Dutch Shepherd Forum

Being new to Dutch Shepherds, what Kennels /blood lines do any of you recomend for someone looking for a DS for high level IPO?? Like a dog that is high drive, clear headed, and aggressive in bitework.

Thanks for your feedback.

Is this question taboo since no one answers it???

It's not taboo, I'm just not sure too many people have advice on it. A lot of us have rescues, most of those from NADSR. Quite a few of the breeders aren't in the US.I know there are a few US breeders on these forums and they would know a lot about blood lines that could be useful.

If you head on over to the buy/sell/trade section, there are old posts with a few different litter announcements and you can start your research by looking through old posts there.

I'm strictly a dog sport person and only compete in agility, obedience, and dock diving, so I probably won't be much help with talking about lines good for bitework, but based on what I've heard and seen, there are a few I would suggest looking into.

Christie Meyer with Northwoods K9 is one of the few breeders I'd consider for a second dog. She's on this forum too and will probably pop in when she's not busy with a zillion other things.

Kole Mountain Kennels and Van Wijn Tuin Dutch Shepherds (in Canada, but can get a dog to the US) also have great reputations. I love the way Bor looks and Kole Mountain used him recently in a breeding, but I couldn't tell you what anything on his pedigree means pertaining to bitework, it's just not my thing.

That's all I know about kennels. I hope it helps some.

Sorry for the delayed response!

Stephanie, thank you so much for the kind words. I'm a sucker for my dogs But its very nice to hear someone else say something nice!

I agree with the recommendations of Kole Mountain and Van Wijn Tuin. I would also add Asheley Winters to the list of great working dog breeders. She has maintained a very high level of consistency. She is planning a breeding soon with Benta (a proven dam) and Deb K's "Cooper." Should produce some very nice dogs!!

Good luck in your search. There is a wide variety of temperaments in the Working Dutch Shepherd world. Some are extremely biddable. Some are quick to come up the leash. So I would identify what characteristics are most important to you, and then find the breeder with those lines.

Christie M wrote:Sorry for the delayed response!

Stephanie, thank you so much for the kind words. I'm a sucker for my dogs But its very nice to hear someone else say something nice!

I think anyone that spends as much time as you do with rescue and on these forums giving advice is a great asset to the breed. Like I said, I don't know a ton about bitework aside from the French Ring stuff I attend with friends just to watch, but I've heard great things about your dogs from Jennifer and I've run into quite a few people at dock diving shows in Michigan that talk highly of the lines behind your dogs.

Les Flores just had a litter born. Not sure if all are already spoken for tho. Only 1 male pup in that litter.

I dont recommend KMK males for IPO, some females can. We have had afew of our breeding in IPO, not a real succes except for 1 female who has her IPO 3. They're a bit a pita especially in the ob, atleast at competion level, the cost to many points.

Thanks for the compliments at Bor, still a bit ours to still think he is one of the best looking dogs we've bred.

Selena wrote:
Thanks for the compliments at Bor, still a bit ours to still think he is one of the best looking dogs we've bred.

Can you clone me a Bor? LOVE that dog

ItsGSD, few things come to mind, first of the dog's registration. I am not familiar enough with the IPO regulations in the states but there might be stipulations about the dog having to be papered in order to be eligible for high level competition titles (championships/regionals/etc). If that's the case and depending on what registry is acceptable for this purpose that might quickly narrow things down for you as not all Dutchies are "papered". Maybe this doesn't matter to you and you just want a dog capable of high level sport to train with and it wouldn't bother you if you didn't qualify for nationals due to a technicality, not every one cares.

Les Flores is for sure some one you should be contacting. He is very much into IPO and he imports Dutchies and works with La Dobry kennel in the Netherlands who are also heavy into IPO and is what they breed their Dutchies for. That's the first name that comes into my mind.

That isn't to say that he is the only breeder with a dog for you, I'm sure other lines and other breeders would be able to supply you with a dog capable of doing well in IPO. I think also your personal preference and training style will play much into the type of dog you will do well with, and that's very much a personal thing. Do you like soft dogs that do as you say but still bring aggression to the sport or do you like harder dogs you can butt heads with and still continue to work. Do you prefer a prey monster or a dog that is more civil, do you need a dog that will be good with other dogs, etc etc

I don't think you got too many answers right away because it's kind of a hard question to answer. This is not an answer some one can give you on a silver platter, and boom there you go, call the breeder and pick up a dog and your search is over. It depends on many variants and personal choices that others can't answer for you. Breeders and lines aside, all dogs are individuals and in a combination with a certain handler a dog from certain lines can be a disaster or a master piece in the sport. A person can suggest a line and you absolutely hate how those dogs look (we all have our ideas of beauty and we all base decisions with it in mind).

From my personal experience people who are asking about lines as you are generally are fairly new to the breed. My recommendation is go out and see the dogs work in person, meet them, go meet with breeders and see their dogs, see what they produce and the feedback the owners have. I think this is very important. In the past when looking for dogs I have met breeders where I walked with one perception of their dogs based on what they told me and what others have told me about their dogs and walked out wondering if we were all talking about the same dogs. I think if you put in this leg work to educate yourself about the breed and the various types of dogs in it, you will be much happier with your decision in the end. The world of Dutchies isn't any where near as large as the GSDs so it won't take that long before just from looking at dogs you will get a much better feel for the difference in lines and what you like and dislike, especially if you have prior experience in training for high level IPO you will be able to see those traits yourself in the dogs that you seek for rather then having some one tell you what to get.

Choochi wrote: ItsGSD, few things come to mind...

That's such a good summary about looking for dogs, breeders, and lines in general. It doesn't just apply to IPO, but any dog sports or particular jobs a dog is needed for.

When I got Odin, I was looking for my first real serious agility dog. I was told that there was a 7 month old mal that had been exposed to agility obstacles and had basic obedience. His evaluation said he was a good candidate for agility. I looked at the way he moved and the way he took direction and knew it wouldn't go with my handling style perfectly. He was a nice dog and would probably go very far with most handlers.

Odin was brought out with the label of "well I have this other dog available that would make a nice demo dog if you want to look at something else." I knew after working with him on the training sleeve, playing ball with him, and watching him move that he fit my personal style much better. It only took a half hour to find the right dog, but out of the various trainers that worked with him and saw his abilities, no one would've been able to say he'd be an excellent dog for high level agility and I just sort of stumpled upon him. He probably wouldn't be great with a lot of handlers either, because I prefer to run and don't do the distance work others do and Odin likes close direction.

That's also one of the reasons why I prefer to go with an adult dog. They don't have to be a rescue, but a started dog shows a lot more of their personal style than puppies do. Lines and breeders tend to produce dogs that are similar, but it's hard to do a full evaluation on a puppy.

I have Cooper's brother and couldn't be happier.

When I got Cino I had intentions of doing Schutzhund with him. Then "life" happened and I also found out how much time/effort training the dog REALLY took. Add in some massive drama at the local Schutzhund club and I didn't want anything to do with it.

Before leaving the club they told me that Cino had pretty much two problems. One being that he was Dutch (there were no other dogs than GSD's in their mind) and the second was me being his owner. For a green dog they liked his drive and bite - thinking that he had the potential if he had a handler that knew what he was doing.

He is all pet dog now and is great at that new job! I have my days where I wish I had a better job for him...