PSD
ALPHA
Nov 11, 2003, 6:35 PM
Post #24 of 51
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Amanda, I may be biased here cause I'm a GSD person but just to share some experience with you. I too was like you before and as many whom had gone through in deciding the ultimate breed. I had considered Malinois, Rotts, Doberman......much more before I settle for GSD. Reason being, I was attracted by the total versatility of a GSD, it may not be a breed that is the fastest, not the most agile, not the most intelligent, not the most crazy in protection work. But none of the other dogs has everything as complete to challenge the value of GSD in all those departments combined. Of course I may be drawing some fire here but just to qualify my statements here, it is in my own humble opinion. About Hip Dysplasia it is both genetics and environment as I sees it. Genetics in a sense that the dog is born with it and environment that a normal dog is being over fed, overweight, overgrown, over excercised too soon too early. Out of the above, the environment is within our control and with a few knowledge and knowhow this can be easily practised. The key is selecting your dog from a pool of low or none HD risk. That part needs a lot of research work. As a general rule of thumb, showdogs have a higher risk of this while working GSD has almost none of this risk genetically. Reason being HD will usually appear within 2 years of the dogs age. If any working dog has HD they will fail the working test and they will not be bread. Therefore the working stock out of well cared for breeding will give you an almost guarantee of HD free. A responsible breeder will be able to tell you all these and explain in details if you spend more time with him. PSD Quote "Take this trouble for me: Make sure my shepherd dog remains a working dog, for I have struggled all my life long for that aim ." Rittmeister Capt. Max von Stephanitz (1864-1936)
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