Just wondered if anyone has come across(sorry if have missed before) one. It is a big dog have seen, young n very lively. Many thanks.
I think there's one or two on here with that mix I know one personally too! 2 year old now. Absolutely gorgeous to look at, ears to die for! He is lively, loyal, friendly and has been pretty easy to train. Only 'difficulty' is he has a huge territorial drive for his house and garden, so my friend has to be careful and he is only allowed to roam in the back garden, not the front, incase the postie or visitors come down the drive A good crossbreed if you ask me Why do you ask?
Thankyou , i ask out of interest after seeing a man(not young) with a large Akita ish? dog couple of weeks ago and a bit of scuffle between his and another dog meeting head on, both on lead. I saw him again today n he seems to be struggling with the dog, which is very large n beautiful looking dog. His tail was wagging(dog) n i asked the owner about the dog n he told me, n said he was a beggar. I've never seen this x before, he is big.
Amanda's posted pictures of the ever so handsome Cain here if you fancy a look http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=138550 http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=137235 http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=135922
Was a popular deliberate cross breed, depending on what sort of breeding stock they come from, depends on how they turn out. Needless to say, most reputable breeders would not allow this. Can see absolutely no reason for such a cross. Met 3 and they were all a) non related AFAIK and b) a PITA
Thankyou, i did wonder if deliberate cross and how popular they are, it looked very strong, the chap was having bit of a job with it.
There was also a phase of people deliberately crossing Malamutes with GSD I think for the looks when spoke to owners. I met one person who said oh you have a dog like mine, I looked at it and said "er I don't think so" she then told me how she had travelled all the way from Wiltshire to Scotland especially for this dog, to replace one she had before. I asked all of the owners why they wanted such crosses and apart from looks, what were they hoping for. None of them could give me a logical answer.........
Would these crosses be good as security or police dogs? Bit off topic (sorry n if daft question) but while i'm here, can GSD's be pure black?
Yes GSDs can be pure black and many people prefer these (as well as sables) for working. You will rarely find a police or security dog being a cross such as this, although the BSD x GSD is a popular one, but remember both the BSD and GSD are from the same group (pastoral) unlike the Akita x GSD, and are used for similar purposes. Akita x GSD has nothing to recommend it for most purposes........... The reason for crossing the BSD with the GSD is to get the speed and athetlicism of the BSD combined with the size of the GSD.
GSDs can indeed be pure black White too. I believe a few breeders are importing liver GSDs though I'm not sure if that's solid liver or a sort of liver & tan (or both). I don't think you could specifically say that these crosses would be good for a particular job as it depends a lot on the temperament of the dog. GSDs are "typical" police dogs but lots of them fail assessments to become police dogs if they don't have the right kind of temperament/drive! I'm not sure if the typical Akita traits would make them suitable or not though.
NB black is a recognised colour for GSD unlike white or liver. No reputable breeder would deliberately breed for either white or liver. Apart from potential health issues, white is not a practical colour for a GSD for its original purpose (sheep herding) or for security purposes (you do not want a dog to stand out like a sore thumb)!
Poster didn't ask if they were a recognised colour though - genetics doesn't really adhere to our paperwork
Thankyou, i asked because thought saw a black GSD (from bit of distance) a few weeks ago n wasn't sure, had not seen before but there are a couple of white ones here eta im always interested if see a breed or x of dog haven't before, in is bit of excitement for me(sad but true).
There are black BSD too (groenendaels) which some people mistake for GSD. One of the nicest black GSD I know is Phil Sergeants Bo, who is like a huge black Teddy even though he has got SchH3 several times.
Murf, because these are flock guardians, NOT shepherds. A GSD is a living fence for sheep in Germany where fences are rare, their job is entirely different to that carried out by the BC in the UK. Flock Guardians are raised with the flock and do not become people friendly, they are then not visible to either humans or animal predators until too late........... They stay out in the fields with the flocks as no human interraction occurs apart from feeding. This is unlike the partnership which occurs with GSD and BC and handlers due to the different type of work they do. HTH
