Sieger Champion Lineages
Beauty and Brawn
Over the last couple of weeks, I have received a lot of inquiries about the drive, temperament, focus and personal/working potential of our German showline quality Sieger Champion bloodline pups.
I wanted to address this in a written forum as well. What makes a BSZS Champion? Are they just pretty to look at? what is the competition like? How versatile are pups that come from BSZS Champion bloodlines?
Most people believe that showline lineages are just pretty to look at, this is incorrect. yes! there is a line drawn between showline vs working line. No argument there; what is never addressed is that show line does not mean: no-drive, no-focus, no potential.
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*** I will be addressing, separately in another blog very shortly, an aspect of GSDs that is very close to my heart : The German Shepherd Dog IS a Therapy Dog ***
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Working line vs Show line is just like owning the rumored BMW/Mclaren Supercar vs owning the 30th Anniversary Edition BMW Jahre M5. Both are precision built, both have speed; but each has a specific purpose. You are either inside of a missile on wheels or inside an alcantara-leather wrapped missile with heated seats on wheels.
When you have a Sieger lineage GSD, you have BALANCE! you have TEMPERAMENT! you have DRIVE! : you have a true to breed standard, well rounded, balanced, loyal GSD: Beauty AND Brawn.
There are two major different types of German Shepherds in the World Standard: The Working lines and the Show line
The working lines are usually smaller, have very little angulation, are usually only KKL2 (permitted to breed, but not recommended to breed). All German Shepherds in Germany must get Schutzhund titles before they are permitted to breed, so obviously both types can do the work, but not necessarily with the same amount of intensity.
Working lines are usually bred to have a very high pain tolerance. This means they do not respond very much to pain. This helps a Police dog when a crazy man on drugs is trying to kick the s**t out of him so he won't give up the fight. It also means he will not respond to normal corrections and requires much harder discipline to get the dog to obey you.
Working dogs have more 'hair trigger' aggression, and generally a higher Prey drive. Because of this, they must be monitored carefully around people, especially children. Anything that moves fast becomes Prey (like a rabbit) to be chased down and caught. If a jogger runs by, or a child zips by running, or is on a bicycle or on skates, the Working dog may react to them as if they are Prey. They can't grab with their paws, so they use their mouth to grab (bite) to stop their Prey.
So what is best for you will depend on how you intend to live with your dog (kennel dog or house companion), how experienced of a dog handler you are with aggressive dogs, and how far you want to go in SchH competition. With the higher pain tolerance, the higher aggression and higher Prey drive, you had better know what you are doing and how to handle the dog in a safe manner if you want a working line shepherd.
If you intend to compete in SchH 3 Nationals, you will find the working dog is more likely to get you to that level. If you want a really nice quality dog with relatively easy going temperament that does have natural (but sensible) protection drives, that can make it's SchH titles with proper training, and is easier to live with and control than the Working line dog, then you will do better with the German Show line shepherd.
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- BSP- Bundessiegerprufung (Ger.) German National Working German Shepherd Dog Championship - a yearly Schutzhund competition.
- TSB = Triebveranlagung, Selbstsicherheit, Belastbarkeit, “Strong temperament, Self-assuredness,Ability to work under pressure”: During the Protection phase the dog is evaluated not only on the technical accuracy of the exercises but also for its courage and hardness. The judge will award on of three possible classification:
TSBa, ausgepraegt, “Pronounced”
TSB vh, vorhanden, “Present or Sufficient”
TSB ng, nicht geneugend, “Insufficient”
What is a Showline Sieger Champion anyway?
"Sieger" means champion in German; it refers to the breeding sport Schutzhund (lit. guard dog), which has qualified working GSDs for breeding since their invention just before the 20th century began.
The German Sieger trials, run by the original GSD club, the Schaferhundverein (SV), have long been considered the gold standard for Schutzhund, although there is general distress in some circles in the US about what is perceived as a weakening of the standards. The Bundessieger is the SV German champion, and the Weltsieger is the SV world champion.
The point of Shutzhund is first and foremost to qualify a dog for breeding. In Germany, a Sch title (1, 2, or 3) is required for both parents, or the dog is not an SV GSD.
There's actually a progression of qualifications: (not in order performed)
The German Sieger trials, run by the original GSD club, the Schaferhundverein (SV), have long been considered the gold standard for Schutzhund, although there is general distress in some circles in the US about what is perceived as a weakening of the standards. The Bundessieger is the SV German champion, and the Weltsieger is the SV world champion.
The point of Shutzhund is first and foremost to qualify a dog for breeding. In Germany, a Sch title (1, 2, or 3) is required for both parents, or the dog is not an SV GSD.
There's actually a progression of qualifications: (not in order performed)
- BH: public comportment. Stability in the presence of other dogs and people doing strange things (skateboard, for instance). Good basic obedience. Like the AKC CD title. A gun sensitivity steadiness test is given to all age groups excluding the puppy classes.
- AD: Basically, run a half-marathon with two brief breaks, then do obedience at the end. A GSD can trot effortlessly faster than almost any human being can run. (gaiting test)
- A conformation judgment. Is the dog biomechanically sound? Does it look like a GSD? This has a couple of levels. Judges look for the correct and proper structure, anatomy and character of each dog.This showcases the muscles and bones and allows judges to determine if they work correctly and move in a certain rhythm. Strength, endurance and liveliness are all evaluated during this aspect of the test.
- TSB- Schutzhund 1, 2, and 3 are progressively harder tests of obedience, ground-scent work, and the ability to take on an aggressive human "agitator" without losing control: place him under arrest following the orders of the handler, and protect the handler from attack. The first is judging the attack on the handler and the second is the pursuit and courage test. Dogs that do not demonstrate a correct performance test are ineligible for the excellent-select (VA) rating. The (VA) rating is the highest attainable award at the sieger show and one the competitors strive for. ***(note that there are on average 10 VAs only; thus a V rating is nothing to be taken lightly)***
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There are two main annual, national competition events in Germany that are of the greatest interest to people around the world. One is called the Sieger Show or Bundessiegerzuchtschau (BSZS), and the other is the Bundessiegerprüfung (BSP). The BSZS is open to all qualified dogs regardless of country of birth or residence. The BSP is open only to dogs resident in Germany.
At the Sieger Show, there is a qualification performance for adult dogs on the first of the three days.; TSB trial. It is commonly referred to as “the courage test”. In the first one, the handler and dog walk at heel toward a blind from which an attacker jumps out and threatens them. In the second, the dog is sent from the far end of the field to intercept the “bad guy”. In each case, the trespasser is charging at them, waving a stick as his weapon. The dog must confidently and firmly hit the intruder, and bite steadily with a full-mouth grip. The dog must not “shy” at any time or let go during the struggle.
In each case, after the “out”, the dog must guard the motionless “bad guy” until picked up by the handler. An evaluation of Ausgeprägt "Pronounced" enables a dog to be presented for the conformation judging, which for that dog begins a few minutes after leaving the courage test field. An evaluation of Vorhanden ("sufficient" means the dog barely passed but with a relatively poor level of courage and fighting drive (TSB) Such a dog can still get an SG (Very Good) rating at most, but is ineligible for the V (excellent) rating, or the VA, which is what the top few qualifiers get. Adult females go through the same process, but since males produce up to ten times as many offspring a year, they are the ones most studied at the show by breeders and potential puppy buyers.
****SG – Very Good the highest rating for dogs in the young dog (under 2 YOA) categories (without SchH titles) and also the dogs in the working classes that have some slight Deviations from the standard.... SO age does matter when it comes to the SG title)****
The BSZS, the USCA Sieger (USA) and the BSP all serve as their respective country's marketplace for breed stock. "The nation's top working dogs, police and breeding dogs, will be in the show ring," "Some transactions are done at prices that will make your hair curl. These dogs are the best specimens of stamina, working drive, fighting instinct, high energy and power - the qualities that are rooted in the mind of a champion German shepherd."
The origins of all training, such as Schutzhund or IPO, are based in Germany. These training tests were developed as a primary method of producing top level German Shepherd Dogs. They were geared to identify suitability of individual dogs for work in several formats:
- Stamina and endurance
- Agility
- Temperament and nerves (how well the dog handles stress)
- Courage
- Intelligence
- Handler Loyalty
- Desire to Work
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VA3 SIEGER 2015 CHAMPION
Pacco vom Langenbungert IPO3
2016 BSP CHAMPION
Kalimero von Kap Karthago
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Showline GSD pups bred from Sieger Champion lineages are not inferior in any way to workingline GSDs. They are simply in a different league and each individual owner must be honest with themselves in what they are looking for in the wants and desires of their pups.
Our pups have been selected to fill a variety of roles: Personal client acquisition by the Houston K9 Academy, future Texas Schutzhund Club affiliates, Personal protection clients, GSD breeders and of course families that simply want quality, beauty, brawn, drive and temperament in their companions.
TSB videos of our Sire and Dams lineages can be found on our FB page and website. As well as our Sire USHER VOM ELBE SAALE WINKEL completing Schutzhund training in Germany.
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Various excerpts have been taken from other online open source information to include Jackie Athon. Thank you to all those who contributed.
