Crufts GSD BOB Winner not what KC want Controversial

His hocks were were almost touching the floor and looked very cow hocked to me, though not so easy to see when viewing online!! His front movement didn't look too bad though. For some reason the group jusge asked him to move again, would love to know his reason for that!!

so when he moved his hocks moved inwards and downwards towards the floor?

I have to say im not a fan of the movement we see round the show rings :-(

Yes just looked so wrong to me, though not a gsd expert:?

Sure I have said it before, but regardless of how the back legs move, the dog is all built up at the front and looks wasted at the back end where you would expect to see some muscle. Kind of like a cut-&-shut dog... powerful front end, sort of weedy back end if that makes sense. Just not balanced.

Well from someone who knows nothing about the bred, , but having just watched the video of the dog in the main arena, ... for a dog that some say is no more than a cripple , it sure did make an impression moving fluidly round that ring.

Yes thats it exactly, I knew it was more than the slope of the back and the hocks that were bothering me, there is a lack of balance. As it has been explained that GSD's are supposed to be trotting dogs all the dogs I have seen who naturally trot have lots of drive from the back

This dog has achieved his AD a 20km endurance test, how many other BOB at Crufts are even capable of walking this distance! let alone gait it without tiring?

im sure the rottie could do it, doddle

Great! he can do it as a young dog, but what's his life expectancy? Could he still do it at 9 years old?

My sister has a GSD from working lines - many of the diogs from that kennel have gone to police, Guide Dogs etc... her dog will be 14 this year and has just a little arthritis, which you might expect in any dog of that age, never mind a large breed. She has been a fabulous dog for all that time, exceeding her owner's expectations & requirements.

Considering that 90% of dogs go as pets... to people like my sister... who want healthy trouble-free long-lived sound dogs - what relevance does Sieger and all that have to the majority of people who will buy the puppies? Those trials are for young dogs only. It doesn't give any guarantee for their futures.

[Didn't Lagos' sire or grandsire die recently, very young?]

what concerns me, from what I have seen of many young dogs lately is,

when they are 'loose' as people like to call it, very often the inwards movement of the hock is so pronounced that the hock joint hits the floor, more so if the dogs are tired,
repetitive impact of this joint must surely cause some sort of injury? or long term damage to the joint and surrounding tendons/muscles

things may look ok when they are still fairly young, but what about when they get a bit older?

Yes Shona, last year there was a young GSD about here, its back end was a mess - as it ran its hocks were wobbling all over the place
The owners said it was an amazing pedigree and it was natural for the movement untill the dog muscled up

Well it wasnt natural for Ben when he was a pup or any other breed I have seen as a pup - including every GSD pup I have ever seen up until the past few years

We dont know the long term damage yet - but it so cant be healthy!

I'd agree with both of these posts. I watched the interview between Claire Balding and Caroline Kisko and they showed the GSD moving - it didn't look good. I don't care what hip score it has or how much endurance it has, the dog looked very uncomfortable on the move and I would say the movement even looked unatural.

Here's a link to the GSD in show stand at Crufts this year.

I have never mentioned sieger
For your info it was his tale line grsire, it is yet not known what he died of, but Zamps sire is still living so not sure what relevance this as?
What are these work line dogs? you will find most forces now use east European dogs, what traits needed for a guide dog is different to what is needed as a police dog, forces changed type due to lack of working ability under stress that English dogs lacked.
The trials are not for young dogs only, minimum age for AD is 14mths max age is 7 years!

wildmoor can I ask if your happy with GSD's as they are just now? more so the show type ones?

I've seen the TV footage of the BOB moving - it looked awful - whether that is because of the way the dog is constructed or something else I don't know for sure but I'm struggling to see how it won BOB when anyone with any eye for physical soundness would have thrown it out of the ring.

The Kennel Club has issued a PRESS statement
re: GSD B.O.B. Crufts 2010 - TV interview

ARTICLES WILL NOW BE WRITTEN IN THE CANINE PRESS
I ASK ALL GENUINE GSD SUPPORTERS TO CONTACT THE CANINE PRESS
EXPRESSING THEIR DISGUST ABOUT THE TV INTERVIEW
AND
DEMAND A KENNEL CLUB PUBLIC APOLOGY FOR THEIR PART IN IT
TO CAROL KEEN (THE OWNER)
THE GSD JUDGE - CRUFTS 2010 & ALL JUDGES WHO HAVE JUDGED THIS MALE
AND OUR WHOLE GSD BREED

HERE IS THE STATEMENT - posted 23/03/2010



'As part of More4’s commitment to having an open debate about the health and welfare of dogs during the 2010 coverage of Crufts, it was inevitable that there would be some discussion about the issues that exist in certain breeds. Clare Balding chose to highlight a health issue which was also subsequently noted by the BVA. The Kennel Club has since received a number of emails and phone calls from viewers concerned at the appearance of the dog.

The Kennel Club would not and could not interfere with More4 reporting on these issues in the way that it sees fit.

Although the Kennel Club cannot comment on this case in particular it should be noted that within all of the high profile breeds, both judges and monitors were required to submit a report about the dogs that they saw before them at DFS Crufts. These reports will, as always, go to the Kennel Club’s Dog Health Group and if there is a discrepancy between them the Kennel Club will ask the relevant judge to provide an explanation, which will be assessed accordingly.

The Kennel Club is taking firm action to address the problems which it perceives in the GSD breed generally and has asked all GSD clubs to sign an undertaking to confirm that they recognise that there is a problem with the conformation of the breed at present and only those which sign will be allocated CCs from 2011 onwards.'​

I should add - if the owners of this dog or the GSD clubs are upset by the criticism there is an easy answer - post some video footage on the internet of their BOB moving.

Its already there on crufts interact.

so it was claire balding that made the comment not Caroline Kisko? if that is the case what has any of that got to do with the KC :? Im confused now.

but what I will say is. As the owner/exhibitor/breeder of dogs, I would be deeply concerned if this was happening in my breed, surely the breeders of GSD's know this is not happening for the fun of it, there are genuine concerns over this breed from far to many people,
You only have to look at the response on here to see people are not convinced what they are seeing is right.

Sorry, but where does it mention the BOB, in that statement...:? as in derogatory terms.. must be missing it??