German Shepherds At Crufts

[Kavik]

Here is a short video from Crufts best of breed for German Shepherds.

[denali]

I was actually just wondering when that would be brought here.

There is so much on my Facebook this morning on these dogs, and petitions now to stop the extreme sloped backs in the breed and to introduce some form of stringent working test prior to breeding. .

I love GSD's and will have one in the future just as i have done in the past. However some of the dogs around just do not appeal to me

Also these two could do with some training..

I am really not a fan of the BOB. Her toppling just looks weird.

Direct from the standard:

The topline flows from the set on of the neck, over the high long withers and over the straight back to the slightly sloping croup without a noticeable break. The croup should be long and slightly sloping (approximately 23 degrees to the horizontal) into the set on of the tail without disruption to the topline.

To me, as an untrained eye as only a previous GSD owner, this dog does not comply with the standard, and frankly, i don't think it should have gotten to crufts in the first place.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I can't believe how much yanking around they do to get the dogs where they want them.

I'm pretty sure a normal GSD could be trained to run out in front if that's what they want, and then heel nicely without being yanked and then held there with brute strength.

They should be able to do all those moves on a loose lead.

And the shape of them and the way they move - ugh.

[Kavik]

If I get another GSD (unlikely at this point, but Diesel is OH's favourite so there is always a possibility I guess :laugh: ) I will be looking for something like this (and this one happens to look a lot like Diesel lol)

[Scottsmum]

Not sure if this will work. if not - not sure where to find the original youtube clip.

https://www.facebook.com/jessica.baker.792197/videos/10153335794187466/

[Kavik]

Not sure if this will work. if not - not sure where to find the original youtube clip.

https://www.facebook.com/jessica.baker.792197/videos/10153335794187466/

[Rebanne]

I've owned 5 GSD bitches in the past and wouldn't have one nowadays. I was waiting at a RACV depot around Xmas time to get a new car battery and they had 2 GSD's in the yard. One male, one female and yes, clearly purebred. The bitch was good but the male was just like those in the video. He was magnificent - until he moved. The head OMG was to die for but the topline and those weird hind legs, just made him butt ugly to me. I used to think GSD's were the only breed on the planet but those days are gone.

[Rascalmyshadow]

Is that seriously BOB those dogs look deformed, nothing like the GSD's I grew up with.

Are these judges and breeders blind?

[LisaCC]

I don't know how anyone can defend what has happened to these dogs.

[Steph M]

I don't know how anyone can defend what has happened to these dogs.

Agree, shocking representation of PB dogs everywhere of every breed. Crap like this will get dragged through the fray again and again and make Purebred dogs and breeders harder and harder to defend.

[Scottsmum]

Thanks Kavik :)

[JayGee]

Can I ask, as someone who has absolutely no idea, why these changes came to be? It's always been a breed that my husband would dearly love to own. We just didn't go down that path due to my allergies, and their shedding. But I was hoping one day, maybe.

[YippeeGirl]

The general public already seem to believe that show bred German Shepherds are 'cripples' with their curved backs and trailing hocks. So I don't know why judges continue to reward such ugliness, and it is ugly. Surely they must know that placing dogs like this just encourages a storm of controversy.

Unfortunately, if judges are rewarding animals that look and move like that, (certain) breeders are going to keep producing them.

[denali]

I was looking for an answer to JayGee's question, as to my knowledge its just aesthetics and judge preferences?

but this is an interesting read

http://www.louisdonald.com/the-evolution-of-the-back-of-the-gsd.html

[DerRottweiler]

That's what happens when you take a working dog and breed for 'looks'.

Who cares about best in show. A good GSD is very hard to find these days- luckily there are some ethical working line breeders out there!

[juice]

Its the fault of the judges, while they keep rewarding bad dogs they will continue to breed them this way. The judges who place dogs like this should be banned. And this dog won more than once to even be a crufts.

[karen15]

Cross them with a poodle - that fixes everything doesn't it :D

Edited March 15, 2016 by karen15

[dog_fan]

Seems breeding for the show ring is causing problems in many breeds.

Maybe we should stop having shows

[JulesP]

Forum rule 6:

No denigration of dog shows or exhibitors (and no show ring 'politics')

Our site actively promotes the exhibition of pure bred dogs. We prefer to concentrate on the 'positives' of this activity. If you have a gripe about what happened at a particular show or the conduct of an exhibitor, please take your soapbox elsewhere.

[Kirislin]

wow almost 1300 thumbs down and only 75 thumbs up.

I'll get shot down for saying this but I really think showing is destroying dogs. Most seem to be bred now simply to look "good" stacked and at a trot around the show ring. I was looking at a photo of a champion whippet today and it has this huge bulging prosternum. Once whippets lacked chest and alot were steeple fronted, now they've gone the other way in such a short time, only about 15 years. I thought the photo looked like it had been stretched because the dog was sooooo long. It had a very flat back and very long 2nd thigh. Just awful.

I want a purebred whippet again, but I dont know if there's any the shape I love anymore. Most of them these days are these big flat backed brindles. I'd love a sleek little curvy bitch about 17 3/4" solid colour, not brindle.

Edited March 15, 2016 by Kirislin