German Shepherd Dog: thoughts.

State of the German Shepherd: Thoughts : 

Often we hear enthusiasts debating fervently on the internet these days, critiquing photos of dogs they’ve never seen, about the length of croup, or the depth of a dog’s chest, or the position of withers and so on. You’ll hear these digital scholars talk about how we have left the good old days behind, and post photographs of dogs of a by gone era, even the first dog registered as a German Shepherd, lamenting that the Captain’s vision is lost! And how we are in the doldrums and how the breed needs to be saved from politics and corruption. On closer examination, you’ll find out these very scholars never even held the leash of a dog of note and might not realize a good dog even if it took a chunk out of them as they chastised its digital representation. They’ll talk in sweeping terms about working lines and show lines and talk about genes without ever opening a book on the subject and will tell you all about the character of the dogs they have never met. 

This plague of pseudo experts and misinformation in the digital age is the real plague that thwarts the progress, of the breed that few of us have dedicated our lives to study and is loved universally by many. 

ALWAYS QUESTION YOUR HEROS.

Internet gurus and mentors are a dime a dozen. Everyone has a YouTube channel or a Facebook page because, you know, free speech, to peddle snake oil. This is where you are responsible as an enthusiast to ask questions. Be curious. Question everything. 

German Shepherd Dog: A Sum of its parts.

Think about what makes a German Shepherd a German Shepherd. Realize what the purpose of the breed was first and foremost, and if the iteration that catches your fancy manifests that aspiration ideal in a clear fashion. A knowledge of the breed standard and the knowledge of basic kinesiology doesn’t hurt either.  

Think of a bicycle. It needs two wheels, ideally of the same size, larger in proportion to the bike’s frame, to function in normal, everyday use. The amount of force exerted at the pedal, to propel the bike forward, is a constant when we need to go at a certain speed, if we were to change the size of one wheel, we will have to exert more force to move the same distance as the smaller wheel will have to rotate more times to cover the said distance which was covered with less pressure exerted when the bike was equipped with a larger wheel. 

Now let’s look at the chain of the bike, which links to two sprockets together. The chain has a certain amount of tension on it at all times. If it’s too tight, it will snap, also, if it’s too loose, it’ll just come off, nullifying the purpose of your bike, which is motion. Now, consider the frame of that very bike; if the frame was not rigid, but like a slinky, imagine how much effort it would take to just keep the bike together, forget riding it or moving it forward. 

Now, think about your German Shepherd’s frame like that bike, the wheels replaced by legs, the chain replaced with the dogs ligaments and tendons and the bike’s frame replaced by the dog’s skeleton and musculature. Now the proportions start making sense, don’t they? 

Longer legs to propel the body and the muscles and tendons holding the frame in place, keeping it secure as the dog maneuvers around the sheep, retrieves a wooden dumbbell, jumps a fence or a hurdle, or just plainly and efficiently moving in a linear fashion. 

What we are seeking in our dogs, anatomically or mentally is balance, We are not searching for extremes in the GSD. A well balanced working dog that can fit in a family, has control over its emotions, and can perform tasks when the situation arises is the right type of character in this magnificent breed. 

A long, flowing croup is nothing without a forequarter that matches it and similarly a perfectly angled forehand is futile when paired with a curved spine or a steeply angled croup. The same rear that creates the illusion of a flashy side gait when moving at an artificially hight speed on a taut line with a handler in tights, is actually hampering the dogs agility, as it tries to turn quickly and also prevents walking efficiently at normal speeds in real life situations. The German Shepherd movement shouldn’t be lauded as a circus act, but as an efficient, purposeful and deliberate call to action, whatever might have been asked of it.  An elephant riding a tricycle in a circus is a spectacle, doesn’t make it right.