Old fashioned straight backed GSD's Controversial

The best thing I can say about Fenton of Kentwood(having seen him up close & personal)is that his best feature was his temperament at least he wasn't shy or nervous like the other top winners of his day !

For me temperament is paramount and this would make Fenton a good dog in my books, but then I don't know much about GSDs although if I ever considered one I would want the healthy dog with a good temperament. Mind you I am a flatcoated retriever fan (so what do I know) Just had another quick look at the photos and your dad's dog does seem to look a bit like Fenton, particularly the markings - he does not seem such a heavy dog though

LOL Echo was about as far from Fenton as it is possible to be. Fenton had awful movement behind, he looked dreadful when he went BIS at Crufts I was embarrassed to have the same breed(albeit mine have always been all German bloodlines).

Fenton had a really weak head with a very narrow long muzzle & the very marked"Kentwood"markings.

Echo on the other hand had a head that oozed masculinity & the correct strong muzzle. He had a bombproof temperament & super working drive, I think it was the work drive that lead the police to so like him as a stud dog-plus his 0:0=0 hip score & his improver status for hips in his offspring. I was gutted when we lost him to liver cancer when he was 8

Oh heck, what a topic this is! We all have our preferences whether right or wrong for the GSD breed standard, but as a follow on from Jodee's post about the American gsd's I looked at the video of the Westminster show that was on in February - I am still cringeing. What have they done over there????? AND, they are all 'champions'!!!
Have a look everyone, and let us know what your opinion is.

Please can you put up a link to that then twix and I'll take a looky????

the link is here.
http://video.westminsterkennelclub.org/player/?id=1201773
I thought they were lovely dogs - although one was heavier than I`m used to and a couple were a bit wobbly on the back end. However that wasn`t helped by the `slip lead under the larynx` method of showing and the pose, which polls them out of their natural gait.
None of them looked very happy, I must say. I assume it was hot, crowded and noisy, and the ring was very small.

Much prefer this type to any of the over exagurated show lines today, wether they be English, German or American. I'm not against the colour either.

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oh i like

mind u the head looks kinda mallinois ;-)

Yes it does.

Don't know what year the pic was originally from, I'm guessing early 20th century as apparently the last recorded brindle gsd was in 1922. Wonder if the dogs of that time typicly had that more bsd look about them, if so, it just goes to show how much the breed has changed, in such a short space of time.

I love the look of the American GSD's on that link, stunning dogs. Not keen on the pic of the brindle GSD, like the body but the head seems too small.

I am still v interested in what the judges are looking for in the back end of a GSD??
In the Westminster vid when the dogs were stood with the judge the dogs hocks were touching the floor - that cant be right?? I have seen a few photos of underexercised rescue dogs who stand with their hocks on the floor but then after a few months in a decent home they stand with their hocks off the floor
What is going on with the dogs in the vid??

It also makes me sad how stressed those dogs looked, I dont have a problem with show dogs if they enjoy being shown but those dogs looked vvv not happy, calming signals a plenty.
Some of the dogs front ends looked a little strange when they were moving, very curling the legs up and the paws were flying out to the side a bit when you seen them walking away - I dont know the technical term for it but they seemed to move more like puppies than grown full muscled dogs

I dislike Westminster more than most shows anyway, most of the dogs look a bit too extream to me and more often than not they dont look all that happy

Thanks for putting the link up, and I totallyh agree with everything you've said here! I'd go so far as to say some of them are decidedly fat, but then I know in the horse world, judges like to see them quite rounded, so maybe it's the same in the dog world, but as I always said, you can't have a fit FIT horse, and these dogs are athletes as you well know, and personally I like to see them as lean as possible.

I really don't like that brindle one, the head looks very freaky to me, I much prefer our shepherds of today.... runs and hides!

Ooh noooo! I don't like that at all.

I have just watched the Westminster video and I freely admit I do not know the GSD breed in any depth. However, I was quite shocked by the movements of most of the dogs in the lineup. I cannot possibly see how those dogs could function normally for any extended period of time. Their back legs are almost deformed in the way that the hocks are down on the floor. Sorry, but I cannot see that this is anything but unhealthy for the breed. I am not surprised that HD is so prevalent in GSDs if this is what is being bred for; such rear angulation and slope to the back cannot be natural. They must be very uncomfortable and I would think it very much shortens their lives - I think they would end up as crippled dogs before they are middle aged. They are also so strung up on their leaders and look very uneasy about the whole process. Sorry, but this makes me very sad.

No need to hide, that is your opinion, and I've got no problem with it.

To be honist, I'm not to enamored with the head either, but I prefer the rest of the build of the dog, I maybe should have been more specific. I do however, love the colour.

I quite like this guy as well.

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lovely colour...but im not so keen on his body :-(

mind u,the other dogs body was kinda csv,so i guess im gonna like it a tad more ;-)

After watching the video myself, I have to agree with you, verry sad if that is what is thought of as beeing a good example of the breed. Just my opinion of course.

Like I said, I do quite like the red sables build, but prefer the brindles if I'm honist. I prefer the head on the red to that of the brindle though.

Off to find some more.

P.s.

Have you got any picks of Tupac to compair with the brindle in build.

not sure if these pics are any good?


excuse the silly face

I do agree with you. Most of the front movement is sloppy and I dont think they would be able to go on a very long walk, come back and be ready for another as mine are. I wonder what sort of exercise regime they have? If they have to walk on their hocks it must hinder them and be very uncomfortable.

I'm very grateful my dogs aren't like that.