breeders and first time pup

Hi All

Been browsing the forum for a few days now and have been researching for ages prior in to what dog to get!! I have always been keen on GSD as various family members have had them in the past.

There is just one concern I had which I wanted more advice on - I was chatting with a police handler at the football the other day and he says certain breeds of GSD have greater problems to their hips due to them being bred to have the slopping back. He went on to mention that when they select a police dog they look for a more flat back level with the ground? does this make sense to anybody?? and if so where do I start looking for this type of GSD?

I hope this makes sense and all feedback will be much appreciated

Many thanks

marcus

Hi Marcus, welcome to the forums,
Did you see the thread titled `Straight or slopeing`,.. [even though I spelt it wrong and put slooping], I started that thread, and I glad it did because I learnt a lot.

There some very good and experienced breeders on these forums, and they assure us all that the angle of the back has nothing to do what so ever with the problem GS`s have with their hips.

I dont really want to repeat it all again here, please look up the thread,.just put it into the search at the top of the page,.....its very informative

[super D]

Welcome to the forum Marcus, here is the link to the thread for you

Straight or slooping

xx

Thank you Sarah,.. why didnt I do that????? dohhhhh

[blackdogs]

Originally Posted by marcus

Hi All

Been browsing the forum for a few days now and have been researching for ages prior in to what dog to get!! I have always been keen on GSD as various family members have had them in the past.

There is just one concern I had which I wanted more advice on - I was chatting with a police handler at the football the other day and he says certain breeds of GSD have greater problems to their hips due to them being bred to have the slopping back. He went on to mention that when they select a police dog they look for a more flat back level with the ground? does this make sense to anybody?? and if so where do I start looking for this type of GSD?

I hope this makes sense and all feedback will be much appreciated

Many thanks

marcus

This is a total missconception, HD has no conection with the sloping back, Both dogs with square backs and sloped backs can suffer with HD, it depends on their genetic make up,

thanks for the response and directing me to the other thread - although has not totally cleared it up!!

If I was looking for the more straight back type of breed can anyone advise on respected breeders with good hip scores and healthy dogs? I am in the Wiltshire area but can travel.

Many thanks

Marcus

[kita]

Make sure the parents (and further back) have all the tests done for HD, Elbows etc.

The lower the hip score of the parents the better and it should be preferably even (eg 2:2, 3:3 etc.). The hip score should be lower than 16 (total of the two figures).

Have a good look around at breeders and decide what best suits your needs. Make sure that you see the pups with the mother and that the mother is happy to have you around.

When you go to see pups go with your head and not your heart, don't buy a pup because you feel sorry for it. Remember this pup is going to be with you for anything up to 15 years and it costs as much to buy an unhealthy one with a lot of health problems as it does to buy a totally healthy one.

A good breeder should ask you as many questions as you ask them and many will want to follow up how you are getting on with the pup. Some really good breeders have waiting lists for their pups so it is useful to start looking around before you actually want to get the pup.

Sue

[lisyonok]

Whichever breeder you choose, I'd recommend you ask him for contact details of people who had pups from his previous litters (good breeders have no problem sharing them with the permission of the owners), so you can ask them whether their pups have had any health problems (and they will tell you the truth, they have no reason to lie about it). I had my pup from a breeder, who tested her dogs properly, chose all the stud dogs carefully. All her dogs have excellent hip scores. All seem healthy. My pup, on the other hand, has a genetic immune system disorder. Next time I will definitely ask around first.

[Shaan]

Hi Marcus,

We got our pup from a hobby breeder in Wilthsire, here is the website you can take a look at:.I think they have 2 dogs and 3 bitches left from the litter. Great Hip/elbow scores - when you visit you can see both the mother and father who both have fantastic temperaments.

Best of luck with your search.

[wildmoor]

Originally Posted by marcus

Hi All

Been browsing the forum for a few days now and have been researching for ages prior in to what dog to get!! I have always been keen on GSD as various family members have had them in the past.

There is just one concern I had which I wanted more advice on - I was chatting with a police handler at the football the other day and he says certain breeds of GSD have greater problems to their hips due to them being bred to have the slopping back. He went on to mention that when they select a police dog they look for a more flat back level with the ground? does this make sense to anybody?? and if so where do I start looking for this type of GSD?

I hope this makes sense and all feedback will be much appreciated

Many thanks

marcus

Hi Marcus
Here is an example of Police Breeding
METPOL BREUSE GLEN Hip Score 19/28
METPOL BREUSE HEATHER Hip Score 10/11
METPOL BREUSE JESSE Hip Score 34/32
all out of same litter Sire METPOL TOTEM 9/2 Dam METPOL LASHER

as you can see the sires hip are more than 4 points difference between L and R uneven hips produce uneven hips and high scores, ask Jo who runs this site her dogs sire is 2:7 and her dog is 24
Just because the guy is a dog handler does not mean he knows anything about breeding or genetic health conditions.
Pam