That brings up another intersting aspect.? I have just made a decision similar to what Barbara described.? Ok, not the husband.? Got rid rid of him years ago, LOL!? However, I had to decide which of 3 pups to keep.? My litter was very nice and included sables, YIKES!!!? Ok, sable lovers, don't yell at me yet. I am not a sable person.? However, I do appreciate a GOOD dog, of any color, when I see him/her.? When I bred to this sable dog, I new he would give me what I wanted in my line and I knew I would get sables.? I was right.? Then, I had to make a decision on a sable bitch, a B/T bitch or a B/T male.? All 3 are nice pups but the sable bitch is awesome.? I know the competition in bitches is high and a sable?? But, she is everything I wanted from this breeding.? So, I am keeping her. Like Barbara, I can only keep one pup.? Unlike Barbara, I can grow the other two out for a couple months and hopefully find good co-owners.? Make sure teeth, ears and testicles are there.? Heck, I would even give them to a Newbie or Junior on a co-ownership as the temperament and quality is that good. I guess my opinion would be to keep the BEST pup and if you can, co-own the bitch with a pup back in the future, that would be the best.? If the Mom is your "foundation" bitch and you plan to breed her again, then you have a great way to either keep one of her future pups or a pup from the pup's future litter.? It all depends on your personal situation.? JMHO Laura -----Original Message----- From: Tom Elkins <firethorntemple@xxxxxxxxx> To: fairway97045@xxxxxxxxx; uwish@xxxxxxxxxx; 'Showgsd-l' <Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sat, 9 Aug 2008 11:02 am Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: What would you do? (scenario) Terry --- Oh, I see how you're reading it. I interpreted "show herself" to mean take to shows herself, not literally show in the ring herself. Barbara, clarification please. Either way, I'd still go with the male since he's the star, and if he truly is a star I'd ALWAYS say get a very good professional handler who can bring out the best in him. tom elkins Firethorn Temple <http://www.firethorntemple.com/> http://www.firethorntemple.com _____ From: Terry Cochran [mailto:fairway97045@xxxxxxxxx] Sent: Saturday, August 09, 2008 12:08 PM To: uwish@xxxxxxxxxx; 'Showgsd-l'; Tom Elkins Subject: RE: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: What would you do? (scenario) Barbara wrote:.......but remember the breeder wants a top animal to show herself). So that is the question Is she handling herself. If that is the case then the question becomes who do you think you can present the best. Terry From: Tom Elkins <firethorntemple@xxxxxxxxx> Subject: RE: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: What would you do? (scenario) To: fairway97045@xxxxxxxxx, uwish@xxxxxxxxxx, "'Showgsd-l'" <Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: Saturday, August 9, 2008, 10:02 AM When it comes to making a star, part of the formula is having a very good jockey. You don?t see any fat tubs of goo male owners or rich, blue haired old ladies riding horses in the Kentucky Derby. A very good jockey is part of the deal. Same with GSDs. Remember, we?re talking STARS, not just dogs that finish. tom elkins Firethorn Temple <http://www.firethorntemple.com/> http://www.firethorntemple.com _____ From: Terry Cochran [mailto: fairway97045@xxxxxxxxx ] Sent: Saturday, August 09, 2008 11:39 AM To: uwish@xxxxxxxxxx ; 'Showgsd-l'; firethorntemple@xxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: What would you do? (scenario) What I want to know is who is going to handle the dog. Is it going to be owner handled?? If so then you need to keep the one that you think you can do the best job with. Terry --- On Sat, 8/9/08, Tom Elkins <firethorntemple@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: From: Tom Elkins <firethorntemple@xxxxxxxxx> Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: What would you do? (scenario) To: uwish@xxxxxxxxxx , "'Showgsd-l'" <Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: Saturday, August 9, 2008, 8:15 AM Barbara -- Another big part of this for me has to do with how we define terms. In my definition, there are lots of "really good ones" as you define the bitch. By my definition, there never were, are not now, and never will be very many stars (as you define the male) at any given time. Breeding a star is a GSD breeder's equivalent of winning the lottery. You don't let go of that ticket. I hope my karma puts me in that position during this turn of the wheel! tom elkins Firethorn Temple http://www.firethorntemple.com -----Original Message----- From: showgsd-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:showgsd-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Barbara Galasso Sent: Saturday, August 09, 2008 9:06 AM To: 'Showgsd-l' Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] What would you do? (scenario) OK, here's the set up. You're a small breeder, maybe only breeding a litter or two every other year. You breed your beautiful champion bitch to one of the top producing males in the country. You can't wait for the litter to be born. You plan on keeping your best bitch. After selling your pets, you are left with two puppies; a bitch and a male. You decide to hold onto them until they're four months. The bitch is a really good one, but the male is without question a "star!" Now you can only keep one as your husband has threatened you with divorce. And, no keeping them both until they're six months old, is not an option as the husband grows more irritable each day. (I know what some of you are thinking right about now......get rid of the husband. And no, that's not an option either). Now you know that you can co-own either one of these puppies with someone, BUT you've been looking for something great to show yourself for a long time. So here's the questions: Knowing that the competition in bitches is usually the toughest, do you h old onto the good bitch? The male is a "stand out" in every way. You didn't want to hold onto a male, but this puppy is definitely making you have second thoughts. Do you sell the bitch on a co-own and keep the boy because he's the better of the two? (You may be thinking right about now, how about putting the boy on a co-own.......but remember the breeder wants a top animal to show herself). If you decide on the male, let me ask you this. How do you feel about keeping a beautiful male that finishes his championship and then you have to compete for stud services with his well-known top producing sire? Alright so there you have it. What would you do? Best, Barbara ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2007. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx . 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VISIT OUR WEBSITE - www.showgsd.org ============================================================================ ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2007. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - www.showgsd.org ============================================================================ ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2007. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - www.showgsd.org ============================================================================