I am a person that likes to "do my research" before buying a breed of animal or type of animal for the first time. It all started with a Siberian Husky Book.

I wanted a large dog to walk with me, I was looking at the German Shepherd Dog, a Siberian Husky and a couple of other breeds. I got hooked on the Sled Dog photos and later DID become a Sled Dog Racer. But my first breed I had as a Sled Dog Team, was a couple of German Shepherd Dogs. I had read in a Siberian Husky Book that "German Shepherd Dogs make great sled dogs too." That was the deciding factor in my buying my first German Shepherd Dog, Tamar.

This photo is of Turquoise, one of our Coal Black German Shepherd Dogs.

Sadly, I did not have many photos, it is hard to get those when training alone. And the ones I did have are gone. <sniff> Lost forever. Tamar was Black and Silver and really marked nice. Tabitha, my second German Shepherd Dog, had a little, very very little white on her back left toes, otherwise she was coal black. Timothy, my third, was huge and had long black hair, no white on him anywhere. None.

Time has gone by and I was shopping for another German Shepherd Dog. I have been rereading, rebuying, books about The German Shepherd Dog.

We finally, after much searching found the four in this photo, Titus, Tekoa, Texas Tea and Turquoise (as puppies, we raised and trained them).

In the Fourth Edition of "The Complete German Shepherd Dog", in the first chapter: the first paragraph is a quote for the German Standard for the breed, known as a working breed of dog. The second paragraph goes something like this:

"A working dog is one belonging to a breed that is physically and mentally capable of carrying out a particular duties. Included in the classification of working dogs are many breed that are not longer required to perform the functions for which they were intended. The German Shepherd Dog, however, since it was first developed, has continued to serve mankind in many capacities."

Other and many of the German Shepherd Dog books remind us, and this is true of so many breeds of dogs, The Dogs Are Better Off, or This Breed Of Dog Does Best IF It Has A Job, or Truly A Working Breed This Dog Will Be A Better Family Member IF It Has A Job.

The German Shepherd Dog was bred as a Working Dog above all. When they were needed less because of less need of them for Shepherding work, it was the "Father of the Breed", Captain Max von Stephanitz, that campaigned them into Police Work, even beyond the laughter and opposition. You know he succeeded in this feat and the world is better off because of it. It was not long before the world also figured out all the other types of work this dog breed would become known for.

What can a GSD do? They are very well know for Police, Search, Rescue, Schutzhund Training and Guard Dog work. They are also very popular in the Conformational and Obedience Show Ring. Mine were not the first, nor were they the last to work in a Sled Dog Team, do Tricks, Pull Wagons and Carts and they did very well as Weight Pullers and Backpackers. Let's not forget what great Shepherds they are and always have been. Agility, Frisbie, Rally, what Dog Sport have you seen where a GSD has not been a contestant? There is not much a GSD can not or will not at least try to do.

What will GSD's do at our place? First and mostly Farm/Guard Dog. Of course at our place the dog will have Basic Obedience, learn a few Tricks as well as a bit of Agility. Our GSDs will be learning to Run Barrels in Barrel Racing just for fun, see our www.BarrelRacingDogs.com site as well as being our constant companions. But the reason I want large working stock GSDs is to work in harness and backpacks. I have my Sacco type Cart I bought years ago with the dream of running TWO GSDs in front of......now I am headed back to make that dream come true. (I had Labs and a Malamute that pulled the Sacco type Cart, but that is another story)....

With GSDs you learn early when you own them, they are so intelligent they are learning all the time. Tamar, my first GSD, and this is still in my mind and I wonder how often she had done this we did not see... I used to pile clothing in the morning in the hall as I cleaned bedrooms. I would then carry that laundry to the Laundry Room as I walked through. One day I looked over and Tamar was dropping dirty laundry from my young son's room on the pile! My son saw it too and from his room called out the me, "MOM! Did you see that?!". I am so glad I did.

You never know what all you will teach a dog. Funny thing is, most people's dogs, especially housedogs, know more human words than the person's that own them even know the dog understands. And the same goes for person's actions and body language know by dogs. GSD's are so very intelligent, as a whole, you must keep them active and give them a job.....or they will find one. It might not be picking up your laundry, it might be tearing it up.

I am picky about the dogs I buy. I like them conformationally correct. In the German Shepherd Dog World there are two "Corrects", one in the Working Dog World, another in the Conformational Show Ring. I want, must have, love, the old style German Shepherd Dogs, the more straight backed, tail not so long, working lines of GSD.

-- The Working Big Dogs Team
Thu, 11 Jul 2013 11:59:04 -0400