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My mother grew up with a lovely German shepherd who died young of very, very bad hip displasia. This was back in the 60s-70s. Have the major genetic problems with the breed been fixed at all? I've been considering getting pax a buddy maybe a year from now, and love GSDs but also don't like beloved pets dying early from preventable genetic diseases :/
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Sep 28, 2015 17:19
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| # ¿ May 11, 2024 19:00 |
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Triangulum posted:Hip dysplasia isn't really something that a dog can die of, it just cripples the poo poo out of them. Contrary to popular belief, HD really isn't the fault of show breeders. The problem is that when the breed was being developed, some of the founding stock had pretty bad HD as did the early popular sires. So honestly it will always be an issue in the breed but like alifeless said, research your lines and find some who've had minimal issues with HD and you'll have a much better chance at getting a dog would good hips. Yeah, the dog was left unable to walk at age 7-8 and had to be put down  She was apparently a fantastic dog though.
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Sep 28, 2015 18:21
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For future reference, what would you guys reccomend for good breeders in the Mid Atlantic region? We wouldn't be getting pax a friend for another year or so, but I've heard that it takes that long to get to know a reputable breeder and reserve puppies
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Oct 6, 2015 18:52
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Triangulum posted:Really depends on what you want out of the dog. If you're just looking for a nice pet and a buddy for Pax, I probably wouldn't go working line. I'm not too familiar with show lines tbh but I'd look for a breeder that shows in CKC rather than AKC because they penalize pretty heavily for hosed up back legs. If you tell me what state you're in, I'll see if I can find some for you. We are in Maryland, but I wouldn't mind driving an hour or two for a healthy puppy. I really appreciate it, no rush obviously because Pax still has to grow up a bit first before we even think of adding another dog
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Oct 6, 2015 20:30
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As soon as exams settle down, I am going to try and post some pictures of my moms childhood GSD, Doina. Apparently Doina was from one of the lines that came over to the US originally back in the day. My mom still has trouble talking about her a bit, which sounds really dumb because it's been like 40 years but everyone loved that dog. She did mention that Doina had a unique personality, and was a bit of a serious dog at times, but I'm looking for a more serious dog to balance out Paxs goofiness (he also, bizarrely, seems to get along really well with shepherds in general...the worst they do if he is being too goofy is just ignore him). I know it's a ways off, but I figured I would start reading up on the breed in advance as well
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Oct 15, 2015 04:26
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My moms German shepherd Doina hated men (besides my grandpa). My mom had a pool party for her birthday in their above ground pool, and when a guy went up on the diving board to jump in, Doina ran up and tore his swim trunks off.
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Feb 18, 2016 02:27
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| # ¿ May 11, 2024 19:00 |
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I am not condoning Doinas actions, and I realize that it could contribute to the stereotype of German shepherds brutally owning people both mentally and physically, but it was apparently very, very funny
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Feb 18, 2016 02:35
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