, Halo will be having it! But around the house she's quite calm. She basically plays hard and then sleeps hard. 

I did put a LOT of time and effort into her training because she's our first working line shepherd (we've had GSDs since 1986) and I wanted to make sure I stayed on top of things. She's been in flyball classes for about 5 months now, and doing really well, and we've taken her dock diving twice - she LOVED it! She was a lot of puppy at first, but she's maturing into a pretty awesome dog, well worth all the work I've put into her so far.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

by calmer do you mean less edgy , or less energetic ?

Carmen


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## IllinoisGSD (Sep 21, 2011)

We're also from the Chicago area. We looked at Bill Kulla, Triton Kennels, and Diehlomov and ended up going with Diehlomov in Indy. I'm not sure you could go wrong with any of them. There are a number of really good breeders in Illinois and the surrounding states. If you go with show lines, I'd suggest Huerta Hof up in freeport IL. Huerta Hof German Shepherds They breed WGSL that can work.


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