It definitely is possible.
There are German Shepherds dogs, I have known,
that have excelled in the show ring and have achieved high honors
in working trials. In addition to these exceptionally fine
qualities, because of their very strong, in-born protective
instincts, they have also been wonderful guardians of the home.
Truly all-purpose dogs, which is the vision von Stephanitz, the
founder of the breeder originally had in mind
I truly believe it is possible. But I must
qualify this statement. The possibility of owning an exceptional
all-purpose dog like this today, is highly unlikely.
Why is this so? There is a very simple
answer to this question. For a number of years there has been
sharp disagreement and conflict in Germany – the home of the breed
– between so called “show breeders” and “working dog” breeders.
In recent years the majority of German
breeders – with very few exceptions - have focused their efforts
on conformation and competing in the Show ring rather than working
trials. Working ability, to a large extent, has been neglected.
This is understandable. Winning top honors
in the breed ring has always been regarded as being of primary
importance. It results in national and international recognition.
Furthermore, the financial aspect cannot be
overlooked. Top animals fetch astronomical prices from overseas
buyers.
Any overseas visitor who attends the
national, annual German Shepherd Dog breed show – known as the S.V
BUNDESSIEGERZUCHTSCHAU - usually held in a gigantic football
stadium in different venues in Germany each year, is absolutely
amazed at the thousands of visitors it attracts from every corner
of the world.
At every annual “Sieger” show, the title of
“Sieger” is awarded to the winning male and the title of
“Siegerin” to the winning bitch.
Quite apart from the top winning male, even
animals finishing in the top twenty positions are often bought by
overseas buyers – from countries like Japan, South America,
England, Taiwan, the United States, and – more recently Eastern
European countries – for prices one usually associates with a top
model motor car!
Is it any wonder that most breeders
concentrate on breeding a dog that can win top honors in the breed
ring rather than working trials?
The controlling body for German Shepherds in
Germany, the S.V. (Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde) is very much
aware of this sharp division between working dog breeders and
those who concentrate on producing animals who will win in the
conformation classes.
It is a problem that is receiving attention.
But it is a problem that is very difficult indeed to resolve.
The S.V. is also well aware that in recent
years there has been a deterioration in the temperaments of many
dogs being bred.
Many dogs, even those coming from the most
successful top winning bloodlines, lack the boldness and courage
that was once one of the most important attributes of the best
German Shepherd Dog specimens and considered to be an essential
feature of the breed.
It is unfair to suggest that temperament is
overlooked completely. No animal with a unsound temperament could
ever be placed in a top position at a Sieger Show. But
insufficient attention is placed on soundness of temperament.
Attempts were made to assess the temperament
at Sieger Shows by the introduction of the "Test of Courage".
Animals who do not demonstrate pronounced "fighting spirit" are
not considered for top honors. But the "courage test" cannot be
regarded as a completely reliable test of temperament.
Animals are trained to bite the protected
arm of an “assailant”. But there are occasions in which some dogs
appear to regard the entire exercise as an enjoyable game. One is
left with the distinct impression that if the “assailant” were to
discard the “arm” and throw it to the ground, the dog would be
quite satisfied to continue biting the padded object rather than
attack the man.
This has been borne out by the fact that
there have been occasions when people, who have purchased dogs
from Germany, with papers proving they will willingly bite the
padded arm of an “assailant”, are surprised to find that when an
intruder has entered their home – without a padded “arm” – the dog
has not reacted as they were mistakenly led to believe he would!
Training qualification can also not always
be relied upon. The fact that a winning show dog has a SchH 111
training classification, is also not always a reliable indication
that the dog has all the qualities required of a successful
working animal – or even that the dog has a strong protective
instinct. It is very seldom that the actual qualifying scores
receive any prominence.
There are many working dog enthusiasts who
maintain the modern show winning German Shepherd has not improved
in so far as working temperament is concerned. It is for this
reason that most German Shepherd dog breeders of working stock in
Germany today hardly ever use show winning animals in their
breeding programs.
When one examines the pedigrees of open
class (conformation) show winners at Sieger shows held over the
past five years and compares this with the pedigrees of entrants
in the " Bundessiegerprufung" – the competition held for working
dogs - one is struck by the fact that there is hardly any meeting
ground,
An examination of the bloodlines of all
entrants in the Bundessiegerprufung, indicates an almost complete
absence of the names of leading show dogs.
With very few exceptions, it is also very
rare for a dog to compete in both the conformation (show) class
and the working class.
The situation some years back was not like
this. This sharp division between Show bloodlines and Working Dog
bloodlines did not always exist. If one goes back quite a few
years in the examination of pedigrees of winning show dogs, one
will find that very often their offspring featured very
prominently as successful competitors in working trials.
To return to the question posed at the
beginning of this article: “Is it possible to have an all-purpose
animal that is a top class show specimen, an excellent guard dog
and a winner in obedience working trials?”
Yes, it is possible! Dogs of this
exceptional quality are rare - but they do exist – even today!
Many of them also have the prepotency to reproduce the fine
qualities they possess in their offspring.
But if you are someone who has genuine
ambitions to own a super dog like this, before you go ahead and
buy a German Shepherd Dog, you will have to spend a great deal of
time and effort learning more about the breed, especially about
the bloodlines of the top winning dogs.
Make it your business to ask questions from
knowledgeable people who have been involved in this fascinating
hobby of breeding top quality German Shepherds for years. Many of
them will be only too pleased to help you.
