Where it all begins in working line GSD breeding:

What expectations does an enthusiast have for a Working Line GSD litters and breeders?

Let’s say you’re an enthusiast looking for a puppy. What is your idea of working line GSD breeding? Or an ideal breeder? Do you want him to be a reliable support and a friend, or just a person who sells you a dog? What about the interesting litter. Is the information in the sales announcement enough for you, or do you want to know more? For instance, what are the breeder’s principles, and why they chose this particular breeding combination?

Who cares?

Working Line German Shepherd enthusiasts and breeders should be the most demanding customers.

What people expect from a breeder certainly depends on what kind of a history they have with working GSDs and in IGP sports. Experienced handlers know what they want and where to find it, but also knowledge for beginners should be available. And then there are working GSD breeders. Above all, they should be the most demanding customers. Usually, they have breeding material available from their litters. However, from time to time, they also may want or need to add some new blood into their program. Like me, for instance.

It sounds easier than it is

From breeder to breeder

Working-line breeders must think carefully about where to buy puppies if they want to add new blood to their breeding plans. Even early decisions will affect their breeding work and IGP-enthusiasts at some point. So to whom can we turn other than breeder colleagues’ direction? It may sound easy. However, it could be complex. For instance, my first thought is whether colleagues have similar breeding principles and goals. Have they done all to examine the dog’s health, etc. And believe it or not, many working-line GSD breeders are not very open about their thoughts and breeding if you introduce yourself as a breeder. Of course, there are exceptions. But if you ask too many or “wrong” questions and maybe know too much, it might cause awkwardness. Often a “casual puppy buyer” will get a much more welcoming reception.

Ideology meets standard?

Working line GSD breeding standard

If we ask today’s working line german shepherd breeders about their opinion on breeding standards and how they adhere to them, I think most enthusiasts would like them to respond the same way. My ideal answer would be that they take care of GSD’s general health, take x-rays, do genetic tests, maintain working characteristics, and train their dogs. But are breeders that unanimous? And how much of an impact personal differences have on breeders’ actions.

I am quite passionate about the subject, and therefore I am going to proceed to examine and comment on the topic publicly. My purpose is to get people to talk about health issues more openly – especially about autoimmune diseases – and try to take that into notice when planning their breeding.

WHAT IS THE STANDARD FOR RELIABILITY?

How to find the best working line GSD breeder for you?

When others are aiming for dog sports, some of us want to do our best as working line GSD breeders. For that reason, there may also be different approaches to how to evaluate and finding breeders and litters. In any case, it makes sense to look for a committed and reliable breeder. In my opinion, the first thing is to find out how uncompromising the breeder is about the dog’s health. Another thing, but equally important, is to find out how high standards they have for their dogs. And how realistic and truthful they are about their dogs. These are tough questions (even when not asked directly), and interpretation of the breeder will need some background information. So the question is, how we can dig that important data out?

there are huge differences between breeders

Contacting breeders is quite easy, but how are their responses?

Thanks to the internet, there is a lot of information, and it is quite easy to find. Contacting breeders and stud owners is super easy with email, and even if you can’t speak or write the same language, Google Translate helps you. But also prepare rejections. And always remember to be careful and keep your radar up! Don’t fall for the first, at least without exploring other options. You probably won’t get any compensation if something goes wrong with the puppy. So the best thing to do is to get to know your breeder first. Some breeders have higher quality criteria than others, so how do we identify those who make the right choices and fit our values and expectations? How do we know which breeders we want to contact?