uh uh uh Dominic... you can go off some folk you know
The German Shepherd dog comes in 2 types, the correct Germanic type and the British Type. It's down to preference however the Germanic type is correct to both the German Sv approved and UK Kennel Club approved standard. Contrary to belief the Germanic type is not any more liable to get bad hips than the British type GSD. In fact we Germanic Type folk ensure before we breed that all our dogs have a hip score of less than 20 and an elbow score of 0 prior to breeding but there can be many factors which result in bad hips which can not only be the breeding but also the environment and amount of exercise. We have actually been battling with the Kennel Club over the past 2 years to get them to stop registering puppies from parents which have not passed the relevant health tests, however as with any big organisation money is more important, so many back yard breeders will continue to pump out father/daughter, brother/sister etc... mating and often even when not related they don't have the relevant health tests but yes the Kennel Club will continue to register and poor unsuspecting folk will continue to buy.
On my soap box now!!!! see what you have started Dom!
The KC breed standard states
General Appearance
Slightly long in comparison to height; of powerful, well muscled build with weather-resistant coat. Relation between height, length, position and structure of fore and hindquarters (angulation) producing far-reaching, enduring gait. Clear definition of masculinity and femininity essential, and working ability never sacrificed for mere beauty.
The topline runs without any visible break from the set on of the neck, over the well defined withers, falling away slightly in a straight line to the gently sloping croup.
Blue - the father of Wendy & Jim's puppy is a stunning dog in real life, he is pulling on the lead which exaggerates his topeline somewhat but this is the reality of the dog show world. Some dogs pull too hard on the lead and Blue is no exception. You really shouldn't forget that some of the handlers at dog shows are absolutely hopeless, so make what is otherwise a fantastic looking animal, look terrible because as someone said earlier they have the hind legs spread too far apart etc..
It all comes down to preference of type, if you prefer the dippy backed GSD, then go for the British type, however alot of these poor dogs have bad temperaments (by that I mean shy), partially because of how they are treated and partially because they are too closely bred and alot don't have good health test results but if you like a GSD which conforms to the correct standard both in the UK and abroad then look for the more Germanic type where almost all will have health test completed and these will be below the breed average. All of the germanic type are fit for purpose and can gait for 20km with small breaks inbetween, many are also Schutzhund trained (similar to Police dog training) and therefore are sound in temperament and could also actually do the job they were born to do which is herd sheep!
Feel free to have a look at my website where you will see no extreme dogs and certainly none that are stood badly!
www.hundarkgsd.co.uk
So... off my soapbox now...
Best of luck Jim and Wendy with your new addition - Linda's dogs are lovely (my own Delko is a Korzwin) and if at any time you need any advice or help just give me a shout.
Mandy
