Haven't watched the video yet so not sure if it's shown, but I really hate what has happened to the German Shepherd. They shouldn't even be called the same thing any more - the modern dogs are barely fit to walk let alone WORK.
My dream dog, but will only be purchasing one from a German schutzhund line when the time comes.
Max von Stephanitz would be spitting in his grave if he could see the breed now.
Late last year I pulled this from the German Shepherd club of Victoria's website, to me it illustrates how little respect a lot of these breed fanatics have for people outside the fancy. They even go as far as insulting the veterinary profession, apparently a vet concerned about soreness present in a young puppy is immediately thinking the worst.
"Rapid Growth Problems
The problems discussed here occur in the younger, rapidly growing German Shepherd. As German Shepherds are far more angulated than most breeds, they can appear to be having serious problems when in many cases they are going through fairly normal stages of development.
Common problems are:
Excessive looseness of hocks, can be secondary to excessive depth of hindquarter angulation or increasing length of hock.
Down in pasterns (often seen with 1 above).
Flat feet (can be with both 1 and 2).
Roached backs – (often associated with 1 above).
Lameness – both perception of and real
There is poor general (public) knowledge of growth problems in the GSD. These conditions can include ligament (hocks and pasterns), bone and joint conditions including OCD (elbows, backs), panoestitis, and, less commonly these days, hip dysplasia. Due to the greater angulation of GSD’s compared to other breeds, the perception that there is a problem, particularly during rapid growth, can arise.
Many of these puppies can present as sore with roached backs, very loose in the hocks and/or down in pastern. The age they present can be as young as 12-14 weeks, however, more commonly at around 5-7 months of age. As some of these puppies can appear to be rather loose and or sore, many veterinarians will immediately assume the worst (HD etc) when it can be a relatively easily corrected problem in many cases.
The vast majority of the problems listed above are diet and weight associated, acerbated by (in some cases) the perception of excessive angulation. Most conditions arise following excessive rate of weight gain, usually secondary to the over use of high energy, high density dry foods. Breeders are generally more aware of feeding protocols, and are more likely to keep weights within desirable levels. New owners (ie. the general public) are far more likely to over feed and use expensive high end foods as the more you pay, the better the quality etc…not always so!"
Growth Disorders in Young German Shepherds | German Shepherd Dog Club of Victoria
