For
more than twenty years, it has been my experience that the availability
of sound German Shepherd working dogs has been declining dramatically.
The German Shepherd does not even resemble the qualities of what
the breed was created to be. This is due in part from a lack of
understanding and direction from organizations and groups that
promote standards for this breed, and other breeds here in the
United States. Healthy Shepherds free from hip, back and neck
problems, with stable nerves and plenty of drive are almost non-existent
in this country today. It is my intention and promise to promote
and maintain the highest level of breeding standards. It is also
my desire to insure that integrity and good work ethics are preserved
in the German Shepherd breed for the future.
Let
me define a few terms in the statements above. When I refer to
stable nerves I am referring to the ability of the dog to deal
with stress. A dog with stable nerves will have options and is
not forced to react in one mode only. A weak nerved dog many times
acts aggressively when a stranger enters the dogs territory without
due cause. Everyone has been in a situation where a dog charges
the fence anytime a stranger approaches in a non-threatening manner.
When he is stressed his hackles come up and he tries to look as
large as possible with a great deal of posturing. This type of
dog may nip or even bite a person for no reason because the dog
has no other way of dealing with the stress of the person he has
encountered. This could be classified as a dog with weak nerves.
The term fear biter falls into this category of dog. Dogs who
are bred from American blood-lines fall heavily into this category.
Let me be very clear here that owner responsibility cannot be
ignored whenever dealing with canine socialization issues. This
is another area altogether where the breed has taken an unfortunate
turn for the worse.
A
working drive is an element that is almost non-existent in the
American blood-line bred dogs today. An imbalance between drive
and an unbalanced nervous system is a situation for disaster in
terms of how a canine fits into society today. There are many
characteristics that could be labeled as drive. To simplify the
term, drive is an inherent characteristic that motivates a canine
into certain behaviors. These behaviors were part of the inheritance
from the original blood-lines and inbred for survival. These would
be, for example, the drive to reproduce, to hunt for food, to
fit into the pack, to defend territory, and many other characteristics
that would fit into this category. Drive is essential for utilizing
the canines capability to be an active participant in our society
today. No canine without the proper drives will be a productive
working dog.
In
today’s ever changing world, many of these characteristics have
been bred out of the American German Shepherds and other breeds.
We as humans, in our attempt to be masters of all we survey, have
done irreversible damage to many breeds in America. With irresponsible
canine ownership and lack of discernment on the part of many breeders,
we have allowed our canine population to mutate into what we have
today. This would be a population, in many cases, to be a breed
out of control. It is so bad that some very noble breeds are considered
liabilities to communities, and in some instances are banned from
ownership in those communities. This is a by-product of irresponsible
breeding programs, accountability of owners, and a politically
biased group, with an agenda to humanize breeds to make them what
they were never intended to be.
With all of this said, I am determined to produce a stable, healthy,
German Shepherd dog with plenty of workability and drive. The
only way to do this is to start with European blood-lines that
have proven themselves throughout the years. We will not breed
to American Bloodlines at VFS.
If
you are looking for a german shepherd dog give us a call. We intend to have a pool
of german shepherd dog to select from all year long. We also can import adults
or pups from Europe and have them shipped here in less than a
month. We work with the top breeders in Europe to insure we can
get the line of german shepherd dog you are looking for.
Sincerely,
Tom Brown
