My Breeding Goals

This is what I am breeding for the old style Large German Shepherd

1. TEMPERAMENT- The GSD I breed are Intelligent, Noble, Dignified, Sensitive, Loyal, Sound in mind and body they make Excellent companions and are Naturally protective and great family pets. They should be a dog that is not extremely dog or animal aggressive. I like a dog that can be trained for not only AKC obedience, but, search and rescue, tracking, herding, disabled helpers, and of course therapy dogs. This ability to track also seems to run in family lines and along with it calls for a calm focus and alertness that serves very well for a family pet and therapy dog.

2. Soundness- Beauty and uniformity in movement often gives the breeder a good indication of overall soundness. A gait that is choppy, bumpy or wavy at the trot can over the long term lead to allot of joint discomfort and pain. But an unnatural flying side gait is not to me good unless the dog can walk soundly too. and climb stairs with ease! A) Genetic disease - Genetic disease in dogs is very common and is something I would very much like to eliminate in my line and I pledge to always work towards that goal . The most prevalent in German shepherds is Hip DYSPLASIA which is a degenerative disease of the joints usually affecting the hips and sometimes the elbows and then will often go on to affect other joints in the body. Some dogs do not show signs of HD but have the disease the only way to know for sure is an x-ray. I x-ray all dogs before I breed and OFA ALL THE DOGS I OWN-by the time they are 3. OFA is the Orthopedics Animals Foundation Certification to certify and register dogs free of hip DYSPLASIA. A group of professional vets evaluate the X-ray and then if the dog is found free of HD he is given a number. The rateings are fair, good and excellent, but since the vets evaluating the x-rays change reguarly, the rateing does not matter, but it is the best system out there and I strongly feel it should be used. Recently AKC has recognized the great importance of OFA and now puts OFA numbers of the parents right on the registration form of the puppy (If the parent’s have one).OFA

3. Beauty and Size- (The Look of Eagles -Regal-Hard to define unmistakable when present) Although I put this category last it is very important to me. General speaking I like a dog with a large head Deep back skull and bone depth and width of chest . Also head and ears are a sticking point I like big ears but they must be straight on top of the skull as opposed to hanging on the side of the skull. This is the type of head I like on a GSD . I’ve seen many dogs who have a beautiful side gait but the hocks bang into each other at a walk there should always be lots of distance between the legs front and back. I like moderately angled hocks not extremes , I've seem some hocks that drag the ground! Long sloping backends are not my goal. and feet should be tight, round ,compact and large. Chest should be WIDE -not narrow. Deep but not below the elbow -too much depth may predisposition a dog for bloat, also jumping ability appears to be reduced. Over the top of the back there should be lots of rib spring giving a solid appearance not a narrow one. I believe Kobe has the look of eagles more than any dog I have owned. I also like a large dog-even a really big dog but I will always go for soundness over size.

Our breed should not be a giant either as many breeders strive for, short life spans and numerous health problems and slow brains effect giant breeds and a shepherd should be long lived and agial physically and mentally, at the same time I have seen dogs of heavy german heritage that are tiny and act like hyper terriors, this is not the shepherd either, it is not a giant as shiloh and king shepherds want and it is not a small dog wieghing in at 50-60lbs and bouncing off the walls either. A shepherd is a large breed. As far as color goes I like a deep-rich pigment as opposed to A light creamy washed out color. Eye color, is not a big factor-but really dark eyes mask expressiveness in the face so I prefer a lighter eye. Also light eye’s in dogs seem to be a plus, all wild canines (wolves,coyotes,foxes,dingo’s ect..) have very light eyes,straight backs, tight round feet, high back skulls,and moderate angulation in the back hocks. I feel if nature selects it, it must be better then going for what a judge might like in the show ring. I spend hours looking at photo’s of wild canines, I just wish dog show judges would too. Conformation judging should be for soundness not fashion.

I have searched for dogs with these qualities and have been for the most part successful in bringing the old -fashioned shepherds back by combining, Old East German lines( Bodo and don) the two dogs most heavily used by seeing eye and the Older American lines. In my search I have found people who breed for either conformation Show ring, Sport Schutzhund, color (I.E. black or white) and almost no one who strives for the just best family pet I think we as breeders loose sight where 98% of all the puppies they breed go- To the average family.

The Lane's House Of Shepherds Difference

Many GSD breeders are now in it for the money, they only breed shepherds, but on a large scale and usually advertise 100% German schutzhund lines. This practice I believe will destroy the breed. If their main goal is money then how can they really care about the dogs? Take a look at What it takes to be a breeder then you will understand why if things keep going on this way the breed has to suffer. The best way to tell a large breeder is by the ad, how many litters they have per year, and sales tactics a big breeder will always have puppies most of the year etc... and breed ten litters or more a year, but most breeders are untruthful about the numbers of dogs they have. they know many people will not buy from large puppy mill type breeders and seldom tell the truth. Lane German Shepherds are raised in the home. Puppies raised outdoors or in a kennel cannot be socialized to the same extent. There for all puppies are born in the house with sounds of TV, Radio and other activities of family life from birth until at least four weeks of age. This “imprinting” is essential. I make an effort to expose older puppies to lots of different surfaces, noises and situations all of this helps in their future developments. I also try to get them outdoors to learn potty training Of course all vaccinations and worming's are done on a regular basis.

Parents: Temperament is a combination of genetics and environment, temperament as a general rule follows after the female more than the male, but both temperaments are essential. A dog can have wonderful lines, and even act like a perfect dog at home, but often when the dog is taken away from home I’ve seen serious temper problems arise. Especially from dogs who’s parents had no titles of temperament. It is common to title the male but never do a thing with the female- nothing at all, The males temperament can be wonderful and stable but if you don’t have those tests on mom watch out! Its common to breed a good male to anytype female, always remember mom is important. Some breeders have had dogs for years but seldom or never take them from home or ever make an attempt to have the dog professionally evaluated or if they do someone else does the training, you can’t evaluate a dog well without training him or her yourself in my opinion.

I've had and seen lots of dogs that were protection trained, or obedience trained, had AKC obedience or Schutzhund titles, but many could not actually get a CGC or TDI certifications (especially shepherds!) . and often because of this had serious temperament problems. Far to many breeders don’t keep their dogs in their house, even just for a night or every other day. Especially many breeders of sporting schutzhund lines, I’ve seen hundreds of these kennels and less the 5% keep the animals in the house. How can you tell if the dog has an energy level appropriate for the average family if you do not keep the animal in the house? Far to many breeders have pen dogs not house dogs. Sometimes I will go to outside males, then I evaluate temperament. but those would be the one of the few exceptions. This does not mean they are non- protective, in fact a dog that has a sound temper and greets people outwardly is more stable- and when a threat comes is much more likely to protect at a real threat than the dog who barks and growls wildly behind a fence. During testing this has been proven over and over.