FAQ'S PAGE 2

A breed is defined as a group related by decedents of common ancestors, and visibly similar in appearance. In the canine world this is further defined by stating that to qualify as a 'breed' the dogs in question must breed true to form. In other words, they must be able to produce offspring that match their phenotype, and that can closely meet up to a standard of physical and temperament qualifications set aside for their particular breed.

A Shiloh Shepherd is a Shiloh Shepherd based on its heritage. The ancestors in its pedigree define what breed it is—what it can be registered as. The registry affiliation of its sire and dam determine what classification of Shiloh it will be. For example, two registered Shilohs bred together produce Shiloh puppies. A registered Shiloh bred to a registered German Shepherd produce "outcross" puppies. This is allowed because currently all the registries have open stud books. (See the section below on Outcrossing for more information). Each registry has a different definition for what they will register and how it will be registered. It is incumbent upon any buyer to check the “designation” of a prospective puppy prior to purchase. Some show organizations will not accept OTX-1 (outcross first generation) or OTX-2 (outcross second generation) puppies/dogs to show as Shilohs.

No, the basic elements are the same and the Shiloh standard used by all the registries is pretty much word-for-word the same as the German Shepherd standard with the only major differences occurring in the sections on height, weight, coat, and color. However, we would like to clarify that our statistical data shows that the average height and weight for both male and female Shiloh Shepherds have for the past five years averaged at:

Males, Height: 29 inches
Males, Weight: 100-130 lbs
Females, Height: 27 inches
Females, Weight: 80-110 lbs.

It depends. Purebred Shiloh Shepherds (both parents are registered as Shiloh Shepherds) are accepted as a Rare Breed and are, therefore, eligible to compete in shows and other events sponsored by recognized rare breed venues. Each show organization has its own definition of “Shiloh Shepherd.” Some organizations like ARBA allow progeny from two registered Shilohs but do not allow first and second generation outcross puppies to show as Shilohs. Some organizations like Rarities will accept Shilohs and Shiloh outcrosses but annotate the latter as outcrosses on the paperwork. Performance forums to date have allowed both outcrosses and full Shilohs to compete. Shilohs can also compete in AKC and UKC Fun Matches and other breed club events open to rare breeds.

Yes and no. The Shiloh Shepherd is recognized as a breed by all of the well-known rare breed organizations. It is not a breed applying to be a rare breed—it is an established rare breed. It is not, however, recognized by AKC or UKC (most rare breeds aren’t otherwise they wouldn’t be called “rare”). On the other hand as mentioned previously, the stud books for all the current registries are still open meaning dogs of other breeds can be used as “outcrosses.” In that sense, the breed is still developing—still working to set phenotype and improve health and temperament. Shiloh Shepherd breeders face the same challenges as breeders of other breeds (rare and those recognized by AKC and UKC)—how to produce progeny that meet the type set by the standard and are healthy and have a stable temperament. As with breeders of other breeds, Shiloh breeders may utilize different strategies but as long as all of them are breeding to the standard, the outcome should be the same or similar.

This goes back to the statement above regarding strategies implemented by breeders. On the Zone, breeders are “put on the hot seat” because they have to share health and temperament data on their dogs (as do Shiloh pet owners who are on the Zone). A person cannot get on the Zone unless they agree to adhere to a set of documents called SZ Philosophy, SZ Bill of Rights and the SZ Standard Operating Procedures.   All three documents are designed to promote and protect the breed through education. An educated breeder is more likely to implement breeding strategies that protect and improve the gene pool. If the information is made available to the public as it is here, buyers will have an easier time finding quality puppies. The data collected on the Zone and now here on the web site, the discussions on issues relevant to the breed or on new research, the analysis of data, etc., all work together to give breeders (and buyers) information from which to make better decisions. We call it the “Discriminating Breeder and Discriminating Buyer” strategy. In addition, the Zone is partners with the World Class Breeders, World Class Puppies (WC) Program which works with developing breeders and helps people looking for puppies. To find out more about this, check out the WC Program FAQs.

Not as long as all the breeders in the various registries breed to the standard. You may see some differences in the first couple of generations of outcross litters depending on what breed is used or what goal is being set but a couple of generations down the road things should level out again. The breed standard is the glue that holds a breed together and it is breed judges that set the tone for the breed. So as long as breeders breed to the standard and judges choose Shilohs representative of the standard, Shilohs should still look like Shilohs.

It depends on how one defines “legitimate.” For the purpose of these FAQs, we define “legitimate” as a puppy sired by two registered Shilohs (with Shiloh ancestry) or a puppy sired by a registered Shiloh and an approved outcross. Legitimacy to us means, a dog that only has one set of registration papers. We do not think there is anything more “illegitimate” in the canine world than a dog registered as two different breeds. In our opinions it makes a mockery of both breeds. Since a dog's pedigree defines what breed it is and what it can be registered as, then researching a particular dog's pedigree will determine if it is a “legitimate” Shiloh Shepherd (or not) or if it is a “legitimate” Shiloh Shepherd puppy (or not) or if the puppy is a “legitimate” outcross puppy (or not).

 

Word of warning: One should not assume that just because a breeder is breeding legitimate Shiloh Shepherds that he or she is a “good” breeder. Just because a dog is legitimately what breed one claims it to be does not mean that it has any qualities worthy of considering it for purchase. A backyard breeder or a puppymill operation could put together two Shiloh Shepherds with no forethought as to what their lines would produce, no health or temperament testing, and they could raise puppies in their garage with no socialization or exposure. These dogs would still be considered “legitimate’ Shiloh Shepherds,” but they would not be what any discriminating puppy buyer would consider buying.

The King Shepherd is a recognized rare breed just like the Shiloh Shepherd. Although the origins are similar, the King people have their own standard and their own registry. As when Shilohs became a recognized breed, those people with GSDs who chose to stay with Shilohs opted to move their dogs into the Shiloh registry and breed Shilohs vs GSDs, so did the King people when they moved their Shilohs over to the King registry and started to breed King Shepherds. Are their similarities—you bet—just as there are similarities between GSDs and Shilohs and GSDs and Kings. If a Shiloh is bred to a GSD, it is not fair to prospective buyers or show officials to call it a Shiloh without designating it as a Shiloh OTX or Shiloh New Blood (NB). It is a puppy born in an effort to introduce new traits or cleaner lines. It is a puppy that is part Shiloh and part GSD and that information should be easily accessible.

Each registry has its own rules governing this issue. You need to check the rules of the various registries for specifics. But in general, a pet quality Shiloh should be a healthy, loving, temperamentally stable companion for you and your family--the same as a show or breeding quality Shiloh would be. The difference being pet quality puppies usually sell for less because they have what are termed in the show/breeding world as one or more “conformation faults.” A conformation fault is one that affects the physical appearance of the dog but does not affect its health or temperament. Sometimes a puppy is sold as pet if the breeder sees something in the temperament that would rule it out as a breeding dog. Sometimes a pet quality Shiloh has no conformation fault, but is simply sold as a pet quality puppy because there is no breeding home available at that time for the puppy to go to.

 

It is often difficult to discern conformation faults in puppies so some breeders sell puppies as “upgradeable.” This means if the puppy passes all the registry requirements for breeding, the puppy can be bred (some breeders charge an upgrade fee for this). If you are interested in breeding, it is incumbent upon you to familiarize yourself with conformation faults in Shilohs listed in the breed standard, registry rules for upgrades, and any applicable contract clauses.

An ideal Shiloh should be self-confident, brave, protective and yet never unjustifiably aggressive. An ideal Shiloh should also be faithful and loving to family; though he may sometimes be aloof to strangers (aloofness should be categorized as disinterested in a stranger and should not be confused with a fearful or aggressive temperament).

 

Even though two Shilohs may fall within the ideal temperament, they may still be very different in individual personality. Shiloh “A” may be more of a dominate personality, has lots of play and prey drive, low to medium pain tolerance, and is slightly aloof to strangers. Whereas Shiloh “B” may be more submissive, lots of play drive but no prey drive, very high pain tolerance, and is never aloof. Even though both of these dogs have correct temperament, one may do well in your home/with your lifestyle, and the other one may not. In essence, Shilohs run the gamut in temperament shaped by genetics and environment. In addition, because Shilohs are still being bred to outcrosses, progeny from these pairings may have higher levels of drive in some cases. The best guide for predicting temperament in a puppy is to get to know the sire and dam and weight the dam’s temperament higher as she is the one who imprints the puppies.

Do your homework—read through the SZ Puppy Selection Process!
Before contacting a breeder you should know some of the basics about Shiloh Shepherds--you should know what genetic diseases affect the breed so that you know what kind of health testing a breeder should be doing. By doing health testing a breeder is helping to reduce risk to you (the puppy buyer) by proving that his or her dog does not have a known genetic fault.

The breed founder says she created a special mix of Malamute and White German Shepherd to infuse into her Shiloh lines. The dog in question was named Sampson Woo. His origins are controversial and no one will ever know for sure what he was (or was not). Dogs related to Sampson Woo are designated like outcrosses (in essence Sampson Woo was an outcross only he carried a special designation of MAW vs NB for reasons only the breed founder knows), 1st through X generation MAW and whether or not MAW appears (and how many times it appears) on both sides of the pedigree. Each of the registries has its own set of rules regarding the breeding of MAW dogs.

Only the breed founder knows for sure. There is a publication of hers called Origins that can be accessed on her site: http://www.shilohshepherds.info/origins.htm The only aspect of Shilohs not in contention is that German Shepherds were used in the beginning and are used today as outcrosses in some registries.

Sanctioned is another one of those “it depends” phrases. Because there are multiple registries, there are also multiple rescue efforts each one “sanctioned” by some organization. Some are grass roots efforts—people on a list find out about a dog that needs rehoming or rescuing and they post information about it. Often times breeders will get a pup or dog returned and they will seek a new home for it. The ISSR has a rescue program strictly for ISSR dogs. The ISSDC has a rehome program for Shilohs where the pedigree is confirmed.  See Links for the URLs to the respective sites.

We believe there are four major reasons for proactively testing pets: 1) Health testing often shows you problems that you cannot physically see symptoms of on the outside. For example, a dog suffering from a Thyroid imbalance may show few symptoms for years, but this does not mean that the disease is not affecting and damaging its body. You may not see the early symptoms of hip dysplasia but X-rays can let you know what, if anything, you might be facing in the future. 2) Health testing, when the results are shared, can also benefit the breed by helping breeders to track what, if any, genetic diseases are present in their lines. 3) Public sharing of health information can help prospective buyers reduce their risk. 4) Without the data that health testing provides, neither breeders nor buyers can be discriminating.

There is no set standard of how many hours of training and socialization an individual puppy will need. The more time you invest in your puppy's training and socializing, the more you increase your odds that you will have a well-trained dog that is a good citizen. Hopefully your breeder has advised you in this area but if not, there are many good books, tapes and articles on the subject.

 

One area in the canine world that just about everyone agrees on is that puppies need socialization. In the World Class Program and on the Zone, we advocate what is called the “Super Puppy Program” also known as Battaglia’s Developing High Achievers. It consists of three phases, 1) Neuro Stimulation (breeder has to do), 2) Socialization (breeder starts and owner continues and 3) Enrichment (breeder starts and owner continues). We also recommend Ian Dunbar’s techniques for raising a healthy, stable and well-behaved puppy. You can find more information on the Super Puppy Program, Dunbar’s methods, and several other sites on socializing puppies in our Links section.

Shiloh origins come from German Shepherd lines. German Shepherds are classified as a “protective” breed as are Rotties, Dobermans, and Bouviers to name a few. So yes, Shilohs can be protective—some more than others—and it is a trait that is accepted in the breed. Protective should mean the dog is a good “watch” dog and only acts when commanded to or when there is no alternative.

 

A puppy’s temperament is influenced by genetics and environment. For example, if a puppy is raised with other dogs that are protective, chances are the puppy will also develop this trait (and it might have anyway). And there are degrees of protectiveness. Some dogs are territorial meaning they are very protective of their property and their owners on the property. These same dogs may or may not display any protective tendencies off the property (vehicles could be an exception). Some dogs are resource guardians and will “guard” their people wherever they go. Some dogs will only display protective traits if they feel threatened or believe their people or pack mates are threatened.

 

There are a couple of things to consider when talking about “protectiveness.” First and foremost, being protective should never be confused with being aggressive. Aggression is not an acceptable breed trait. A protective dog is one that shows appropriate defensive behavior based on the circumstances. Examples of appropriate defensive behavior are a dog that barks to alert you to the approach of a stranger on your property, or a dog that places its body between you and a stranger that approaches you in a threatening manner. Secondly, fear behavior is not “protectiveness” nor is behavior resulting from weak nerves or low thresholds and none of these responses should be encouraged or misconstrued especially not in puppies.

 

The best way to gauge the level of protectiveness inherent in a puppy is to assess its parents’ temperament. Puppies inherit 50 percent of their genes from the sire and 50 percent from the dam. Knowing this, it helps to know what the grandparents were like as well. During what we call the “window of opportunity” (16 to 20 weeks), how well you socialize and enrich your puppy can have a tremendous impact on how the genetics of temperament will play out.

Because the dogs registered in these registries are Shiloh Shepherds. They are bred to the same breed standard and are accepted by all the rare breed forums as registered Shiloh Shepherds. The pedigree of a dog determines what it is. Not agreeing with someone's breeding practices, refusing to accept  “do as I say, not as I do” tactics, or refusing to register with the ISSR does not change what breed a dog is.

No, the Zone chat list and web site are open to members of ALL registries, and we support any registry that shares our philosophy of protecting and promoting this amazing breed.

There are as many answers to this question as there are people who left. For many people it was because what is preached is not practiced, for others it was the dictatorship approach.  Essentially some people left because they found discrepancies in contracts, breeding strategies, and registration paperwork. And others left because they were disgusted with how their puppy looked when it arrived or the resulting medical issues. Suffice it to say most people who leave are searching for a better way to promote and protect the Shiloh Shepherd breed.

Regarding the claims of trademark precedence supposedly set by the court case Tina Barber et al. vs. Shelly Watts et al. filed August 16, 1996, you can clearly see from the documents listed above that the Patent and Trademark Office refused issuance of a registered trademark on Shiloh Shepherds as of January 1998. Ergo, no precedence was set and Shiloh Shepherd is not a recognized or legal trademark.

Many people speculate it has to do with control issues and pyramid breeding schemes. Some postulate she enjoys causing controversy. Still others think she is threatened by breeders (and buyers) who refuse for reasons already stated to “pledge allegiance” to the ISSR. Our guess is it is all of the above.

Yes it is and some of us remain embarrassed about it but such is human nature and life in general. In other words, As the Shilohs Turns (ATSTs) is not perfect. Albeit we have more than our share of baggage in this breed, we have also made some good progress in the last six years working to rebuild the breed’s reputation. We have a long way to go but those of us on the Zone are proud of the efforts by all those working to better our breed.

 

You figure things out in ATSTs by “doing your homework” which sounds trite but it works. On the Zone we recommend you check out the Puppy Selection Process. Then educate yourself about the breed—talk to people, visit web sites, join some chat lists, look at pictures, ask questions—tons of questions, then investigate registries, breeders and learn to be discriminating. Shiloh Shepherd may not be the breed for you but if you decide it is, your work has only begun. Now you must learn how to reduce your risk and become a discriminating buyer. You can see Shilohs at rare breed shows, find out if there are any breeders or owners living near you and make arrangements to visit them. Clubs and registries usually provide this kind in information.

 

When investigating, use common sense--actions ALWAYS speak louder than words. A breeder can scream from the roof top how important health testing is and how important LMI (Litter Mate Information) data is, but does he (or she) put his money where his mouth is? Is he willing to show you actual proof that his breeding stock is OFA tested for Hips? Elbows? Heart? And what about Thyroid testing? TLI testing? CERF? Was any adult temperament testing done? Will a formal litter evaluation be conducted and what puppy temperament test will be used? Will you have access to the results?

 

Or does he (or she) give you a story about how he doesn't need to health test his dogs because he knows what is behind his lines? How can he possibly know what is behind his lines if he isn’t testing? Hip dysplasia is often “silent” meaning there are no visible signs until the dog is older or sometimes no signs at all but the dog remains an affected carrier. How sad it is to know that we could avoid or greatly reduce incidences of devastating, crippling diseases if only more breeders would screen breeding stock.

 

Does the breeder openly share LMI data with other breeders and puppy buyers? Or do they claim that the information is confidential and can only be shared with a select few? Or do they only give out generalized statistics that do not benefit anyone, least of all you, the prospective buyer?

 

Maybe you do not feel that thyroid testing is that important for a pet puppy. What if your breeder told you that a sibling or littermate to your puppy failed its thyroid testing? Even as a pet puppy buyer that information can be very important to the well being of your puppy. What if you chose a breeder who felt information was only for the select few? How many years would it take you and how much money might you spend before you recognized the symptoms and had your puppy tested for thyroid disease, for hip or elbow dysplasia, for EPI or cardiac disease?

 

If you are willing to work at it, figuring out credible information about Shilohs is not hard at all.

Why does anybody stick with a “dark horse”--because he or she sees potential. And the fact is Shilohs are not for everyone. Putting aside the politics, baggage, health issues and small gene pool—we are talking about a big dog that sheds, requires training and exercise, takes up a lot of space in your car and house, and eats quite a bit. In addition this breed of dog can suffer from numerous health and temperament disorders.  Shilohs can be expensive to own beyond the purchase price.

 

However, if you are a discriminating buyer who has a bit of luck on your side, and you are looking for a dog that is highly intelligent, a devoted protector, a clown and a confidant, some drives but has an on and off switch, makes a great family companion and can make you laugh, well then we have the breed for you to consider.

 

In addition, with Shilohs, people now have access to an open database that is rare in the canine world. We do not claim to have every dog’s data, but we have enough to help you make an informed decision. We have a small group of people in the World Class program working hard to raise the bar for future litters to protect the gene pool and many others starting to take health testing more seriously. On the Zone chat list you have people sharing “good, bad, and ugly” on a daily basis and access to even more data including the Shiloh Buyers Advocacy Rating System (SBARS) where buyers rate their buying experience.

 

If we all roll up our sleeves and work hard, the future will be what we make of it and right now, that future looks very promising to us!

This has always been the tough question in Shilohs. We can tell you that there are people who believe there is wolf blood in Shilohs and there are people who believe there is not. We can speculate about it until the cows come home—the only person who knows for sure is the breed founder.

 

What we can do is lay out the few facts on this subject we do have and you can decide for yourselves what to believe or if it is even relevant in any of the lines currently being bred. We know the breed founder used whatever mixes suited her when she opened up her own registry—some have been identified, some have not. We know that there is a picture floating from the early 1990’s of a registered Shiloh owned by Shiloh Shepherd kennels and shown by Lisa Barber in a wolf hybrid class. There are people who owned and showed wolf hybrids who met the Barbers on the wolf hybrid circuit. There are people who have stated that the breed founder told them that she used wolf hybrids in her breeding program—she denies it. Lastly we know the breed founder is the owner of record of a male Czechoslovakian Wolfdog named Ferda z Ponického dvora born in 2002. Whether or not this dog has ever been bred or used with Shilohs, only the breed founder knows.

 

If you do your homework and deal with an ethical breeder, you should not have to worry about the issue of wolf blood. From a historical perspective, as we stated above, only one person knows for sure.

In essence, an RC is a measure of pedigree relationship or the “correlation between the breeding values of two individuals due to pedigree relationship alone.” It means that the pedigree is a probability roadmap and its usefulness (and RC and Inbreeding Co-efficient (IC) percentages derived from it) depends entirely on how much you know about the lines (dogs) themselves. The sire and dam can be affected with a genetic disorder (could be the same, could be different, could be more than one disorder) and the RC or IC percentages could be very low and it still will not give you healthy puppies! In the same vein, if the line is healthy and stable, you stand a good chance of getting a healthy, stable puppy even if the RC and IC percentages are fairly high. Properly used, it can help a breeder determine the probable percentage of genes coming from a specified ancestor.

 

Now we have to ask ourselves why breeders would toss out RC and IC percentages. Genetic diversity proponents believe low numbers afford a healthier gene pool. We already know the probability of “inheritance by descent” can work for you or against you. If you have a gene pool that has more than its share of problems, you might want to work for more diversity through outcrossing. When you outcross it automatically lowers your IC and RC numbers because an IC measures the degree to which an animal is inbred and RC measures the probability of inheritance by descent based on the relationship between two animals (or a collective of the pedigree). You can have an RC value with no inbreeding whatsoever and although an IC is informative on its own, its value is greatly increased when you combine the IC with an RC so you know which ancestor genes are concentrated in a pedigree. So an ethical breeder could use IC and RC percentages along with line research on health and temperament to enhance his or her breeding program. An unethical breeder could use low RCs and ICs gained through the use of an outcross program and market litters as having hybrid vigor and genetic diversity. (The ISSR has had several outcrosses and today has more generational outcross litters including what are called double and triple new blood litters so the ISSR has on average lower RC numbers.)  In effect, the RC and IC numbers are nothing more than a marketing tool for this type of breeder. Worse yet, the unethical breeder could breed affecteds or known carriers and still have low IC and RC percentages which could be used to impress potential puppy buyers or people interested in purchasing dogs to breed. This of course would wreak havoc on the gene pool--especially a small gene pool.

 

For more on RCs, see Understanding the Full Implications of Using Relationship Co-efficients (RCs) in a Selective Breeding Program.

LMI stands for Litter Mate Information and LMX stands for Littermate X-ray Information. Essentially both are acronyms for health and temperament information collected on each puppy in a specific litter.

Your breeder is usually the best one to talk to concerning LMI. A good breeder is not only collecting LMI but is willing to share that data with his or her puppy buyers, and with the Shiloh community as a whole. You can also check the SZ Open Database to see if LMI data has been shared there.

You should always ask to see paperwork because let's face it--not all people are honest—not in the dog world, the car world, or the real world. Purchasing a puppy is a business transaction--you wouldn't buy a used car with no more information than a seller telling you it is red and shiny, and promising you that it was only driven by a little old grandmother to church once a month. So, why would you purchase a puppy with no more information than knowing the sire and dam are big and fluffy? A discriminating buyer does not assume nor do they “take one’s word for it.”

 

As a discriminating puppy buyer, it is your responsibility to do your homework, and to not only protect yourself, your family, and your wallet, but that adorable puppy you are thinking about bringing home as well. Not all breeders are honest and “taking it” on someone's say so is not enough in today's society. Ethical breeders have NO problems showing paperwork or proof of any claims regarding a dog or a litter. Honest breeders take pride in the health and temperament testing they have done, and in the titles they have won with their dogs. Good breeders are happy to show off these accomplishments.

 

Never assume that just because a breeder is listed with a certain registry that the litter you are considering is eligible to be registered with that registry. Some breeders belong to more than one registry and each registry has its own set of rules governing the registration process for dogs and for litters. Sometimes a breeder may only belong to one registry, but he or she has not done the health testing on his or her dog that the registry requires. In this case the litter may not be eligible to be registered.

 

At times a puppy buyer must “dig deep” to find out the truth. Some breeders talk a good story and say everything that a puppy buyer wants to hear. It is critical that you find out if they have the data to back up their claims.

In most established breeds an outcross stands for a line of the same breed completely unrelated to the line that it is being bred to. In some breeds, especially rare breeds or developing breeds, outcross stands for a dog of another breed used to improve or enhance a breed. Or it can also be a dog specially bred, perhaps a mix of two or more breeds, to improver or enhance a breed. In Shilohs there have been a number of outcrosses some of which have been identified and some remain a mystery. Here are the outcrosses we know about:

 

The breed founder says she created a special mix of Malamute, White German Shepherd and American German Shepherd in a dog called Sampson Woo and called it the MAW line. In the late 1990’s she imported what she called an Altd Schaeferhund or Longhair Schaeferhund from Zum Söhrewald Kennels in Germany subsequently named Trillium Artus Zum Soehrewald (Artus). Shortly after that she used a White German Shepherd by the name of Hoofprint’s Orbit (Orbit) from Hoofprint Kennels. Recently there was another German Shepherd from Germany by the name of Phantom of the Black Forrest used as a stud. There have also been registered German Shepherds used as outcrosses by other registries: Behuter Von Hinterland (Boz), Von Bruins Shade (Shade), Diamond Hills Lightening Bullet (Bullet), Kind Kye-Ann Selah (Kye-Ann), King Cyrus-Selah (Cyrus), Viggo Vom Paragon (Viggo), Creamer’s Luke Von Shiloh (Luke), Haven’s Creek Devaki (Devaki), Glorious Sony Hronovsky pramen (Sony) and Sierra's Ryan Express Selah (Ryan). Some of the registered German Shepherds used share German Shepherd ancestors found in current Shiloh lines.

 

It is our opinion that today an outcross in Shilohs is a dog that is registered as another breed and is bred to a registered Shiloh with only one set of registration papers. We go by the first set of registration papers issued—in Shilohs we have some dogs that are registered as German Shepherds and were later registered as Shiloh Shepherds—it makes things very confusing and impugns the reputation of both breeds in our opinions--to us, these dogs are still registered German Shepherds and therefore we call them outcrosses, but we respect the rights of others to feel differently.

Each registry hopefully has its own set of guidelines for outcrossing. And before you consider purchasing an outcross puppy, you should research what those guidelines are. So we will answer these questions in general terms.

 

The goal of outcrossing should be to bring health, temperament, and conformation virtues into a line that is lacking diversity. When an extreme amount of inbreeding or line breeding is done two things can occur 1) you double up on good genes or 2) you double up on bad genes. If one looks at a Shiloh Shepherd pedigree one will see in the first several generations that the same dog's names are often repeated two, three, and even four times in the same pedigree. Shilohs have a relatively small gene pool which is exacerbated by the acrimony between the ISSR and the other registries. Even though outcrossing has taken place over the years and continues today, we are just starting to see pedigrees where the doubling and tripling of ancestors is beginning to “fade” away. And truth be told, some breeders continue to inbreed.

 

An ethical breeder would choose a dog from bloodlines that have strengths where the breeder’s line has weaknesses. However it is not as easy as it sounds. Getting breeders or owners of good outcross candidates to agree to breed their dogs to a Shiloh is very difficult. For many of these breeders, breeding their registered German Shepherds to a Shiloh is producing mutts—not registered Shilohs. This stigma continues to slow the progress of introducing quality outcross lines to increase diversity into Shilohs lines. In addition, because of their German Shepherd Dog (GSD) ancestry, Shilohs suffer from the same disorders as GSDs and outcrossing to GSDs if not done carefully could actually double up on disorders. And even careful selection of an outcross can be thwarted by recessive genes that spring up when least expected.

 

We hope education and our open database will help sway public opinion in the future and create more opportunities for Shiloh breeders to find good dogs to outcross their lines to and infuse more diversity without losing type.
We hope education and our open database will help sway public opinion in the future and create more opportunities for Shiloh breeders to find good dogs to outcross their lines to.

Some registries have set guidelines for their breeders to follow as to the type of outcross allowed. Each breeder also has to decide exactly what his or her goals are for improving his or her lines. Then breeders must choose a dog within those guidelines that would help them to achieve those goals.

 

Since the founding stock of the Shiloh Shepherd was comprised mostly of German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs), and since the Shiloh Shepherd breed standard varies little from the GSD breed standard, it seems only logical that the outcross of choice would be the GSD. Using a GSD allows a breeder to integrate diversity while not deviating too far from the goals set forth in the Shiloh Shepherd breed standard. This includes setting type which still eludes the breed in our opinions. The down side is we continue to introduce many of the same genetic disorders we are fighting to reduce in the process of seeking diversity. We think of it as a canine Catch 22. Outcrossing remains a controversial issue—some believe it will save the breed, some believe it is harming the breed. Others would like to see a breed other than a GSD used. The future of Shilohs is what we, the devoted breeders and owners, make of it. We have the opportunity to create the vision we all “saw” when we first got interested in Shilohs. In other words just because the picture is not as “rosy” as first presented does not mean we cannot achieve this vision—one pairing, one litter, one puppy at a time.