Facts and Tips

on the

Working German Shepherd Dog

 

written by Madelyn Graffia

 

This document is copyrighted and may not be duplicated without a  written consent from the Author.

 

 

The breeding programs built to create the working GSD are “Specialized Breeding.”  The working dog is the true representation of the GSD breed by the creator of the breed, Capt. Max von Stephanitz in 1899.  We are required as breeders to train our dogs in Schutzhund, which is a temperament test and have all our dogs breed surveyed (a combination of conformation and temperament testing) and hip certified at “Fair’ or better before we can breed our dogs and be recognized by the SV(the GSD Kennel Club in Germany).  It is the law in Germany.  No GSD is given breeding rights until it has passed the temperament test, breed survey and hip xray and we as breeders of the true lines do not get compensated for all the time and money we put into our dogs in the price of our pups compared to non-working titled Show Dogs, that are not the true representation of the breed, in my opinion.  I believe it is time to change this because we put more effort into our breeding programs and put out more time and  money to trial our dogs for a temperament test.

 

Fact: Good Show pup, out of non-working titled parents pups costs $2500 and up.  Good working pup with both parents titled costs $800 - $1500 on average.  We are breeding better and asking for less.  The general public should be aware of this inequity and be happier that they are getting a better temperament dog for less than it’s really worth and take that extra $1000 they would pay for a typical black/tan or black/red non-working show dog and put it into the training of the better temperament working GSD dog.

 

As a breeder of these working lines,  I’m looking for a specific temperament, along with the appropriate conformation for the working GSD breed.  Therefore, I carefully pick my breeding pairs based on the knowledge I have about the specific bloodlines that I favor to breed, to produce the dogs I like.  Not every breeder of the working GSD likes what I like and that’s what makes us “specialized breeders.”

 

It’s very important for the general public to be aware of what certain breeders are looking to produce and the fact,  that we’re not always able to produce a whole litter of pups that we like.  Hence, this leaves me and others with dogs that may be able to fit in nicely with a family, but only if that family is willing to put the required time into the pup and adult dog.

 

For example:  I may not like a pup because it’s too sensitive, which makes it easier to train for the average family, but it doesn’t mean that the dogs do not possess the other aspects of temperament I breed to reproduce, such as prey drive, pack  drive, and “civil” aggression.  I’m calling it “civil” because that’s what I like to produce along with strong nerves, high drives, good hardness and clear-headedness, which I like to describe in layman terms as an overall confidence and high level of intelligence and trainability, along with a good outlook on life.

 

Civil aggression is the dog’s inherent level of suspicion towards humans.  This is what makes socialization the most important thing a family owner can do for their dog.  If you raise a pup to be around people all the time and I mean outside the home and property also, they become more people friendly as long as their experience with those people are positive ones.  This socialization process will alleviate most of your concerns about inappropriate aggression towards humans when the dog becomes a full adult.  Now, this animal understands clearly, what friendly human encounters are and as an adult can discriminate between real and perceived threats.

 

 

 

I take all of my puppies, that I’m raising,  almost everywhere I go.  People do not necessarily have to touch the pup, the pup just needs to see them as friendly, so it’s important that the owner understand what is a friendly encounter.  Someone smiling and talking to the pup in a high pitched manner is a friendly encounter without the person having to touch the animal.  Someone feeding the dog a treat is a very friendly encounter and now also imprints the friendly behavior towards humans by reinforcing the friendly behavior with food.

 

The importance I’m putting on touching comes from two separate areas in my mind. 1) Working puppies bite and they bite hard and it hurts, therefore allowing people to touch your pup increases the chance that the pup will have a “negative” encounter with humans from a young age because someone may kick out of reflex and hurt the pup or even scream and excite or scare the pup. 2) The lack of touching will produce a dog that is neutral to people as opposed to overly friendly.

It is up to you as the owner to determine what type of adult dog you would like to have. 

 

After all this socialization, the dog/bitch will still mature into their inherent aggression, therefore, they will still be protective over what they perceive to be “their territory and their pack” which may include young children if they are raised with them. The GSD owner must be aware of this phenomenon that happens with GSD’s and children because the dog may also decide to protect the child from it’s parents if the parent is behaving aggressively towards the child, unless the parents, and I mean both parents, are seen as the LEADERS of the pack structure in that home.

 

The development of pack structure needs to be addressed, especially to family pet owners.  Working GSD dogs are bred to have high pack drive, which means they want to be with you, but they may also want to take your position in the ranking order, and they will, if you allow it to happen.

 

Most Pet owners allows this to happen because they don’t have the knowledge of pack structure and dominance aggression, not only in the GSD, but many other breeds, including the smallest of breeds.

 

This is another problem that needs to be clarified to anyone who wants to own one of these dogs, successfully.

 

I long time ago I had to evaluate a 6lb Dachshund/Jack Russell mix, that would not allow the wife out of the bathroom without delivering severe bites to her legs.  Are you laughing?  It’s not funny when a 6lb dog can control a household through use of dominance aggression.  Now, can you imagine what a 65 -  85lb  working GSD could do if raised the same way as the Dachshund mix?  Not a pretty picture for a breeder of these GSD’s.  Therefore, this causes reluctance to sell to the general public, unless we find people willing to dedicate not only their time, but their money into proper raising and training.

 

Professional training with individuals that “specialize” in the working GSD is the most effective means to understand and overcome dominance aggression and other unwanted behaviors.  These dogs must be trained and not at a commercial trainer like at the local pet shops.  I recommend programs like these for socialization and food imprinting purposes ONLY. Commercial trainers are not allowed, within their organization, to use the same methods and equipment that working dog trainers are privy to and instead use equipment that is more damaging to a puppy, like the choke collar.  Don’t go to commercial trainers with your working GSD, it’s just not going to work as effectively as they may try to make you believe.