[Sarah Hall]

Hmm... makes me both worried and excited. The worried part is that the rules aren't going to be strict enough and we're going to have more unstable dogs taught to bite. The excited part is if this may be a step in the right direction for the German Shepherd's future in the US. I'm wondering if the idea of what a German Shepherd SHOULD be (as well as the other approved breeds in this sport that are suffering a plight like the GSD) is finally getting into the director's minds! This will change, somewhat, the breeding of the German Shepherd Dog because the average show GSD cannot compete without risk of injury in protection. Perhaps all dogs to compete will be required to have hips/elbows OFA'd or PennHip'ed?! I hope so. This may start to change the AKC's guidelines on breeding, and may bring it one step closer to an SV-style breeding program. That would put a LOT of breeders out of business, but it should be about the quality of the dogs, not the breeder's bottom line. Maybe I'm getting too worked up over such a small step, but I wonder what the ripple effect will be 10 years down the line?!

 

[Sarah Hall]

Very true. I'm only HOPING these trials will be strictly regulated. Of course, we are talking AKC here :roll:
Plus the GSDCA is going to be overseeing the trials for AKC, and we all know where THEIR allegiance lies :evil:

 

[Sarah Hall]

Hmm... this will be very interesting to see how this turns out. All those hotshot AKC show breeders will be blown out of the water by German style GSDs!

 

[Sarah Hall]

Good points Bob and Stacia. I thought it said that each parent organization is in charge. So that would mean, for German Shepherds, the GSDCA, which means they will, in turn, put it on the GSDCA-WDA. :roll:
I just hope this WON'T turn out like what you both are saying. For the sake of the breed. It's only a matter of time for those unstable ASS(Thank you for that one Bob :wink: ) to bite a few people and then BSL will spread like wildfire. The'll say "Look at these SHOW DOGS that are biting! The breed really IS bad, and [insert city name here] will not allow them in city limits!"
Then I'll just have to move...

 

[Sarah Hall]

I'm sure there are a handful of sound American Shepherds, but if you want to compare, more GERMAN German Shepherds are working dogs (protection, schutzhund, police service dog, etc.) than American Shepherds because of their mental soundness. I am not a fan of show shepherds here in America (even some of the German lines are getting out of hand), but it's still my opinion that if this thing is run correctly, then the true Shepherd will shine. Maybe von Stephanitz's ideals shall re-enter the minds of breeders.

 

[Sarah Hall]

The vet actually recommended Glycoflex III

I love Glycoflex III for joints. Anything with Glucosamine is good for joints. If she starts getting bad with her pain a few years down, try for Rimadyl. Thats an anti-inflammatary/arthritis RX.
We're all here to support you, and if you have any questions you know where to get some good answers!
What did they recommend the salmon oil for? I use if for it's coat enhancing qualities, when needed.