Black GSD

[quote name='rotten_two'] remember tho they can still hear so it won't cut all the barking! [/quote] That is exactly what I was thinkng. I have seen dogs that bark WORSE when they CAN'T see what is out there.

Yep, just have them show you at the vet. It really is very easy. And easier if you use powder in the ears. It's easier to grip the ear hair if it is powdered first. All you have to do is grab a few hairs between your thumb and finger and pull(Pull hard and fast. Kinda like when you remove a band-aide). It is easier if you use forceps, but they cost money, any you have to be careful that you don't accidentally grab skin with them. As far as how often? As often as needed. Hair growth varies from breed to breed, and even dog to dog.

Won't go into the "are vits bad" thing. Just wanted to say that it is not necessary to give suppliments to dogs if they are on a balanced high quality food. Giving an additional vit/min suppliment is a giant waste of money.

Chows don't have "spotted" tongues. They have blue(black) tongues. Spots on the tongue mean nothing. My female German Shepherd has a spot on her tongue.

I think that Cardigan Welsh Corgi PUPPIES are the cutest EVER. They are also cute as adults as are French Bulldogs.

I'm not impressed with the ingredients. I dont' like corn. I wouldn't feed it to my dogs.

Delrah, Check your private messages.

Working with Guide or Assistance dogs is MUCH safer! With Police K9s it isn't IF you get bitten, it is WHEN and HOW BAD!

[quote name='Doobers'][quote name='kendalyn']I think that this breeder is probably fine to buy from. I do wonder why in the world Atom asked our advice when he was obviously set on buying from this breeder and not willing to consider anything else. It's annoying when people do that. Atom, why did you ask what people thought when it never mattered anyway?[/quote] Yes, but thats all it was....Advice. He took it with a grain of salt. He didnt ignore any of the advice that was given...he read it and made up his mind from there. it wasnt wrong either way. If he feels good about the decision he has made then he will be happily inclined to do a good job of it. I don't think his intentions were mallicious in that he was plotting to taking up your time to just poo poo it later...you all made valid points and made him aware of them. so its not like he's going into it blind. he has weighed all the pros and cons and decided what he has decided. it may not have been the right decision for you, but it was the right decision for him and his family...and thats all that matters. its not personal. I think your advice did matter to him.[/quote] But according to what was writen by the origional poster,what has been said was NOT even taken into consideration. The poster SAID that mom/dad don't WANT to go and visit other breeders. SO they are going with this one. And that since the breeders are supposed to be vets, that the dogs have had the necessary health checks. If they have PROOF of that then so be it, that's great. BUT taking their word for it, without proof IN WRITING, is just foolish. As is taking the word of a "breeder" that has something to loose(the money from a sale) by not giving the "correct" answers, versus strangers (meaning us on this board.) that have NOTHING to gain by telling it as we SEE it. It could very well be that they DO have proof of the health checks but just don't have them listed on their site. Just as it IS possible that they are full of bull and have NEVER done the tests. But the poster will never know unles the the breeders are asked to prove it. And if they ARE in fact good honest reputable breeders, they will be THRILLED to show the paperwork.

[quote name='Atom']when i meant trouble, i meant since im 15 my parents have to drive me to go see breeders and they dont want to. i just got off the phone with her again and im going to buy one from her. both she and her husband are vets and they made sure to check the dogs for all kinds of testing and told me that the dogs have a "good" rating and does not have von willebrands. also she told me that what she did was linebreeding, not inbreeding, to keep good characteristics. Which i read was fairly common and okay.[/quote] I don't care if the owners are vets, doctors or lawyers. I REALLY hope that you ask them for PROOF that the dogs have hip ratings AND negative VWD tests (And any other tests that are common for the breed.). If they are on the "up and up" they WILL have the paperwork to back up what they say and will be GLAD to show you said paperwork. The world is full of "breeders" that claim to have health checks done on their dogs but in reality they have NONE. I really hope that your parents are more "willing" after you get the pup. If they don't want to take you to visit breeders, who is to say that they are going to want to take the pup to the vet, to public places for socialization, and to obedience classes? What they did WAS inbreeding. And for the other poster. Judging by what is printed on the site in black and white, it was NOT done to try to improve their lines or any such thing. It was done because they owned both dogs and the bitch was not conceiving when bred to another stud dog. So basically they bred her to her 1/2 brother to see if she would get preg. :evil:

[quote name='Atom'] the dogs she will breed have good rating on the ofa site, and the dogs i met are nice and friendly. and she loves them. [/quote] But dogs she HAS bred were NOT OFAd. This is NOT something that a good and "reputable" breeder would do. EVER!!! And just because someones dogs are, "nice and friendly" and the owner " loves them". Is NOT a reason to breed. Why is it that people come and ask for opinions, get opinions, then make excuses for not listening to what people say? If someone is not willing to go to "all the trouble" to find a GOOD breeder that does all of the health testing that they SHOULD do for their breed. IMO, they had better not be surprised when/if they get a pup that isn't all it could be. How wil you feel if you get a pup with VWD or bad hips because you didn't want to go to all the trouble to find a breeder that screens for these things? I just don't get it. :roll:

[quote name='zheelah'] We have many breeds that have two types of dogs, working dogs and show dogs, they should be the same or at least more like each other than they have become.[/quote] And in some breeds like the GSD, there are even more "types" than that. There is the American Show lines, German Show lines, German Working lines, Czech and DDR (What used to be East Germany) lines. Then there are those dogs that are a combination of any of the above lines. There are also those that we GSD people call the American BYB lines. Oh and the White lines too :roll: . And not only are the looks as different as night and day between the lines, but so are the tempements and working ability(or LACK of it :evil: .)

In Germany a GSD MUST have a show rating, be breed suveyed, have a hip rating, AND have either a Schutzhund title, OR an HGH. (Which is a herding title.) There are quite a few breeders in the US that breed this way too. (But not nearly enough.) But there IS a problem with this system too. There are dogs out there that get titles that shouldn't. It really isn't that hard to get a SchH1 on a dog. But it is STILL better than nothing. As far as conformation, that is all well and fine. But just because a dg has the conformation to do the job does NOT mean that it has the instinct, trainability or brains to do it.

[quote name='zheelah'] How is it in america, can a dobermann become a champion with out passing a working test???[/quote] In America the ONLY thing a dog of ANY breed has to do in order to become a Champion is "look pretty" :evil: . (And not try to bite the judge.) I have seen dogs that have AWEFULL temperments get their Championship :roll: . They are judged SOLEY on their conformation and movement (how closely they resemble the breed standard). They can have bad hips (Being xrayed is NOT required to gain a championship, NOR is it required before they can be bred), bad temperments(not saying all or even most DO have bad temperments, but they CAN, and some DO.), and NO working ability. :evil:

Starfox, While I agree with most of what you posted. IMO, this part is TOTALLY incorrect. [quote]Hobby breeders need to be stopped[/quote] The Hobby Breeders are THE ones that should be breeding. They are doing it for the LOVE of the breed. They train and show their dogs, do ALL genetic testing that applies to their breed, do a LOT of research to find what they consider the "perfect" mate for their bitch. They have a PLAN for the litter. If you ask them WHY they bred the bitch and WHY to the particular stud dog they did, they can give you a page long answer. They would rather keep all of the pups in the litter from birth to death, than sell then to an unsuitable buyer. They will take a puppy back from a buyer for any reason. They WILL tell a person standing in front of them with a fist full of money wanting to buy a puppy that they are NOT acceptable if they aren't. Most of the time they LOOSE money on a litter of puppies. But they DON'T care. And they WILL do it again and loose money AGAIN because they are doing it for the RIGHT reason.

[quote name='Elle'] --- the poor quality breeders I am positive far out-number those breeders who honestly do genetic testing & careful mating. [/quote] On this point, you are ABSOLUTELY correct! But, IMO. ALL of those that do NOT do genetic testing are out for one thing and one thing ONLY. MONEY. ALL "poor quality" breeders are SCUM. Whether they are breeding registered purebreds OR mutts makes no difference. As I said, there is NO excuse for NOT doing the testing.

[quote name='Elle'] I guess I just don't think the majority of any of those purebred breeders pay as much attention to genetics, etc., as you all are seeming to proclaim. -------- like I said, owners of purebreds have many reasons they think are perfectly acceptable for rationalizing why they purchase their dogs --- well, those of us who purchase a mix, or as the term is used here, a fad dog, we also have acceptable reasons for our purchase. So, who's to say either of us are wrong? We were both looking for particular characteristics, neither of us felt able to find such in a shelter (altho I looked for a long time), so, end of story? We both PURCHASED our pet from a breeder. [/quote] As to the first part. ALL "Reputable" breeders DO pay attention to genetics. It is the BYBs and those that are in it only for the money that don't care about genetics or testing for genetic issues. There is NO excuse for anyone to breed 2 dogs together without genetic testing. NONE! Now on to the second part. Show me exactly where I said anything against those that buy mutts! Show me where I said that that you are wrong for buying your mixed breed. If you want to get technical, even those that get their dogs from the shelter PURCHASE their dogs. They have to pay money for them don't they? Like I said before, I have NO issue with mixed breeds. I DO have a problem with anyone that breeds them in order to make money! I have an issue with those same "puppy makers" that breed 2 purebreds of different breeds together and calls the MUTT offspring a "purebred" Labradoodle or WHATEVER. And I DO have problem with these same "puppy pushers" blowing smoke up the arses of ignorant people. People that don't know any better and believe all of the crap that these "puppy makers" spew. [b]STUPIDITY SHOULD BE PAINFULL!!!![/b]

[quote name='StarFox']And Black GSD is 100% right what about thoes people who dump there dogs at the shelters becuse they are getting old or because they are too hyper? [/quote] Or they are "too hairy", "too big", or they are moving, ect.... it REALLY burns by butt when someone had a dog like a GSD, Lab, Golden, ect... and says that it is too big. WFT did they expect? That is why those breeds are called LARGE breeds. Because they are LAGRE!!!!

Here is a question for "some" folks. WHY do you rag on those what don't get dogs from the shelter instead of directing your attitude/hostility where it REALLY belongs? At those that dump dogs in the shelters in the first place! (Or just dump them so that they are picked up by AC. {if they are lucky.})

[quote name='Elle']I'm sorry, I don't remember who asked the question, but imo, it's a very legitimate question that needs answered by ALL owners of purebreds who purchased their dogs, who did NOT find them at a shelter: WHY did you PURCHASE a purebred?[/quote] Because I WANTED TO. Is that what you want to hear? :roll: I PURCHASED a purebred because I can NOT get what I was looking for at the shelter! This is what I wanted: an INTACT, 8 week old , dark sable or solid black, male, REGISTERED, GSD with imported (From the Czech Republic) parents (And I had already picked out the stud that I wanted to be the sire of the pup .), that are titled AND xrayed, and a GUARANTEE as to the health and hips of the pup, AND a pup with the personality that I was looking for. How many of THOSE are in shelters? What are my chances of finding one in a shelter? ZERO! Am I against mutts? ABSOLUTELY not! (We have 2. :P ) Am I against intentionally breeding "mutts"? ABSOLUTELY! (There are enough in shelters.) If someone wants for instance a "cute little poodle MIX". There are PLENTY of those in shelters. There is NO need to intentionally breed them!

[quote name='zheelah']I would ask her for results from hips, von Wildebrands DNA tests, and other health tests. Her dogs look good and she seems to be a good breeder, but I do not like the fact that she bred two dogs that have the same mother. Also since the dobermann is a working dog, I would like to see that her dogs can actualy work, in any field, agility, obedience, tracking. She seems good, but try to get to talk to previous puppy buyers. Good luck with this breed, I love it to :wink:[/quote] She DOES appear to breed dogs that are NOT OFA :x . (She only has 7 dogs that show on the OFA site as being OFA fair of better. Is this because they are the only ones xrayed? Or is it because they are the only ones that "passed"?) She only has 1 dog that shows on the OFA site as far as being tested for VWD. One of the bitches that has had several litters does NOT show on the OFA site. She does have some that have a CD. (But that really isn't that hard. You CAN have a dog with a bad temperment get a CD. ) And I TOTALLY agree. I REALLY don't like the fact that she bred brother to sister. :evil: (Even IF they did have different sires.)

[quote name='Loulou'] What do you think about that: A friend of mine suggested me to rotate between 2-3 brands and to feed for example one for two days, the other one for one day etc. But I'm afraid to make my dog with this system more and more a "bad kibbles eater" :evil: [/quote] :x I too think this is a BAD idea. Not only could it very well make him a picky eater,(If he likes one of the foods better than the other, he could just not eat for a day or 2 until you give him the other kind.) IMO, it could also be hard on his stomach. I think changing every couple of months is MORE than often enough.

Cassie, There is a "line" of horses that can have a disease called HYPP. It causes muscle paralysis(sp) and can be fatal. It is thought that it all started with a Stud named Impressive. It IS genetic, But they CAN test for it. If you remember, see if you can find out what they are talking abut at your barn. There are always new things popping up. (Thank DOG I'm not into halter horses. (Those are the ones that have been "ruined" (IMO) the most.) As far as the mare that you lease. If she is in fact grade (meaning no papers, the foal can NOT be registered with the AQHA. (American Quarter Horse Association.) If the stud IS registered with the AQHA and has regular papers, the mare MUST either have"regular" AQHA papers, or Appendix AQHA papers or be a registered Thoroughbred(that is what they call "listed" with the AQHA). NO others are eligable for registration. And if the stallion owner is telling you guys different he/she is a LIAR. (Unless of course they are talking about some "fly by night" registration association.) I would ask the stud owner EXACTLY what registery the foal will be able to be registered with. If he/she says the AQHA, I would call him a LIAR to his face! Believe ME, I know all about what it takes to register a horse with the AQHA. As a matter of fact, I just sent in the registration applications on 2 of mine today. (One out of a registered AQHA mare and the other out of a Thoroughbred mare.)

[quote name='Cassie'] I think dog breeders should sit down with horse breeders to learn how to do it right. Here is a classic example of how man can create genetic diseases...they were starting to breed a bulky, big chested quater horse...this horses were used for halter shows...they were breeding for exaggerated looks for these horses...they looked muscualar and beautiful...but, they suffered from a genetic heart condition...any excess physical activity could cause the horse to drop dead...[/quote] Huh? What "genetic heart condition" are you talking about? I have been breeding Quarter horses for a lot of years and have never heard of such a thing. Are you talking about HYPP? If so it isn't a "heart condition".

[quote name='SexxieRacerChik']ch. Should I have her tested for anything??!!??! :( I hope I didn't hurt her! I FEEL AWFUL NOW! :( :( :([/quote] Don't feel too aweful. In the "olden days" I fed my dog all kinds of stuff(inlcuding grapes.) that is now considered "bad for dogs". She lived to be 12yo which isn't too bad for a GSD. (Heck, this dog ate a fair amount of candy (but not chocolate) every week too.) As far as the olive oil. Have you considered giving Salmon Oil instead? I give mine Salmon oil and they LOVE it. It is also fairly cheap. I have been buying it at Wal Mart. It is $6 (and some change) for 120 gelcaps. But I am going to start ordering it from [url]www.puritan.com[/url] They have it on sale right now, 3 bottles of 120 gelcaps each for $14.70(total). My GSDs get 2 or 3 gelcaps each a day. My 40lb Heelers get 1 a day each. (Not that I am saying that Olive Oil is bad or anything, just giving you an alternative. :D ) Oh, and your welcome for the link. :D