provide some examples of any endurance based animal (dog or not) that is shaped like a gsd. - Page 20

9:10 to 8.8 to 10 is what the Fortunate Fields used, but this deviated from the SV standard.

In 1924, Fortunate Fields made a study of the conformation considered necessary in a working dog. this theoretical structure differed in some points from the ideal of the GSD from the show standpoint as that structure was described in the "Standard" of the parent German club and the various breeders' clubs throughout the world. which had adopted the standard of the parent club.

Early show records show that varied from about 21.5" to 27.5" (some shorter and some taller), and and from very short to very long in body-length.

I have not been able to find a copy of the first standard (pre SV) or the first SV standard.


Border collies, Aussies, and Mallis are all longer body dogs, so I have to wonder about the shorter body length idea that Fortunate Fields decided upon.

Fortunate Fields did not breed for tending dogs, did they?

 

http://www.germanshepherd100years.com/breed-blog

Fortunate Fields was Dorothy Eustis, this is a link to an article she wrote for "The Saturday Evening Post" in 1927 regarding training and selecting for GSD's as seeing eye  dogs.

Not sure what all different types of work the dogs were expected to do, seeing eye dogs, war dogs, police dogs, not sure what else.

"It will be remembered that at the turn if this century the German Shepherd was a breed began to split into two strains. The one produced beautiful dogs, including all show winners. The other produced working dogs, including all the working champions. No dog of the championship strains born since 1909 has produced winners in both show and working classes. Thus the cleavage is completely. Since we desired both beauty and working qualities we found it necessary to open the pedigrees in an effort to recombine the trials which had been separated. What success has rewarded this effort? Among the first dogs (those produced by two non-Fortunate Fields parents) we find that physical beauty and workable temperament are negatively correlated. That is, generally speaking, the less handsome the animal the more likely he would be a splendid worker and vice versa. This observation reflects the cleavage in the breed which we have just mentioned. In a later group of dogs (those having one Fortunate Fields parent) we find no relationship between structural and behavior excellence. In the most recent group, the handsomer dogs have, on average, possessed the best working temperaments. The correlation of coefficient is not yet high, but there is every reason to believe that dogs can be produced which would merit consideration in the show-ring and at the same time, possess the intelligence and temperament of successful and brilliant working dogs."





 

SM - is that quote written with ALL GSDs in mind, or just the ones in
America ?

That's why I questioned it, Vonissk -  I got that it was written from
the viewpoint of someone (in this case Mrs Eustis) heavily involved in
an american program of breeding.  JMO, but I feel however good some
older breeders were, if they had a primarily US interpretation of 'the state
of the breed', and on the show / work split, it could be misleading.  I honestly
do not think you would find any writers in the UK or other european countries,
ie closer to Germany, who were NOT ex-pat Americans, saying  "No dog of
championship strains bred since 1909 has produced winners in both show and
working classes. Thus the cleavage is complete."  But she fails to make any
distinction, at least in the paragraph quoted, from GSDs in the rest of the world.  
So I wondered which she expected her readers to accept ...

Husky Dogs are shapped like GSD Also wild wolves and ect ect.

Bernd and Bodo v Lierberg were VA 1 and VA 3.........for some twenty years Bernd was the number ONE producer of Bundesseigerprufund (national working championship) dogs in Germany....so what was he? A working dog or a show dog? Held v Ritterberg was one of the most prolific working dog producers in Breed history. He is a foundation dog in both DDR working lines, and Czech dogs. ( Gomo v Scheiferschloss, Bero, Titus, Quindt and Quant v Barutherland, etc), he also was V-7 in DDR Seiger show,( they didnt have VA so that would be VA-7 if they used VA as select like West Germany), and he produced a V-1 Seigren in conformation to boot. This was in the 60s and 80's. were these dogs show dogs or working dogs, because they did both and produced both at national levels. Trust facts over opinions, it will take you further in the breed.