ABOUT THE EAST GERMAN 

DDR DOGS

The GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG OF EAST GERMANY IS VERY UNIQUE.  A PRODUCT OF MANY CIRCUMSTANCES OF HISTORY RISING ANEW FROM THE ASHES OF POST WW2 GERMANY, IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF RUSSIAN OCCUPATION AND COMMUNISM, THESE DOGS DEVELOPED A DISTINCT BLOODLINE MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE MODERN SHOW DOG OF THE TODAY'S GERMANY.  IN FACT, THE WARSAW PACT SERVED TO SEAL A TIME CAPSULE, DIVIDING GERMANY FOR 40 YEARS, NOT ONLY POLITICALLY, BUT SOCIOLOGICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY.  THUS CUT OFF FROM THE FREE WORLD AND TRADE, EAST GERMANY LABORED IN ITS RECOVERY AND ADVANCED ONLY SLOWLY, SO THE DDR   GSDS, ALSO ISOLATED FREE OF POLLUTING BLOODLINES AND OUTSIDE ECONOMIC INFLUENCES AND GUIDED BY AN EFFICIENT STATE RUN PROGRAM, PROSPERED TO BECOME EAST GERMANY'S MOST POPULAR BREED OF DOG BY FAR, AND AN UNSPOILED MODEL OF THE ORIGINAL BREED.  THEIR SPECIAL TRAITS INCLUDE DARK PIGMENT, POWERFUL MUSCULATURE AND FRAME ,ROBUST GOOD HEALTH, OUTSTANDING WORKING CHARACTERISTICS AND ABILITIES, FEW UNDESIRABLE RECESSIVES AND BEST OF ALL, A VERY HIGH PERCENTAGE OF NORMAL HIPS, AS SUCH THERE HAD BEEN (BY THE EAST GERMAN SDG. WHICH ISSUED ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORTS) CONSISTENTLY REPORTED AN ANNUAL PERCENTAGE RATE OF APPROXIMATELY 85% NORMAL HIPS (FREE OF ANY TRACE OF HIP DYSPLASIA).  FOR THOSE WHO THINK THAT THE  ORIGINAL WORKING GERMAN SHEPHERD HAS BEEN LOST, TAKE ANOTHER LOOK!  SOME OF THE BEST AND TOP-WINNING WORKING DOG KENNELS IN THE WORLD HAVE SUCCESSFULLY INTRODUCED DDR BLOODLINES, MOST NOTABLY THOSE OF ROBY GLOCKENECK, LORD VOM GLEISDREIECK, AND ZORRO VOM LAAGER WALL.  NOWADAYS VERY SCARCE, THESE AND OTHER DDR BLOODLINES STILL MORE RARE ARE GETTING A SECOND LOOK FROM A NEW GENERATION OF WORLD GSD ENTHUSIASTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO RELY ON THEIR DOGS FOR WORKING PERFORMANCE.