In our previous post, we extensively discussed the Working Line German Shepherd and what makes them special. We also gave some brief and partial analysis on each of the three types of the Working Line, and even their history and breeding standards.
If you have not read that post, please click here now. If you have read that post and still want to learn more about the Working Line German Shepherd, today’s post and the subsequent posts focus on each of the three Working Line German Shepherds.
In today’s post, as you already guessed, we will look at the East Working Line, or DDR Working Line German Shepherd, as it is known. So, what is the East Working Line?
The East Working Line, also known as the East DDR Greman Shepherd, is known for their slightly sloped backs, darker coats, and small ears. They mostly come in black or dark colors. They are known to have coats that are suitable for harsh weather conditions. The East Working Line German Shepherds are also known to have a high prey drive and can work long hours.
Owning, caring for, and breeding an East Working Line German Shepherd is a challenging task and would require great care and effort if you are to succeed.
But what are the features of a standard East working Line German Shepherd? What breed and legal standards must be met if you plan to breed?
How much does an East working Line Cost on average? And how can you carefully select a good East Working Line from a powerful bloodline? We will answer all these questions in this post.
What Should a Standard East Working Line Look like?
The East Working Line German Shepherd originated from East Germany during the second world war. When East and West Germany split, they went on to breed the Working Line German Shepherd according to their standards.
Those in West Germany were more free-spirited in their approach to breeding the German Shepherd and had no weighty specifications for breeding, only that the dog be of good health.
Those in East Germany, though, had a different thing in mind. They wanted their dogs to be of strong character, fearless, active, able to endure harsh cold weather, work long hours, and have a perfect bone structure free from hip and elbow dysplasia.
The German Shepherd must also be in good health. So, because of all these specifications, you could only breed your East Working Line German Shepherd if it has been carefully examined and meets all the breeding standards.
Thanks to these strict rules on breeding, the East Working Line has developed into one of the finest of the three Working Line GSDs and comes with a balanced work ethic and good temperament.
The only downside about this is that few purebred East Working Line German Shepherds are available thanks to the strict and continuous breeding that lasted only 40 years, from 1949 to 1990.
Due to this, there are few bloodlines in circulation, and the eligible bloodlines available are mostly used for elite breeding programs.
The East or DDR Working Line Greman Shepherd also comes in two distinctive colors, so it is easy to differentiate one from the other. So what would a well-bred East Working Line German Shepherd look like?
Features Of an East Working Line German Shepherd.
Since the East Working Line German Shepherd has a strict breeding Standard, you could expect to see some consistent traits in all the East Working Lines available today. Some of the features your East working Line German Shepherd must have included,
- Either a dark or dark brown hair coat.
- Long back legs, which makes them able to engage in hard work.
- A stable temperament.
- They have a great working drive and love having work to do.
- They have the biggest heads out of the three Working Line GSDs available.
- They are big-boned with the straightest backs out of all the Working German Shepherds.
- They also have thick and defined chest mussels, which makes them look intimidating.
- They are very loyal family companions.
If for some reason, your East Working Line is lacking any of these features and behavioral traits, it likely means that your East Working Line is a subject of bad breeding. If you want to know more about the history of the East Working Line and its average size, check out our previous post.
Now that we have discussed the features of the East Working Line German Shepherd, you may be wondering what would be involved in owning and breeding an East working Line in the US and Uk. The next section will cover that.
Owning And Breeding A DDR German Shepherd Bloodline.
The DDR Bloodline of German Shepherd is the rarest of all the Working Line German Shepherds. Getting one for yourself could be almost impossible, but possible.
There are still a few breeders who care so much about the Bloodline and pioneer its preservation. But you may be wondering why anyone would want to intermix these breeds with the other Working Lines after reading through all its good qualities.
For some breeders, the DDR or East Working Line German Shepherd needs to have the drive they look for and breed for. They wish their dogs could be hyperactive like the West or Cezch Lines while maintaining some cool traits associated with the breed. Unfortunately, you can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Acquiring a Pure Bred DDR GSD.
If you wish to own a pure DDR Bloodline GSD, then you must be ready to work extra hard for it. And by extra hard, we mean putting in the work to research and ensure you get the right dog. Buying a DDR German Shepherd is no joke, so it is best to only check through licensed breeders.
The price of the DDR Bloodline often depends on how pure the Bloodline is. So make sure the breeders have papers proving the purity of the Bloodline. The DDR Club of America is a good place to start if you want a purebred DDR German Shepherd from the first Bloodlines.
If, after good research, you have been able to get a purebred DDR from a good Bloodline, you also get all the licenses that prove the purity of the Bloodline.
It would help if you also ensured the pups’ parents were free from hip and elbow dysplasia. But you might wonder why you must go through all this stress. Going through this stress will give you the confidence that you have a pure breed DDR Greman Shepherd.
And in addition to that, you would need all those licenses and documents to help get a breeding license. What steps are needed to breed and sell a DDR Working Line German Shepherd successfully? Let’s find out.
5 Steps to Breeding and Selling a DDR Working Line GSD.
CHOOSE A STUD.
We are compiling this list with the thoughts that you already have a beautiful female DDR purebred from a trusted bloodline. Well, if you already have the breeding license, as we hope you have, the first step before your female German Shepherd even has her heat is to choose a good and solid stud.
Picking one out could be tricky, and you could easily make the mistakes most first-time breeders make by focusing on what meets the eye.
This means spending too much time looking at the coat’s color, the head’s size, or all the titles attributed to the StudStud. Don’t get us wrong, all these things are important, but by far the most important.
As you look for these features in the dog’s appearance, look at the dog’s behavioral traits. Does it have all it takes to be a good representation of the DDR breed? Does it have a balanced temperament?
Is it a fearless and loyal companion? Is he in good health? If the StudStud you are considering possesses all these features, it is good to go.
ENSURE BOTH DOGS ARE IN GOOD HEALTH.
Aside from choosing a stud, both male and female German Shepherds must be tested to ensure they are both in good health and can produce healthy children.
A blood test is also vital to ensure both dogs are not carrying any infections or parasites that can kill them or the side of the female, instantly aborting her pregnancy. Brucellosis.
Brucellosis is a disease found in the testicles of the male StudStud and is an instant abortion of female pregnancy. So before you completely tick your StudStud good to go, ensure both male and female DDR Working Lines are in good physical and mental health.
SCHEDULE MEETINGS FOR BOTH DOGS.
The mating of two German Shepherds that are strangers could be a chore. It could take hours before both dogs could agree to do anything together.
You can avoid all the stress and drama if you schedule times for both dogs to meet and get acquainted before the time to mate comes.
Scheduling a time for both dogs to meet once or twice a week before the mating would make the mating period much smoother as both dogs are no longer strangers but friends turned lovers.
Another reason why it would be good for this meeting to happen before both dogs mate is that it makes the matting the mating less expensive to carry out as you would not need to hire a shooter to get the job done.
MATE ON THE 9 TO 14 DAYS OF HEAT.
The female heat cycle can last up to 20 days. But it is not until day nine that the female dog gets final and allows the male dog to climb her. This period lasts from day nine until day 14 of the heat cycle.
If for some reason, you were unable to monitor the heat of your female dog and happen to notice her dripping blood, you have two options.
The first option would be to take her to the vet for a fertility rest to know how far in her heart cycle she has gone. Or you could check the color of her blood, and if you notice the blood turning pinkish or straw, your female dog is ready.
You would see her raising her tale in approval of the male dog and making advances towards him, begging him to climb her. If that does not happen, and you notice any aggression in the female,l she probably isnt ready and may or may not have finished her hit cycle.
GET READY FOR YOUR PUPS ARRIVAL.
If you followed all these steps without missing any, you would likely have puppies arriving soon. So, how do you get ready for your puppy’s arrival?
- Prepare a place for delivery.
- Book appointments with the vet.
- Buy puppy food.
- Set a timer for delivery.
A post would be released later that would expound on these activities a lot more. But how much does a purebred DDR Working Line cost, just in case you plan to sell or get one?
How much Does The DDR Greman Shepherd Cost?
Since the DDR German Shepherd is a rare Dog breed, it will cost more than an average German Shepherd, which costs anything from 500 – 1000 dollars. Depending on the Bloodline’s purity, the DDR Working Line could be sold anywhere from 1500 to as high as 5000 dollars.
If you are a first-time breeder with no breeding reputation yet, selling your DDR Puppies at a lower but standard rate would be best. Anything from 1500 – 3000 dollars would be a good place to start.
It is also advisable to price your puppies according to their pedigree. You would sell puppies closer to the bloodlines and with big bones at a much higher price than those farther.
Selling with this format would make it easy for customers to choose which puppies they would love to buy. It would also give your service prestige and standard.
CONCLUSION.
The DDR German Shepherd is a wonderful and rare working breed that You should work hard to preserve. Breeders who own and breed these dogs should try as much as possible to preserve these dogs’ purity by breeding with only purebred DDR Bloodlines. If this is done, the breed will survive and be available for all who love the breed.
