# King Shepherd.



## Sprout (8 July 2016)

Has anyone got any experience/knowledge of this breed?


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## Aru (8 July 2016)

Not recognised as a breed in the uk.
rare enough even in the US where the breeds origniated...mix of gsd malamute and another type of shepherd(shiloh). basically a large long haired or plush gsd with a straight back.ment to be bred for temperament.
The only mention of them Ive come across from collegues across the pond were of giant breed dogs with bad hips and poor temperments...but the temperament at the vets may have been due to pain from their hips...and the ones mentioned had been castrated to be fair..

I would expect all the usual giant breed issues due to their sheer weight and size(heart joints hips) along with the possibilty of throwback issues from that orignial breeding(gsds are sadly one of the breeds that are predisposed to a high variety of conditions)but cant find any reference to genetic screening or testing so far... so im not sure if i believe the life expectancy of 12 to 14 quoted on a few different sites.

They do look like beautiful dogs though and if they are being bred to the breed standard should be a useful and enjoyable animal to own....im just not sure how responsibly they are being bred based on the research I did on them.


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## Sprout (8 July 2016)

Aru, thanks so much for your reply. I will have to continue my research into health issues etc.

I seem to be drawn to rare breeds, hard to research and even harder to find breeders in Britain, in my search for a new companion!


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## CorvusCorax (8 July 2016)

German Shepherds are meant to be a medium to large size, utilitarian breed. Not a giant one. And Kings are no less likely to suffer from any of the hereditary health conditions of the breeds they are drawn from.
What about a beauceron or hovawart? Or one of the Belgian shepherd types, there are four.


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## Sprout (8 July 2016)

CorvusCorax said:



			German Shepherds are meant to be a medium to large size, utilitarian breed. Not a giant one. And Kings are no less likely to suffer from any of the hereditary health conditions of the breeds they are drawn from.
What about a beauceron or hovawart? Or one of the Belgian shepherd types, there are four.
		
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Thanks for your advice and suggestions .... will take a look at them all, then may pester you for more info on reputable breeders.


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## CorvusCorax (8 July 2016)

NP. If you fancy a non king German Shepherd of any type, PM me with your likes and dislikes


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## Shantara (9 July 2016)

If you like rare breeds, may I suggest a Tamaskan?
They are "Wolf-a-likes", wolf-dogs without the wolf! I have a 7month old pup and she is a star! They are intelligent and fast to learn. Just taking mine for a walk, I will post more when I get back


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## Sprout (9 July 2016)

Chan said:



			If you like rare breeds, may I suggest a Tamaskan?
They are "Wolf-a-likes", wolf-dogs without the wolf! I have a 7month old pup and she is a star! They are intelligent and fast to learn. Just taking mine for a walk, I will post more when I get back 

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Ooh, never heard of that breed .....,off to take a look ......


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## Shantara (9 July 2016)

Sprout said:



			Ooh, never heard of that breed .....,off to take a look ......
		
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I was looking at so many different breeds when it was finally time for me to get my own dog. A friend of mine told me about them, as she knows I love wolves. She asked if I wanted to go with her when she picked her pup up. How could I say no? When we got there, the breeder gave me a pup to hold while she went over the paperwork with friend and I knew I needed one! After I went to see the breeders fully grown dogs, I REALLY knew I needed one! I put my deposit down the next day  

There's a great forum http://tamaskan-dog-forum.forumatic.com/index.php which is run by the breeder, who will help and answer any questions  They also have a rescue, with 2 dogs in at the moment, I believe.

I went to a local dog show today, with my girl and her full brother (3yrs old) and cousin (4yrs) and they were so good! We always get so many questions and people absolutely love them! Tamriel got 5th in best puppy and her brother got 1st in most handsome dog AND to top it off, he was Best in Show!!! 
There's a Tamaskan show in May each year too, which was so much fun! 

The downside to my girl is she is fearful of men, but that's not a rule of the breed. Sadly my relationship fell apart shortly after I got her and she must have picked up on the bad vibes and mental abuse I suffered. 

We go to training each week and she is often at the came level as the border collie! 

I'll shut up now, I could ramble for hours! But first, have a couple of pictures 

They are certainly very forgiving  (we won!)






With brother!


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## Sprout (10 July 2016)

Thanks for your post Chan, they really are very wolf like, and you are obviously having a lot of fun with your beautiful girl.


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## Lolli (26 July 2016)

Hi I have a malamute cross gsd. We got him aged 9 month's old. Recall was terrible often took ages' to catch him. Malamutes are notorious for chasing other animals,so have to be careful around sheep, wouldn't trust him, although cattle don't seem to be a problem. Unfortunately he has caught a few rabbits! Since 6 weeks of dog classes his recall improved greatly. He is a big softy really, he needs lots of exercise. Haven't had any health worries yet hoping that cross bred will prevent problems with hips.Loves attention.


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## MurphysMinder (27 July 2016)

Lolli said:



			Hi I have a malamute cross gsd. We got him aged 9 month's old. Recall was terrible often took ages' to catch him. Malamutes are notorious for chasing other animals,so have to be careful around sheep, wouldn't trust him, although cattle don't seem to be a problem. Unfortunately he has caught a few rabbits! Since 6 weeks of dog classes his recall improved greatly. He is a big softy really, he needs lots of exercise. Haven't had any health worries yet hoping that cross bred will prevent problems with hips.Loves attention.
		
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Why would you think that crossing two breeds prone to hip dysplasia will reduce the chances of producing bad hips?   Sadly,  unless both parents and several generations back have low scores any pups are just as likely to have hip and elbow problems if not more so as sadly the chances are that people who breed crosses are not always as concerned about producing healthy stock.


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## twiggy2 (27 July 2016)

MurphysMinder said:



			Why would you think that crossing two breeds prone to hip dysplasia will reduce the chances of producing bad hips?   Sadly,  unless both parents and several generations back have low scores any pups are just as likely to have hip and elbow problems if not more so as sadly the chances are that people who breed crosses are not always as concerned about producing healthy stock.
		
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What they said


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