provide some examples of any endurance based animal (dog or not) that is shaped like a gsd. - Page 21

SistaMom,,,Idefix is good with children, but you can not trust any dog.  My nephew was mauled by a Rottie when he was 3 years old.  I remembered our neighbor always said "he is a good friendly dog".  I know I have a pic somewhere, i will post it.

 

sistamom..here, he is the one at the right, the slender one is his brother Iceman.  And latest video of him a bit larger dog now...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnnZnOGpac8

why do folks keep bringing up beauty when referring to show dogs????

beauty is totally subjective 1000%, i sure don't find too many show dogs beautiful animals but thats just my opinion like all statements of beauty - personal opinion only that has no general validity, some i do most i don't. kind of a stupid parameter.

Exactly, Gustav;  and there have always been Herding classes
at German Sieger shows, have there not ?  And some degree 
of cross-over between lines entered.  Now if Dorothy Eustis had
claimed a lack of "Dual-Champions" in both 'lines' she might have
got closer to the mark,  but 'class winners' ?

Vonissk, I think the sire you posted that last pic of is very handsome;
and pretty 'correct' in structure;  I guess that counts as "beautiful" for
me !   No,vk, beauty is NOT the only factor we should all consider when
we look at a dog, whether at work, sport or in a showring - but it is a good
guide as to whether you have a true specimen of the breed, once you add
in all the other requirements about health, drives,  temperament, intelligence
etc.  Otherwise we may as well all keep complete mongrels and not bother
about what breed our dog is at all.  [I suggest that if we did that, we would
lose more than we gained.]

I agree beauty is very subjective, for many the most beautifull GSD is not the show GSD, it´s a straightbacked less angulated GSD, the more wolflike natural type. I have yet to see a any GSD match the beauty of a wolf anyway.

"To check the project against the German show standard of structure an informal show was held in August, 1933. 50 of the younger dogs, both sexes, were sow under a competent and well know German judge. All of the dogs shown were working dogs or are now being trained as workers. In accordance with the German custom all dogs were not only placed one, two, three but were qualified as excellent, very good, good, fair or failure. These qualifications are principally made on structure. the dogs shown qualified according to the judge, as follows:

The dogs rated as follows:
Males
26.7% Excellent
53.3% Very good
20.5% Good
Females
37.1% Excellent
45.7% Very good
17.2% Good
No animals below good.

Of the 16 awards of excellent, 15 of the animals had Fortunate Fields bred fathers and mothers."
 

SM, that's pretty darn impressive! 

Its a great book for any breeders to study, especially breeders of GSD's

Having beautiful working line dogs and also conformation dogs that can work is truly doable! IMO, as breeders we should strive for this.