[nagdu] dog breed question

Sat Nov 29 01:02:51 UTC 2014

Hi everyone,

I can’t say anything about other breeds but, I know German Shepherds. The majority of health problems we see in the GSD today are a result of poor breeding. Of course the GSD’s we see today are not the original bloodlines created by Max Stephanitz back in 1899. However we have American bloodlines, West German Show Lines, West German Working Lines and DDR Lines which are East German lines. There are also Czech lines that were created from East Dogs. When German Shepherds became popular it lead to many people breeding for specific looks or behaviors instead of the health of the dog, thus getting away from the breed standard. That has lead to hip, skin, digestive problems and degenerative myopathy. The exceptions are the East and Czech lines. They had a closed breeding program for 40 years during the cold war. Dogs that showed signs of ANY defect were not allowed to breed or some were destroyed. That is harsh but, it did create a very healthy and extreme working dog. So much that I don’t think you will see a pure DDR come through a School. 

The cold war ended 25 years ago and thanks to some very thoughtful people there are still some of the East bloodlines around, dogs that have not been mixed with American or West bloodlines. The proof is in the DDR dogs that are out there, you do not see the same health problems with them as the other lines. 

Regards,

Brett and Ziva (DDR/GSD/BFH)

> On Nov 28, 2014, at 6:18 PM, Nicole Torcolini via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Excuse me, but I respectfully  disagree, as I assume that what you are
> saying would also apply to German Shepherds. If a German Shepherd is born
> where it will have hip problems later in life, I don't think that the
> environment has anything to do with it. Have you done research on German
> Shepherds? I have never had one, but I have heard plenty of stuff about them
> having back and hip problems because of breeding.
> 
> Nicole
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org>] On Behalf Of Raven Tolliver
> via nagdu
> Sent: Friday, November 28, 2014 2:47 PM
> To: Shanna Stichler; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide
> Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] dog breed question
> 
> How healthy a dog is depends on how good you take care of your dog, it is as
> simple as that. Diseases don't drop out of the sky, and so-called genetic
> conditions are expressed in reaction to environmental factors. Also, whether
> a dog gets a certain condition typically depends on the dog's immune system,
> not the dog breed.
> As far as bone disorders, guide dogs don't typically end up with dysplasias
> and such because they are screened for them before they are even trained for
> formal guide work.
> If a guide dog ends up with something like that, I would blame it on
> improper nutrition during puppy hood, and also early castration, which is
> possible with some schools putting out such young dogs.
> A dog cared for properly does not have to be the poster child for any
> disease or condition.
> 
> On 11/27/14, Shanna Stichler via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Labs are a pretty robust breed, for the most part. They can have joint 
>> problems, but hip and elbow dysplasia shouldn't be a factor since your 
>> school should be checking for that before your dog is considered 
>> class-ready.
>> 
>> All my Labs were very healthy except for the occasional ear infection.
>> Ear infections are something to watch out for in dogs with floppy ears 
>> like Labradors, but they are very easy to treat and even prevent with 
>> regular ear cleaning.
>> 
>> Best of luck with your new guide!
>> 
>> Shanna with Diamond
>> 
>> On 11/26/2014 10:37 AM, Tracy Carcione via nagdu wrote:
>>> I've had 3 female labs.  They were all very healthy. The only health 
>>> problem 2 of them had was spayed bitch incontinence, meaning 
>>> sometimes they would leak urine in their sleep.  It was easily 
>>> controlled with a pill.
>>> Tracy
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Sanders via nagdu"
>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2014 11:03 AM
>>> Subject: [nagdu] dog breed question
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> Hi,
>>>> I have a question: when I got my call from Pilot Dogs, they said 
>>>> that the breed of dog I would be getting is a female Lab.
>>>> Can female labs get health issue a lot easier then other breeds?
>>>> I hope to hear from you soon.
>>>> Sincerely,
>>>> John Sanders
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>>> 
>>> 
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>> 
>> 
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>> 
> 
> 
> --
> Raven
> Stop being a victim, and choose to be a victor.
> 
> Naturally-reared guide dogs
> https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nrguidedogs
> 
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> 
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