KNPV is a term that comes up often when speaking of working dogs, and with good cause; KNPV is one of the most challenging and well-respected dog sports in the world. Between 800 and 1000 dogs get their KNPV PH1 title each year. Of these, only about 5 will be German Shepherds. KNPV titles can only achieved in Holland, where ..read more

In German Shepherds, standing ears have been a staple of the breed’s appearance since the very first were bred in the early 1900’s. Unlike other breeds whose ears must be painfully cropped, the German Shepherd has been bred for ears that stand naturally, without the need for unnecessary surgery. Not only do standing ears give the ..read more

We were very fortunate to be in a position to have purchased Oma. Oma is a K.N.P.V. PH1 title female German Shepherd that we are importing from Holland. She earned her coveted title a year ago. For a female German Shepherd to have a K.N.P.V title is almost unheard of. There are only 800 to 1000 Dogs a year that ..read more

It has been nearly 20 years since the reunification of Germany in 1990, preceded by the opening of the Berlin Wall in 1989. However, a divide still exists, even today, between the German Shepherd bloodlines that were recovered after the Second World War. From 1949 until 1990, Germany was divided into the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR) in the East, and ..read more

When German Shepherd breeder Max von Stephanitz created the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde as a means to standardize the German Shepherd breed, his vision was that of utility over aesthetic quality. The German Shepherd is a working breed above all else, and von Stephanitz worked hard to ensure that only the strongest, most intelligent and most capable dogs would represent ..read more

Knowing how to travel with your protection dog is an absolute necessity. After all, your dog cannot protect you from home while you and your family are miles away. No matter how you plan to travel, the first thing you should do is ensure that you have an appropriately sized dog crate. There should be enough room in the crate ..read more

Over the past weeks, we have been looking at the differences in the many coat colourings seen in German Shepherds and the problems that arise when German Shepherd breeders focus on colour and appearance rather than working ability. We have also talked a lot about the difference between recessive and dominant genes. Every dog has two sets of genes, and ..read more

The 2010 dog breed calendars are in stock now, at Dogwise and Amazon. These make great gifts, assuming of course that you can bear to part with them!

Dogwise always has a great selection, and here is the link to their alphabetical list of 2010 Dog Breed Calendars. I went browsing around, and looked at some of the breeds that I ..read more

As outlined in previous posts, genetics plays an important role in the working ability of a dog. Whether or not a dog will make an effective personal protection dog depends largely on its genes and its bloodline. The way in which the colour of a dog’s coat is related to working ability can be complicated. The easy answer is that ..read more

To the average person, the difference between a German Shepherd bred in America versus one bred in Germany may not be readily apparent, but the differences are numerous in both physical appearance as well as temperament and working ability. If one were to visually compare the German lines with American lines, the most immediately noticeable difference would be in the ..read more