Grunfeld German Shepherds

The Yak Frankengold sons V6 Idol and VA7 Odin Holtkämper Hof were impressive, carrying on the tradition of character from Yak's great sire, Hoss Lärchenhain, again strengthening my opinion that Hoss-Yak "blood" should be used more. These are dogs and bloodlines that deserve to leapfrog to the top of the standings. But now that Yak (and Hoss?) went to China, that decision will fall to succeeding generations and future judges. The SV website listed Riska as the dam of both Idol and Odin, but the catalog (and pedigreedatabase) say Ginga is the dam of Idol. Pedigreedatabase says that Ginga is the grandmother of Riska. Sister Raica is the dam of the nice Zamp sons V15 Negus and V24 Naxos, and this R litter has several illustrious dogs in their pedigree, which should not be lost: Iwan Lechtal, Don OsterbergerLand, Fando Sudblick, Lord Georg-Viktor-Turm, and Don Lennefetal. V32 Ilbo Holtkämper See (Yak again) is another example of the superior breeding skill of Hermann Nie dergassel of Bielefeld

VA8 Vegas du Haut Mansard was acceptable in the test and beautiful in the ring, but a danger flag might be raised when one considers that his brother Vadim only got a Vorhanden, and I already mentioned the hesitancy I have in waving the flag for their sire Pakros, when it comes to convincing bitework.

There were only eight VA awards, which makes sense, given the number of dogs entered, and the slim depth of the "cream of the crop" in the "total dog" picture. The substantial and handsome Esko son, V1 Bravos Steffen Haus (not the same dog we knew several years ago although somehow he has the same name!), V2 Janos Noriswand (Yasko again), and V3 Quantum Fiemereck (Rocky Haus Tepferd) comported themselves very well, as did V4 Lorenzo Isadora (Drago Pallas Athena). It was good to see Ando AltenbergerLand represented by the Rocky son, as Ando has very valuable genetic and phenotypic diversity to offer. It was doubly nice for me, to see this Quantum doing well, as I have a half-brother at home. Ando, Orbit Tronje, and Timo Berrekasten (through such good dogs as V55 Arex Herbramer-Wald) are being neglected to the detriment of things we need, such as great shoulder opening, courage, and gait. But mostly, the simple fact that by concentrating most of the lines on Yasko, Larus, and a handful of other closely related dogs, we are shooting ourselves in the foot, genetically speaking. Even those who do not want the working-line dogs in the show ring should realize that we've narrowed the gene pool far too much. V29 Benny Haus Pe-Ja has many BSP dogs on his father's side.
V5 Yimmy Contra (Larus) lacked training and possibly confidence, as he was nibbling on the sleeve. V7 Nando della Valcuvia was not very serious. Several VA
or potential VA dogs failed the courage test. Nando Gollerweiher failed to release his grip, but perhaps it's just as well that his sire Yello St.Michaelsberg was not represented in the top spots, as most of his sons were disappointing in the test. Exceptions, however, include the marvelous work of V22 Tiras vom Roten Feld and his brother Tigger. I would like to meet their mother, Sindy. Karat's Yoker, a dog many people had high hopes for in the past few years, noticeably failed his courage test, and Karat's Ulk slipped back from last year's V1 to this year's V18; I predict that this marks his retirement from the show ring. Breeder Jimmy Rasmussen is not having a good year. Brothers Solo (Vorhanden in the courage test) and Sammo Team Fiemereck (absent) are two Nero sons that disappoint in that field, although they are beautiful anatomically.

Look for V8 Dux Jabora (Esko grandson with motherline to Japan Sieger Dorian Yohaness Berg) next year. This is a very promising dog from Holland with some very nice pups on the ground. A few respectable Nero Nöbachtal sons such as V25 Maestro Osterberger-Land, V26 Teejay Wilhendorf (John Henkel of the USA), and V33 Yambo Radsieksbeeke, owned by my acquaintance Werner Plöger in Detmold, are redeeming Nero's tarnished name. That dog, before being sold in disgrace and for mega-money to the Far East, had his elbows operated on before the owners could prove that (if!) they were normal. A dark cloud of suspicion rightly remains over such actions. My tour group had opportunity to examine another Nero son, in the back yard of some really nice people named Francis & Ferdi van de Kruisweg, who were housing him for the Winnloh kennels. This SchH-3 dog is for sale and is a magnificent animal in all respects.

Much information can be gleaned from watching the courage tests with an eye to who the dogs' fathers are, then combining those pictures with what you see in the progeny groups. Notable examples of such stud-dog value included Orbit Huhnegrab, Yak Frankengold, Idol Holtkämper Hof, Hill Farbenspiel, Dux de Cuatro Flores, Orbit Tronje, and Kliff Trollbachtal. These showed considerable uniformity in structure, and good TSB (courage and control) as a rule. The judge Heinz Scheerer praised the Hill vom Farbenspiel line as becoming a valuable bloodline for the breed. New Sieger Zamp did not show as much uniformity in his offspring, and many seemed to have steep croups. Quantum Arminius's progeny has light pigment and were not very uniform. Parkos's offspring lacked uniformity, too, although color was better.

Quenn Löher Weg produced a number of white-blaze chests. Bravos Steffenhaus progeny showed light pigment, but that is to be expected from an Esko son. All things must be considered in balance, so if you have an Esko type, you need to concentrate on mating such a dog to one with a history of dark pigment and convincing self-confidence.

We cannot forget the females, even though they have a smaller impact on the breed's population genetics, due to males contributing their alleles up to 70 times a year more often. Although bitches have far less impact on the breed, due to fewer offspring than males are responsible for, there were a few outstanding examples. It was unfortunate that the Swedish bitch "Space Geanie" got an SG-1 (the only SG) instead of V-126, because she did truly great work on Friday and should be recognized for that quality.

My choice for Siegerin (again, as last year) was Shalome von Oasis, a fantastic bitch with terrific bitework & gait, bred by Alfons Roerkohl. She was "pulled" (excused from competing in the gaiting evaluation) this year, probably because her owner felt she did not have a chance to be chosen for top spot. This happens with a lot of good dogs - people want the crowd to see the character, but do not want a lower than desired placement, so they persuade the veterinarian or other official to grant them an excuse from gait competition. VA2 Chakira Osterberger Land and VA8 Oduscha Team Fiemereck (rumored to be likely Siegerin for 2006) were also notable for their spectacular flying attacks as well as their beauty. The prolific breeder Richard Brauch showed his V37 Quenda Elzmündungsraum (a daughter of Boss E., who failed the courage test in 2004) and she did well in both the conformation competition as well as the TSB. I was impressed by the beauty of the Dutch-bred VA3 Yasmin Nieuwlandshof, and Helmut Buss' V3 Boogie Ochsentor.

Usually in these annual reports, I write something about the up-and-coming dogs who placed high in the 12-18 and 18-24-month classes. Yet, anyone who is familiar with what I call "the succession system", without even knowing the winners' names, can just as easily predict who will get the top V and a couple of VA spots the following year - they are the young dogs who get the first two placings in each of these two classes in the year. There are few surprises, then, for those who watch the news or take notes during the previous year's show. Still, the spectacle, the electric energy in the air, the drama of doing the TSB test well or not, the impact of a field whose perimeter is full of beautiful dogs, the international flavor of the game - these are excellent reasons for attending the Sieger Show in Germany, the birthplace of the breed. But keep an eye out for the Zamp son V43 Vito Farbenspiel, to see if he again does a good TSB and moves up in the rankings. His mother is a Yasko d aughter (there he is again!) and a Natz Steigerhof granddaughter.

Of course, I also strongly believe that as long as you are going to Europe, you should see some of the country, with its cultural and scenic attractions, and meet some of the breeders and perhaps visit training clubs, the way my groups do every year. I try to offer a blend of showdogs, working-line dogs, breeder visits, and dinners at training clubs where we can also see various techniques. Many times, someone in my group ends up buying a puppy from someone we visit or get an introduction to. If you'd like to be a part of this 7- to 9-day experience, you can contact me at mrgsd@HIWAAY.net


2006 Sieger Zamp Thermodos	Idol holtkamper hof	Odin Holtkamper hof

Quantum Fiemereck	Quenn v Loher Weg	Shalome V Basis

Yasmin v Neuwlandshof	Bravos Steffen haus

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