To me, shows are a chance to see what I should be breeding FOR. The selects at the National are the quality of dog I should be trying to produce..... they have the package deal I should desire.... but they aren't necesarily what I should be breeding TO. Those two things could be very different..... depending on what your starting with. Sean ================================================================= OR..... To see what sires are producing what characteristics.... Therefore the old adage ,"If you like the dog - breed to the sire" - Of course, there is also the old saying.... "You know, they do have a mother." The bottom line is that many of us go to dog shows to assess the quality of the dogs exhibited and the producing ability of the dogs behind their pedigree; and this very act maybe completely disconnected from the judge's opinion. The judge is merely there to evaluate what he sees in the ring - those outside of the ring have other reasons. Dania ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2005. 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 - http://www.showgsd.org ============================================================================