Can you tell which "lines" a GSD comes from by looking at it? Discussions

Hi.

After reading another thread, I was wondering how you can tell just from looking what lines your GSD comes from.

What lines are Jess from?







(My, its hard to find pics of Jess standing lol)

I am just off out with my lot for a walk now, but will reply properly when I get back

Surely, this thread would be better in the Pastoral section though?

I think once you have taken an interest in the breed for any length of time you start to see the differences in the breeding lines.

Jess looks to me to be a middle of the road dog (no exaggerations) and probably has both German and English ancestry. Very nice

My two are both longcoats - and are from english obedience lines (Flame) and German show lines (Yogi).

I will give a better reply when I return

The mods can move it if it is in the wrong place (just please let me know where so I know where to find it.)

Thanks, I look forward to it

Hiya Jenn

As I was saying, and no doubt someone else will be able to explain it better than me, but certain lines have a certain look and characteristics - ie show, working line or obedience line. Of course the only way to really know which lines your dog is from is to check your dog's pedigree.

Examples ...

English Pet/German show line





English obedience line







German show line







Working line





German show line (standard coat)



I don't have any personal pics of English show line, but you can view them here.

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~juleaman/

Hope this makes things a little clearer! ;-)

Then just to confuse you, you can get English/German mix of lines like Jasper was!!
He had lots of Schutzhund titled dogs in his pedigree as well as show champs.

What a handsome lad Jasper was AM He looks big too! Which breeder did he come from?

I have took the liberty of scanning her ped cert for you (also a pic of her mom and her dad - not that I know which is which)













Does that help any? Why can't dogs backgrounds be simple lol

Oh this soooo confuses me, but it doesn't take much!

Now, from Kirsty I understand my new pup to be obedience lines, and yet she too has loads of Shultzhund names in her pedigree (so to me that means GErman?) and then my breeder tells me when I asked her, "oh, ALL my dogs are working lines":? Maybe my breeder said it wrong and she should have said "obedience" lines then and not "working"? I'm really hoping mine isn't actually working lines coz personally I much prefer the "look" of the obedience lines like Flame up there, and btw, who is that gorgeous little black puppy then Kirsty? I thought at first it was Flame and yet Flame must be sitting next to the puppy in the pic?

jess is a very nice looking dog - everything in proportion lol. I would say, just be looking at her (not familiar with the dogs on her pedigree but there are german lines in there) that she is mainly german showline, but given she isn't exaggerated from the pics, she may have other lines in there too.

That's a nice post Moobli, nice to see most of the different lines all in one post.

I don't have any personal pics other than of a working line, but here Cox, of pure german working lines:


Here is another working line dog, but from different working lines than the above one. The dog below is from British working trials lines mainly.


Moobli is right, once you have been around a few gsds, you get a feel for their lines and are able to tell more or less accurately, but even then some dogs throw you lol

Moobli, I don't know anything about English obedience lines - are they a distinct line - like eg the west german schutzhund lines or are they a mix of different lines which make a good obedience dog?

Also where did the english obedience lines originally come from - were they english 'alsatian' show lines with other lines added, or am I completely on the wrong track?

Thanks Jenn. It looks to me as though Jess is German showline from her pedigree. I have heard of the Kurtridge, Chanask and Videx kennels. If you google any of the names in her pedigree you may be lucky and find a piccie or more info on her breeder etc.

From the pics posted, I think the bitch is the first pic (she is quite masculine looking though) and the dog is the second pic.

The best person to discuss pedigrees and lines with is Wildmoor, as she is a font of all GSD knowledge Where are you Pam?

Why not scan Zena's pedigree in (as Jenn has done for Jess) and then we can decipher it for sure. As I said to Jenn, hopefully Wildmoor (Pam) will be along before too long and she is extremely knowledgeable about the different lines/pedigrees etc.

The black puppy belongs to a friend of mine at my old DTC. He is called Cody and is a Foxfold pup The dog next to the pup also belongs to the same lady and is called Echo and is related to Flame (he too is a Foxfold).

I am no expert on the different lines etc, but the obedience lines definitely have a certain *look* to them, and most are longcoated. All you need to do is have a look on the "Out and About" section on the ObedienceUK site to see similarities in many of the obedience bred GSDs

I have no idea where the english obedience lines first came from, but I would imagine (looking at Flame's pedigree) that they are generally a mix of English and German lines.

Pam will know for sure ;-)

moobli, do you know what working lines the bitch on the right in the first pic of the pair is?

Sorry GSDmad - do you mean the working line pair or the first pair (the longcoated) obedience dogs?

the working line pair(i think you have posted them before...as police dog?)

The UK "Obedience"GSDs are mainly long coated & can be quite large & have a lot of bone when compared to the working bred German dogs.

A lot of them go back to the Heelaway dogs of Charlie Wyant & others of the 1950s/1960s, with a sprinkling of German imports being used at stud to improve the hips & temperaments.

They have IMHO no more or less ability to work in Obedience obedience than any other GSD bred from show or pet lines in the UK. These"Obedience"bred GSDs are supposedly bred for ability, but many lack the work drive that can be found in most of the German working bred GSDs. They are as successful in Obedience in a direct proportion to the ability of their handler.

Personally I prefer the German working bred GSDs as the appearance & shape of most obedience longcoats does not appeal to me at all.

Jesterjen your dog is what is termed as someone already said middle of the road, German Show lines
Middross Panto was by an import Gorbi von BadBoll out of Middross Sassy who again goes back to imported lines.
Greenstan Otti German sire/dam.
Greenstan Elkie German sire/dam.

Infact the only one that isnt pure german is Jonimay Shannon

Ahh yes, both dogs were operational police dogs and both were bred by Stuart Nye of Vomhausnye in Sunderland. They were both by Pasco vom Peko Haus, one of the most influential working imports.