Why German working blood lines

The German Shepherd Dog is a working dog. Used for herding sheep, tracking, search, rescue, law enforcement and military. Producing a dog with the correct physical and mental characteristics to perform all of these tasks, while at the same time being a loyal part of the family, was the goal of the founders of the breed. What we call “working bloodlines” today are the dogs that still possess these characteristics.

Because the German Shepherd has become very popular over the past several decades, this has been destructive for the breed as a whole. Almost all GSDs that are bred from American bloodlines and found in the United States have lost their working ability. They have been bred to win in the conformation show ring (for looks), or as family pets by backyard breeders, without regard for the breeds well being and the genetic defects that will result, not to mention the loss the breed’s ability to work. In most cases, the characteristics that are required for a working dog have been neglected either intentionally in favor of breeding for looks, or unintentionally through the search for profit. The result is that the German Shepherd Dog’s working ability has been reduced to the point that it is virtually nonexistent in most American bred dogs, unfortunately though there is a large market for such dogs, they do not have what it takes to excel as a police K9, Schutzhund competitor, personal protection, or any of the hundreds of other working dog applications.

Maintaining the original characteristics of the breed is as a working dog is what working bloodline GSD breeders strive to accomplish. The breeders we deal with breed GSD dogs only from European working bloodlines, and carefully select their breeding stock so that they breed only those with the best working ability; they are helping to ensure that some representatives of the breed remain true to their origins. All of the dogs we import possess the characteristics necessary to be a good working dog, thereby passing those genetic traits to their offspring.

There are three different types of German Shepherds than can be found in North America . The American show lines, the German show lines, and the European working lines. If you are looking for German Shepherd to protect your family, or to use as a sport or working dog, it is imperative to understand these differences their meaning.

American Show Lines:

Also called the AKC Lines, though working blood lines are being registered with AKC also, this is only done because AKC is the largest registering body in the US . This category includes the Canadian (CKC) show lines as well. These are show dogs and are bred for and tested in the show ring where they are evaluated for their structure, looks, movement, angulation, color, and size. No consideration for temperament, nerve, intelligence, and ability to work, these hey are not considerations for most breeders. In fact, many of these dogs are fear biters and many of them also possess serious genetic health problems. The dogs in this group are not even required their hips certified free of dysplasia. They just have to have to look good.

The German SV was the founding organization and steward of the German Shepherd dog, and they have continued to go their own way. The show dog people in the US took some of their standards from the German SV but went their own way, the result now, years later, is a dog that neither acts like nor looks the original GSD dogs imported to North America, or the European dogs of today.

Working ability has not been nor will it ever be a priority in their breeding, and in fact many openly attack schutzhund and any training involving protection work. By not testing their breeding dogs for working ability, and not requiring working ability before they are bred, American show line breeders have bred working ability out of these bloodlines.

American show line dogs are usually never schutzhund titled or tested in protection. It is almost never possible to find a dog from these bloodlines that is even capable of doing this work. The American Kennel Club strongly discourages any sort of schutzhund or protection work.

The majority of German Shepherds in North America are of the American show line type. So you as a potential buyer have to be very careful in your selection and should try to have an understanding of the working bloodlines.

The temperament of these dogs is generally lacking in courage, hardness, and strength of character when compared to the European dogs. There is also a lack of drive and energy compared to the dogs from the European lines.

German Show Lines:

Also called Sieger Lines, these are show dogs. But they are very different from the American show lines. They have better temperaments and looks. The primary difference between German show lines and American show lines is that in Germany in order for puppies to be registered as German Shepherds, both parents must have a schutzhund title and hips that are free of dysplasia. This doesn’t necessarily make a good working dog, but it’s far better than in the AKC dogs where no temperament or health testing is required.

Many people think that if a dog has SchH3 title, and comes from a line of schutzhund titled dogs that the dog is a working line dog. That’s not the case. While the German breeding regulations for the German show lines have retained some of their working ability, it is still not a priority. German show line dogs are required to title in schutzhund, but there is a big difference between possessing the bare minimum of working ability needed to pass and excelling in working ability. Many German show line dogs barely squeak by their titles in familiar surroundings and with lenient judging.

Some German show line dogs that can work very well, and make excellent schutzhund dogs and working dogs, but it’s not the norm.

Because of the requirement of a schutzhund title for breeding, as opposed to no requirement for American show line dogs, most German show line dogs are of stronger temperament and character than the American Shepherds. They have higher drive and energy, and are better in protection work than the American lines, but not as good as the working lines.

Working Lines:

The Dutch and Belgian dogs tend to be higher drive, while the Czech and DDR dogs tend to be more suspicious of strangers, civil, and slow to mature. These bloodlines share one common focus; working ability.

Working lines are bred for their working ability. Dogs are selected based on their ability to work well, also to produce strong, balanced working dogs. Working line breeders take traits like, courage, ball and food drive, hardness, intelligence and overall strength of nerve and sound temperament into consideration. The goal is to produce a dog who will work, work, work and then some.

Health is a priority for working line breeders because it is paramount for their goals. An unhealthy dog is useless as a working dog. Hips are very important to check, a dog with hip displasia, will be slow, not willing to work and have an altered temperament. These dogs must be agile, powerful, have good endurance and have hips and shoulders that can withstand a great deal of physical endurance. Working line breeders breed for practical structure that allows the dog to do his job.

The temperament of a working dog is higher drive and higher energy than all of the other types of GSDs. They can and do make excellent family companions; they are not suitable for someone wanting a laid back dog, or someone who has no desire to spend a lot of time interacting with the dog. They require regular exercise and mental stimulation. Because of this, they are only suitable for a family that active and can commit to training the dog. These are not dogs that are rattled or frightened easily which makes them stable and reliable companions.

Working lines are the choice for someone who is looking for a dog for schutzhund, police work, personal protection, search and rescue, drug and explosives detection, guard work.

In short and more to the point, look for drive, temperament, nerves and physical soundness in a working GSD.

Drive is an instinctual response and is genetically transferred. It is either there or not, and must be worked at to be brought out. It is triggered by outside stimuli. Something like prey drive has it's origins in the natural hunting behaviors of wolves. These responses are automatic, strong, but must be triggered and developed. Even within those breeds, individual dogs have different drives and levels of drive.

There are many different types of drives and are not within the scope of this article. In order for a dog to succeed in a working environment and to achieve the training goals set for him, he must have drives which are predetermined by his genes. Drives like pray dive, hunt drive, food drive, fight and guard drive, are essential. The balance of these drives and in which direction these drives will lean comprises a dog’s character and temperament, which makes temperament a pretty subjective term that describes a dog’s overall attitude and personality.

For example if a dog has no prey drive at all, and will ignore a ball that is thrown cannot be easily trained. Because not having that drive reduces the intensity the dog will strive after reward and there fore reduce his willingness to complete a task. A working dog should have prey drive to the extreme. This drive is the primary tool that will be used for all aspects of training. A working dog with extreme prey drive will play fetch until he drops from exhaustion and he’ll run after the ball as if his life depends on it.

There for we will not import nor accept a candidate for training that does not meet our working bloodline standards, while our testing may not guarantee a perfect working dog but it will give you the best possible dog we can find.