We talk with Steve and Christine Grainger, breeders/owners of GV Bull and
GVX Godiva, along with several other top-winning and top-producing GSDs.

Editor's note: This interview was conducted by contributing writer Elizabeth Annand.
Steve and Christine Grainger have been breeding and showing German Shepherd Dogs for more than 20 years. The pair began separately, but joined forces when they married in 1993. Since then, they have bred and owned a Grand Victor, a Grand Victrix, and have bred 2006 Mexican GV Mex CH Babheims Rob Report Hickoryhill and 2003 Mexican GV US/Mex CH Hickoryhills Wild Wild West v Pilgrim, among others.

Kennel Name: Hickoryhill

Location: Elberfeld, IN (slightly north of Evansville)

Occupation(s)-    Steve: underground utility locator for over 20 years.

  Christine: oral surgery assistant and have worked in my office for about 13 years.

GSDbyDesign: How many years have you been involved with GSDs?

Christine: Steve and I have been involved with GSDs for about 20 years. I have had GSDs since childhood. My first introduction to the breed was my grandparents’ GSD. Although not from show lines, he did embody good GSD character and temperament. Perhaps this is why to this day good temperament, trainability, and character are important to me as well as Steve.

In my home we always had dogs. In the beginning my parents tried to satisfy me with a mixed breed and then a poodle, and although they were good dogs, I was never really happy as I wanted a dog like my grandparents’ dog! At 8, I finally got my first GSD, a stray bitch that came to our home. She was a black and tan bitch, medium size, nice type, good ears and a dark eye, very good temperament and she appeared to have been well taken care of. Looking back at some of her pictures, she wasn't too bad structurally either. No one in our neighborhood knew of anyone that was missing a dog, nor were there any ads or flyers. So we kept her, I named her "Lady," and she immediately became a part of our family. My parents were ahead of their time, as our dogs always traveled with us. Lady camped, and boated with us; we never boarded her. From that time, I have always had a GSD.

Steve: Dogs were not as much a part of my early childhood. I purchased my first GSD in my early 20s. A solid black from import lines named Cito. I did obedience and Schutzhund with him. He was an intelligent dog, but very head strong and not as much a desire to please as I like in a dog.

GSDbyDesign: How did you get started in your breeding program?

Christine: This will be long, because I will have to backtrack a bit to explain! Steve and I married in 1993. He and I were involved in dogs independently before we met.

Steve: I started in dogs doing Schutzhund and obedience in about 1980. I began my involvement in conformation showing around 1983 or so. I found I enjoyed conformation showing more than Schutzhund and obedience. My first few show GSD's did not turn out. I then acquired a bitch, an Aspen daughter, who I eventually bred to Sundance Kid. My Aspen daughter had a pretty good pedigree, and equally as important she had a great mind and a really good temperament. From this breeding I bred my first champion, Ch. Pairadice's Huganut. I sold the dog to Christine in 1987 or so. I was showing another breed at the time and not showing GSDs. Huggy finished in 1989, and I put the last major on him. I attended my first National in '83 or '84, it was in Philly.

Christine: About 1983 I began competing in obedience, but wasn't really interested in conformation until about 1985. I had purchased a show prospect or two that did not turn out. My first true show dog was the dog I bought from Steve, and he finished quite easily at both all-breeds and specialties. He probably would have finished faster had I known about grooming and conditioning and all the things it takes to "make" a show dog. Nonetheless, he finished despite me!

Steve: That is because you had a good handler!

Christine: I did have a good handler and still do! When we married, Huggy was still alive. We had a Huggy son out of a Sel CH Monte Alban daughter, and we also had a black and tan Huggy daughter. Her name was Charlie. She was a small bitch, with a great mind and lots of drive. Structurally she was fair, she had a good back, and average shoulder, nice coupling, clean coming and going. Her feet were not so good, and she was finer boned than I liked. She was certainly not a show bitch. Steve had not had good luck purchasing “show prospects”, and neither had I. The only success Steve had experienced was breeding his Aspen daughter to Sundance Kid.

Steve: This is true. What I am about to say I don't want handlers to take the wrong way, as everyone is just trying to put food on the table. But any new person reading this should know how the system works in many cases. This is what I found out when I was new and didn't understand how things were done. Since I figured out the game pretty quickly, I didn't get the shaft too bad, and it didn't drive me out of the sport, but it has driven many out of the sport.

Not too long after I was involved in conformation, and trying to buy my first "show" dog, I learned quickly that the handlers never recommended that people buy dogs outside their client "circle." They didn't want to promote a dog that wasn't bred by a client, I guess because it could cause problems with the client and handler if a dog was bought from the "outside." Also the handler usually benefited by placing a client’s dog by adding a "finder’s" fee on top of the purchase price, or by taking a percentage of the sale, which is okay if they actually did make an effort to find a buyer. But guess who replaces the dog if it doesn't turn out? Not the handler! Add to this that the handler could possibly still control the dog that was sold, by adding to the contract that the dog be shown exclusively by him - another way for the handler to insure the greatest return! Of course nowadays, many handlers are breeders, but that is a whole different story, with even a greater money return.

I also found out along the way that most handlers also did not want to suggest stud dogs for breeding that did not belong to a client. So same thing, the dog might not be the best for your bitch, but the handler makes money because he gets a cut of the fee if the dog is in residence .It didn't take long to figure who is benefiting from all this. Usually not the breeder and usually not the buyer!

When I finally did get my Aspen daughter, Sadie, I was basically stuck with co-owning her with the handler. I had already been through a few dogs that didn't turn out, all of which had come from our handler’s clients. Some were nuts, some had hip issues. Sadie was one that finally had it all together, except one thing. She still was not a great show bitch. So I bred her two times to a dog that the handler suggested; of course a client’s dog, and I got absolutely nothing but problems, which meant nothing to show. The handler finally signed off the bitch, basically because he either felt he was tired of dealing with me, or he felt the bitch wasn't a producer. Whatever the case, it wasn't until I decided on my own to breed Sadie to Sundance Kid, that I got something that was actually show quality!

Down the road, when my handler finally saw the puppy we had kept from the breeding of Sadie and Bear, instead of saying "Nice puppy" he seemed PO'd that we had something of quality. What I learned from this is: The more you know, the better your working relationship is with the handler, as it is based on mutual respect. Also don't depend on handlers to be in charge of your own breeding program or train, groom, and condition your dogs. No one has more of an interest in your success than you do! I wasted a lot of time in the beginning with mediocre dogs and breeding my bitch to dogs that she should not have been bred to, but I did learn from it.

Christine: To add to what Steve has said, I have never understood why people buy dogs through handlers, when they could just call the breeder. Maybe they really think the handler can pick the "good" one. Like the handler knows more about a breeder’s bloodlines than the breeder does? What I have known to happen when a buyer goes through a handler for a puppy is that the handler buys the puppy at a reasonable price and then adds on a significant amount to the cost of the puppy. The problem is, the buyer thinks that they have purchased a very expensive puppy from the breeder, when in fact the breeder didn't charge that much. If the puppy doesn't turn out, then the breeder has to replace it, and the buyer is expecting a puppy that is worth a small fortune, but the breeder didn't ask a small fortune for the puppy, and the handler walks away, not responsible for anything.

This makes for a very bad situation and lots of hard feelings. Some of these so-called business dealings I hear about would never fly in the "real" world! However, in the dog world, people who are very successful business people seem to agree to deals that they would never in a million years agree to in their business.

Steve: Getting back to how we got started . . . Since I had more of a conformation background than Christine did, I knew more of what it took to win at a national level, and I knew it wasn't easy. I had conditioned and trained my previous dogs. My feeling was if we were going to stay in GSDs that we had to breed better, train harder, and show smarter than someone else that had been doing this for awhile. This is still what we believe today.

Christine: So I basically began researching what other prominent breeders had done. How they line-bred, who was producing and with what lines, and I developed my "To-Do" list of different stud dogs that I wanted to breed our Huggy daughter, Charlie, to. However, looking back I can tell you that all the studying was important from a knowledge standpoint, and I still believe that good producing pedigrees are important, but sometimes what looks good on paper doesn't always give you the desired result. Breeding really good dogs is a complicated process and a great deal of instinct and good fortune is involved.

Uecker was the second dog we bred our Huggy daughter, Charlie, to. He was not a GV at the time. Steve and I both liked his type and his pedigree. Steve was more familiar with his bloodlines than I was, and in researching, I knew the dog had good producers behind him. There had been other dogs I had considered, but Steve either didn't like the dogs or the pedigree. We both agreed in Uecker. Again, this was rather "blind," as neither of us had seen the dog in person. Donna and John Schacht owned Uecker and Donna was great to work with, getting our bitch in and out of the airport between snow storms and tolerating what I am certain were endless questions from a "newbie" who didn't know much of anything! From this breeding we got GV Bull Durham TC HIC ROM.

GVX Godiva 2004 GVX under Joan Fox Owners: Scott and Margaret Trahan and Steve Grainger	Steve, Christine and Bart with Diva e e e Diva is the sister to Sel CH GQ and Sel CH Brickhouse
Photo courtesy the Graingers	Photo courtesy the Graingers

Steve: That litter was born during a blizzard. I remember the electric was out, and all the heat we had was the fireplace. We don't really ever look at our puppies when they are born, just enough to make certain there are no problems and to see who is a male and who is a female. Bull came from a litter of four puppies. He was the only male. As he got older, he was not a very big puppy, sort of dry, not a plush and pretty puppy like so many people like. However, he had a certain something that I really can't explain that set him apart from his sisters. Even as early as seven weeks he hit the end of the lead like a showman. He was always a very confident puppy with a great deal of drive and desire to please.

When they got old enough to start moving, we began evaluating the litter. Bull made it pretty easy as he was a stand out in movement. So we kept him and a more extreme female. Bull went through some very leggy stages, from about twelve weeks to six months of age, but he always had movement. Perhaps if someone from the outside had come in and "evaluated" our litter, they would have advised us to sell him as he wasn't a very substantial male puppy. This is why Christine and I stress to others about learning to pick your own puppies, and just look at movement. I tend to get caught up in "prettiness" like many do. Christine, on the other hand, will see something in a puppy that no one else can see, even if it is a rather ordinary looking puppy. She can see past the "visual" appeal of a puppy that most are immediately drawn to.

Christine: Now did we know that Bull was going to grow to be a GV down the road? Absolutely not! We just thought he might be a really nice dog that we could finish, and as he grew, we loved his temperament and character even more. When Bull was about 4-5 months old, we met Bart and Cindy Bartley. We knew we needed a handler, and Bart and Cindy lived in our community, so it seemed like a logical choice. I had known Cindy before she was married to Bart, but not well. After we all looked at Bull, watched him move and set him up, Bart suggested we show him at the National, which was in Lexington, KY, that year, only 3 hours from home. We agreed.

Steve and I had to look like the Beverly Hillbillies going to the National. We had 3 kids, our luggage, and a 500 crate with a puppy in a 1993 Chevy Blazer headed for the National. The only thing that was missing was a rocking chair on the top of the Blazer! This was the first National we had ever entered a dog in, and really only the second National I had ever attended! So we didn't have a lot of expectations, and we had absolutely no experience in showing at a National level. Much to our surprise Bull won the 6-9 class under Kathleen Steen and went on to go Best Puppy under Ralph Roberts. I can't explain how excited and thrilled we were. On top of that, Bull's sire, Uecker, went GV. So there was much to celebrate about! The win under Ralph was pretty special. I had seen their dog, Ulk, in many GSD books I had gotten at the library as a kid, and I was familiar with Mr. Robert's and his history in the breed.

Steve: The Best Puppy win probably opened the doors and our eyes for us in the breed. Winning something at a National is nearly everyone's dream. Many people were complimentary of Bull when he went Best Puppy. However, we were a bit green in thinking that everyone would still love the puppy when he became an adult dog. Although we finished Bull quickly, the road to doing so wasn't always easy. It seems that as Bull got older and became a contender for the points, a few became critical of his movement in the front. You would be standing ringside and hear people saying "Oh he is a nice dog, but he lifts in the front" or they would congratulate you on a win and say "Nice win, but, you know, he lifts." Yes, he did lift. Sometimes it was worse than others. Usually the longer he went the less he lifted.

Bull's lifting was actually less faulty than the lifting we see today. Many dogs are now reaching from the elbow, or are lifting straight up and down. You can see this in the movement pictures people use in the Review. Sort of funny how some of these same people who griped the most about Bull are now breeding dogs that have the same fault, but they can't see it in their own dogs. At least we knew what Bull's problems were and worked to correct this in our breeding program.

            Really, the biggest problem with Bull was not his lifting; it was his lack of association at that time with the "right" people. Bull winning the GV title under Joe Bihari in 2000 certainly did right a few wrongs. So, things all work out in the end. We will always be grateful to Joe for awarding Bull this prestigious title.

I would like to say, that when I state the above, I don't want to discourage new people, but I don't want to candy-coat things. The truth is the truth, this is what happened to us and to say differently would be a lie. My reason for saying this is not to whine about it, but to show that to have success you have to be willing to "man-up" and take some things that come your way that aren't not always nice. Competition doesn't always bring out the best in people. That is just the way it is. You go on. If the worst thing that ever happens to you in your life is that someone said something bad about your dog, then you’re pretty lucky.

Christine: I think it is always harder with your first really good dog, and it seems to be worse when you are promoting a dog instead of a bitch. You think you breed a good dog, and the fancy would be excited for you. After all, anyone can "own" a part of the dog for a stud fee. It seems though, or at least that is what we found out, that everyone that owns a stud dog is competing to have the bitches bred to their dog. So it can become rather cut-throat. In time, you get over some of the mean-spirited people. I am not saying that you can ever forget it, or even forgive it, but the hurt does ease with time. Sadly, this type of thing does make or break some people. We were just stubborn (or stupid) and determined enough to not quit.

So basically, Bull started our breeding program, as we built off of him. I realize most people build off bitches, but Bull was much better than his dam, so it just seemed logical to obtain bitches to breed to him and keep some of his daughters for the future. After the Best Puppy win, he went on to finish by 18 months of age, and in 1997 went Futurity Victor under Rosaline Schafer. Again, another shock to us, and there was certainly no buzz that we even had a chance at going FV. Then in 1998, Ed Barritt awarded Bull a Select 3. This was our first Select rating. Ed recognized his quality even though Bull was still a young dog at the time.

We acquired every bitch we could get to breed to Bull. Didn't matter what pedigree, we just wanted to get puppies on the ground. It didn't take long to discover he was a good producer and was able to produce with a variety of bitches. Bull achieved his ROM four months after he went GV, on his fifth birthday. Looking back on the bitches that were bred to Bull, maybe only six or so were champions; there weren't many out of the 60 litters. He did not have the luxury of having the top bitches acquired to be bred to him. Despite that, he still sired 30 champions, many of which went select, including his daughter GVX CH Hickoryhill's Godiva Sirius Park, who was awarded the Grand Victrix title in 2004 under Judge Joan Fox. Bull also sired a Mexican GV and GVX.

Everything worked out in the end, and we are happy about Bull's contribution to the breed. Bull had an iron back, strong rear drive, and great follow-through, and he passed on these positive things to his progeny. Also, we are especially proud of the fact that he actually improved temperament and drive. Bull was one of the top ATAA performance sires for five years in a row. Many of his progeny excelled in herding, agility, rally, obedience, and even Schutzhund. We are extremely proud of those folks that competed with their dogs in these events. After all, Steve and I both started in this breed as performance people, long before we knew what side-gait was!

We kept a few of Bull’s daughters to build on, and acquired a nice well-bred bitch or two to breed to Bull. One of the best, of course was CH Sirius Park's Poetry Aladdin, bred by Ed and Lee Parkhurst. The first breeding of Poetry and Bull gave us Sel Brick House, who is nearing her ROM. The second litter gave us GVX Godiva and Sel GQ. We also leased a nicely-bred bitch from Shirley Raymond; this bitch gave us Sel Wild Wild West and CH Wells Fargo. Shirley and Sam were great supporters of Bull; we will always appreciate this.

It is hard to believe sometimes that since that initial trip to the National in 1996, we have now bred 13 US champions including a GV, a GVX, three Selects and a few Futurity/Maturity winners. The breed has been very good to us, and there are many, many good people that we have met along the way that have been helpful and have grown to be good friends. We will also always be appreciative of all the judges that have recognized the quality of our dogs and rewarded them accordingly.

Sel CH Hickoryhills GQ Sirius Park Breeders: Christine Grainger and Lee Parkhurst Owners: Steve & Christine Grainger and Joe Bihari	Sel CH Hickoryhill's Brickhouse Sirius Park Breeders: Christine Grainger and Lee Parkhurst Owners: Breeders and Carlos Navarro
Photo courtesy the Graingers	Photo courtesy the Graingers

GSDbyDesign: Who are some of your all-time favorite GSDs (of your own breeding or otherwise)?

Christine: I think a dog that made an impression on me was Sundance Kid.

Steve: I agree. I bred to the dog before I actually met him in person. I finally met him at the St. Louis National. He was a great dog. It was great to see Inge at the National in Colorado this year and spending time talking with her.

Christine: I would also like to include GV Uecker ROM. I believe that Uecker was an under-appreciated dog as a producer. Uecker was and still is dominant for producing nice shoulders. There are also many dogs and bitches that I think were great and had a great impact on the breed, but I didn't know them personally. A dog I never bred to that I did like was CH Jo-San's Enterprise; I think he was a good producer. And also Andretti (2X Sel CH Nike-Clayfield Andretti ROM ROMC TT OFA), who, although a Bear son, brought a different dimension to his producing ability through his dam, Allways a Lady (2X Sel CH Clayfield's Allways A Lady ROM). Langenau's Beau of Jeanden (FV 2X Sel CH Langenau's Beau of Jeanden ROM OFA) is also a dog we never had an opportunity to breed to, but who we would have incorporated into our breeding program.

Basically, we breed for males; we are different in that regard as most breed for bitches. As I said, there are many breeders and many, many dogs that have offered much to the breed. My not including them here in no way means that I found them less important. There have been a few dogs that I have really liked, but didn't breed to, because I just felt that they wouldn't work with our lines. I can like a dog, but not breed to the dog, if that makes sense.

Steve: As for our own dogs, I would have to say Bull Durham set the standard for our breeding program. He was not a perfect dog, but he embodied the true essence of the breed in many areas. He was a showman, a producer, highly intelligent with impeccable character and temperament. He had a strong desire to please and would try to do whatever you asked of him. I think you can still see some of these traits in many of his kids and even grand kids. When he died, we were close to getting out of dogs.

Christine: I agree with Steve and felt the same as I didn't think I could get over losing him. Bull's two sisters just died this last summer, both were 11. I will also always have a special place for Bull's dam, Charlie. Much of Bull's drive and toughness came from her. GVX Godiva is a wonderful bitch. However, she spent a great deal of time with our friend and co-owner, Scott Trahan. So forming a real bond with her was more difficult because she grew to love Scott so much. We are fortunate to have Godiva's older sister here, Sel Brick House, who has come very close to being like Bull in her temperament and structure. Brick House will do whatever it takes to make you happy. Not only did she have a nice show career, she has also proven to be a great brood bitch and a good producer. She loves Steve more than me.

Steve: Each dog is special and different in their own way.

Christine: To take what Steve just said a bit further, this applies to when you train a dog for the ring or even for performance. You have to understand that what worked with the last dog, might not work with this dog. Understanding the uniqueness of each dog helps you get the most out of them. If Bull, Brick House, Godiva, and even our young dog we are showing now, Porter House, had fallen into the hands of someone who was heavy-handed or a tough trainer, their spirits would have been broken. Even though Bull was a tough dog, like his dam, he was also tender-hearted and wanted to make you happy. He never really ever needed a hard correction. Most of our dogs are like this, but a few aren't, so you discover how to connect with them.

GSDbyDesign: What is the most important quality to you in a GSD?

Steve and Christine: ALL the qualities of the breed are important. If you breed to the standard, you breed for good temperament and character, appearance and movement. It is easy to breed 2 out of 3, but breeding 3 out of 3 is the exceptional dog and difficult to do. With this said, temperament is an absolute must. A cowardly, fearful dog is not exemplary of a true GSD. As a breeder you must keep in mind what first attracted you to the breed. Most of us fell in love with GSDs because of their character and their appearance, not side-gait. We are not saying this to diminish the importance of a good-moving dog, as no one loves a great side-gaiting dog more than we do, and now days we are losing the movement that is unique to our breed. But we say this to emphasize never losing sight of what first attracted you to the breed.

Christine: I would also like to add that we both like an athletic dog and a dog with a good work ethic. I hear people say things such as "My dog is so intelligent; he just thinks it is stupid to gait around a small ring." To this I say BS! So the dog decides while chasing a criminal that 15 minutes is enough, and it’s time to quit? Or a dog searching for someone who is lost says" Well I’ve done this long enough, didn't find them, so time to quit." Some dogs just don't have the desire to please and do what is asked of them. Some dogs just lack a work ethic. Or some dogs simply would rather be doing something else, and what their owners want them to do really doesn't matter to them. Basically they have no desire to please. I also believe that some dogs enjoy being in the limelight and some don't, not that much different than people.

GSDbyDesign: What problem(s) do you think are most prevalent and of the most significant in the breed?

Christine: We are seeing a rather strong influx of poor temperament, and people seem to be ignoring it, making excuses for it. People that should know better are promoting and encouraging people to breed to animals that are poor examples of the breed in this area, and they are doing our breed a great disservice. In my opinion, breeders that disregard temperament are playing right into the hands of those who want breed specific legislation and don't have the breed or future of the breed at heart. Dogs are just money for them.

When I hear handlers say that they can somehow "modify" the behavior, it isn't modifying it, it is masking it. In nearly all cases the dog is unsound, not from environment, but from genetics, so he/she will be passing their poor temperament to the next generation, so that we can start the vicious circle of "modification" all over again.

From a structure standpoint, we are losing shoulders, big time! I read the critiques of the Dog Specials from the National. Nearly every one, with the exception of maybe three or four, stated "Could use a better front" or "Lacking in front reach" or "Could have better front reach." Now, what should this be telling people? Shoulders are hard to get, and hard to maintain. When you lose them, you will spend generations trying to get them back. Basically we are losing that nice suspended motion that sets our breed apart from other breeds. In exchange, we now have fast, animated movers who are being held up by the handler. I like animation, too, but with good ground covering motion, not hundreds of tiny little steps.

Steve: The shoulder problems and temperament problems will increase because many are unable to see where they need improvement. Just like when I started, they are being told what to breed to, what to show, by those who profit the most and may not always have their best interests at heart. Until people can learn not to be kennel blind and be critical of their own animals so they can make improvements, I can't see things getting better in the near future. In one way what others do doesn't really affect us, because we do what we want to do without asking anyone.

Christine: But in some ways it does affect us, because when the gene pool becomes so saturated with certain lines that seem to be dominant for these poor traits, you might be forced to bring in some lines that you don't really want in your breeding program. If I had to be forced into bringing poor temperament into our breeding program, I would either get out of dogs or go to another breed.

Littermates by CH Welove Du Chiens Nathan OFA x Sel CH Hickoryhill's Brickhouse Sirius Park 

GSDbyDesign: When you select a puppy, what are you looking for? Be as specific as possible.

Steve and Christine: We look at movement. That is really it. This works for our lines. It may not work for others.

Steve: I tend to get more caught up in type in a puppy than Christine does. She will often pick the ugly puppy that is dry, not something that stands out. It is usually a puppy that no one else would even consider buying!

Christine: I have just learned that ugly puppies can grow to be beautiful adults, and movement is movement. The alternative is to pick the beautiful puppy that isn't a good mover. And when he grows up, you have a beautiful adult who isn't a good mover. If you have a good mover, then in most cases the type will come along.

Some of my very best dogs have been the least attractive puppies. We did not show GVX Godiva until she was 14 months old because through most of her puppy-hood she looked like a farm dog! She was a good-moving little puppy, never really pretty. So we kept her, and I held true to the fact that early on at 6, 7 and 8 weeks of age she was the best mover. These ages are good for evaluation of our lines. After that, they get very ugly and don't start really looking good again until about 6-7 months of age. Godiva took a bit longer than even 7 months. Steve was the first to notice Godiva was coming back around again at about 10 months or so.

Other lines develop VERY differently. So what is good for us in evaluation may be the wrong way to evaluate someone else’s lines – all the more reason why you MUST learn to evaluate your own puppies. Puppies need to be watched every day. I would also like to point out that we have kept dogs that other people might have given up on. Godiva was one of them. Had I sold her early on, I am certain that I would have been getting a phone call from the buyer stating "I don't think she is going to turn out. Do you want her back, or should we put her in a pet home?"

The only structural things I look at in puppies are backs. If they have a sagging back young, they will probably always have it. If they have a slight dip behind the whither, and then the back gets sort of over-cast, not to worry. In our lines, soft, sagging backs just don't improve, but that is our lines. I can't speak for others. For any new person out there that might be reading this. There is no magic formula for puppy evaluation; you just have to know your bloodlines.

GSDbyDesign: Who was/is the most influential person in your breeding program?

Steve: We did not have a mentor or anyone who was of any influence. No one took us under their wing and babied us along. Basically we owe no one for helping us out, or giving us advice. I just watched what successful breeders did - how they presented their dogs, what condition their dogs were in. I observed a lot and really didn't talk with anyone about what we should do. If we lost enough times, I just figured we weren't doing it right.

Christine: We just did things our way and still do. Neither Steve nor I are people who are easily influenced by anyone, and we don't tend to latch onto people. Basically we both came from the "School of Hard Knocks." Once you have learned your lessons there, you don't forget.

However, if I had to pick a single person who influenced me, it would have to be a gentleman that judged a match that I entered, probably 20 or so years ago. I had seen him before at shows and had admired a dog he was showing in obedience. At that time we had a Specialty club in the area, and I entered some dogs I had in the match. Admittedly, they were not very good. After the match, I mustered up enough courage to ask him what he didn't like about my dogs. He bluntly told me they were of poor quality, which was fine. However, he ended the conversation by saying in a very condescending manner "Well, the dogs you have now are better than what you had, but not good. Maybe one of these days you will get some quality."

Those were fighting words to me, but I didn't respond. I just tucked away what he said and plotted my revenge. Occasionally I still see him at shows; he is not in GSDs anymore and shows a different breed. However, he was still in the breed when Bull was being campaigned. So he knows what our dogs have done, and he knows who owns them, and I take a degree of pleasure in knowing that he does. One day, I will have to thank him for making me mad enough to want to be successful.

Steve: My thoughts when we stated were that no one was really going to be there to guide us. So we were going to have to breed better and condition our animals much better than those who knew more and had been doing it longer than us. In other words, you show up to the game prepared and do all you can do. Never let yourself get beat by a lack of being prepared. Then you have beaten yourself before you even get into the ring. We have trained, conditioned, and groomed ALL our dogs. We have never sent any of our dogs to a handler for training and conditioning. We have also picked all our puppies and never asked anyone for advice. If you screw up in the beginning and sell the best puppy to a pet home, then you never forget. And you have no one to blame but yourself. So you figure out how you made the mistake, and you don't repeat it. Pretty simple.

GSDbyDesign: What do you find to be the best thing about being involved in GSDs?

Steve and Christine: The dogs are the best part! The breed has been extremely good to us. We owe GSDs so much. Also the many good people we have met that we may never have had an opportunity to meet had it not be for our involvement with GSDs.

GSDbyDesign: What are your goals in the breed?

Christine: Any time you are involved in breeding and showing dogs, you want to create your next "great" one. So, maintaining the standard you have already set is always a goal. I never want to fall into the trap of thinking that everything we have bred is so great that we don't need to improve. If you let yourself fall into that mindset, you will soon see your breeding program begin to backslide. As for personal goals, perhaps some day we will begin judging, not sure when.

Steve: I agree. Since we are very active in breeding and showing, I can see how judging might be a conflict of interest, but we do need good judges. This is also something I might do down the road.

GSDbyDesign: Who is your most recent up-and-coming star? What makes him/her catch your eye?

Steve: Actually we do have a couple of young dogs that are doing quite well. Porter House (Macho) is near finishing. He is probably the closest to Bull we may ever produce, but with some improvements. I put all the points on the dog. In that regard he is very much like Bull, a showman, no matter who is on the lead. He likes to go and enjoys the ring. Macho has that "certain something" that catches your eye. He is a very alert, intelligent dog, much like Bull. And, of course, he is a very good mover, and he is not a quitter. Macho is another example of a puppy that no one picked as "the one." Like Bull, he was dry, not as attractive as his brothers. But there was something about him that Christine wanted to take a chance on.

His sister, Doll House, is very much like her dam, Sel Brick House - very pretty, nice mover. She is also almost finished. Both just need 4 single points. There is also a repeat of this breeding, Drama Queen; she is also showing a great deal of potential. Early on she was another "ugly one." I told Christine to sell her at 8 weeks, but as usual she didn't listen. As I said, she often sees things that I and others might not see. So we do have a couple of things that I think are pretty good coming down the road.

Christine: Yes, Macho is in many ways like Bull. We adore Brick House, Macho's dam. I am going to say this, and it is going to sound corny, sappy, and probably just plain crazy. But I remember talking to Brick House on the grooming table once (yes, I have conversations with my dogs) after Bull had died and telling her that she knew how much we loved her and if she could just give me a son as good as she was, I would be happy. I didn't think she would give us a male so close to Bull in so many ways. It is almost eerie. All these youngsters are sired by Nathan, a Uecker son that we co-own with John Schacht.

GSDbyDesign: Any final comments?

Steve and Christine: No not really we have probably said too much as it is!

Steve: I am usually a bad influence to be around, because I don't sugar-coat anything. I am not "politically correct."

Christine: Yes, we can be a bit irreverent, and sometimes my temper gets the best of me! Seriously though, we just want to stress that we are the poster kids for any person starting out that thinks that they can't be successful in this sport. We have proven that it can be done, but it’s not always easy, and that is okay. It is part of the sport and you will survive.

Steve and I are pretty open about sharing what we do or don't know. I don't want new people to be afraid to ask us things. We were all "new" once, and I certainly don't see myself as any "pillar of the breed." But I will try to be as helpful as I can. Folks need to understand, you can't teach all you know in a short time, and there are some things that you know that you can't teach; it is just instinct. I know both Steve and I can appear to be "arrogant;" that is not the case. We do both get pretty intense at shows, but when it’s over, it is time to enjoy visiting and meeting up with old friend and making new ones.

Steve: Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, but you do have to work at it and stick with it. Our formula for success is to breed better, train harder, and show smarter. Determination, common sense, and hard work go a long way. Also, always be prepared.

Christine: Not being prepared is like showing up to the party underdressed! Oh, there is one more thing: For all who are new to this sport, keep in mind that show dogs are MADE! A dog can be born with the raw structure, but you have to enhance what God gave him. Good nutrition, parasite control, fresh air, conditioning, regular grooming and keeping the dog fit are all as important as his raw structure. Many dogs who could have been great dogs never have met their potential because of a lack of the aforementioned. But many dogs also have exceeded their potential and real worth to the breed because of great training, conditioning, and grooming. In other words, you can make or break a good dog. I have seen dogs that in the care of someone who didn't know how to keep the dog fit, looked awful. But put the same dog with someone who knows how to keep a dog fit, and the dog looks like a potential star.

Steve: Speaking of stars, new people shouldn't expect a star right away. Stars are special and don't happen often. If you buy a dog from a breeder, and it is someone you trust, and the dog doesn't turn out, you may not have gotten screwed. We keep dogs occasionally that don't turn out, too.

Steve and Christine: Thank you for the opportunity to do the interview. I think this is the first time we have ever done something like this. We enjoyed it.

Thank you to Steve and Christine Grainger for their gracious acceptance of our interview request and for providing us with 
such gorgeous photos of their dogs.

The German Shepherd by Design will be conducting interviews of notable breeders and handlers throughout 2008. If you would like to be featured on our website, please email Becky at gsdbydesign@aol.com.
 

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