# Shepherd/Husky mix puppy @ 4 weeks old



## Superhero (May 15, 2010)

My wife and I found an obedience trainer whose male GSD had managed to impregnate their female Husky/Lab/Rott mix. The GSD is AKC registered with a pedigree and health history going back quite a few generations with no dysplasia, bloat or other serious health problems. The mother's side goes back a few generations as well, despite the mixing, and there are no health issues there either. If I remember correctly on the father's side there was one issue of dysplasia a few generations back but the dog was nearly ten years old.

So the male, obviously, is a pure GSD from a 50/50 mix of Czech and German lines. The female is a bit more mixed up.  So, as well as I can remember: the mother is about 3/5 Husky, 1/4 Lab and the rest is Rottweilier (Rottie from about 2 generations ago). So the puppy is 50% shepherd, about 30% Husky, 15% Lab and 5% Rottie. I haven't studied genetics in about 8 years so I'm sure my math is wrong, but you get the idea. Hopefully the puppy will benefit a great deal from hybrid vigor! 

In addition we will also get free professional training for the dog (and myself!). We currently have plans to do basic protection and obedience work. Once she's solid on those we are probably going to add agility training to her resume. 

I was most impressed with how her GSD behaved. I normally associate well-trained dogs with not having any spirit left. When I first arrived at her home the GSD was bounding around, excited and happy to see new people. I thought to myself "surely this is not the obedient, protective shepherd she referred to on the phone", but once we were in the kennel area she gave a command and the dog snapped to attention, tail wagging happily. She issued some quick commands and the dog obeyed with no hesitation. I've never seen a happy, excited dog that was also trained for protection and obedience. 

The parents were really healthy, responsive, obedient and generally well mannered. There are chickens, ducks, turkey etc. where the pup was born so it's already being well socialized with other small animals. They apparently also have a busy social life, with friends dropping in often with their dogs and children to play. She also feeds raw to her animals, which is always a good thing. 

So here are a couple of lousy pictures that I took on my iPhone. The pup is right at 4 weeks old.

We haven't decided on a name yet (no rush, at least a month until she's ready for pickup) so any suggestions are welcome!


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Very cute! I can't wait to see how she grows up.


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## Superhero (May 15, 2010)

Oh, I gotta give a big thank you to everyone here for explaining what to look for concerning my dog's health.

I went back to the early 90s and late 80s on the sire's side and am happy to report that the majority of his family tree has "E" rated hips by the OFA. There were 2 or 3 with a SV rating of "fast normal" (OFA = B), but a few of those in the last 25-30 years seems perfectly acceptable to me. However, I'm a bit confused about the fast normal rating because listed with the SV fast normal is also a European rating of A2, which is equivalent to a "G" for OFA, so I'm really not sure what to make of it. There is one "M" rated dog in his bloodline but it's the only one I saw, and its offspring were all rated E or G.

This is what is pretty much next to every dog in his bloodline: *HD-SV: HD a-normal (a1) *

From what I've been able to find I couldn't ask for much better regarding the potential for HD.

In addition to the wonderful health of these dogs, many of the sire's family were rated a "V" (Vorzuglich or excellent) or "SG" (Sehrgut or very good).

I'm so glad I came here or I would never have known to ask for this kind of information. I didn't even know it existed! Knowing she has a very good chance of having healthy hips for most her life affords quite a bit of peace of mind to my wife and I. 

I'll have some high resolution pictures of her tomorrow which I'll post. My father is really good with a camera and wants to take birthday pics of her (on the 18th of May she will be exactly 4 weeks old).


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## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

Oh she is adorable


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

TAKE HER, she's a beauty!

Can't wait to see all the photos as she grows.


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## Superhero (May 15, 2010)

Pic from the 18th. I haven't had a chance to post it until now, and this is the only one of the puppy that came out halfway decent. Even then, it's still kinda blurry.


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## Superhero (May 15, 2010)

And this is the father:









And this is the mother:


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