Guide

Is inbreeding or linebreeding good or bad for German Shepherds?

Neither, in Ján Sudimák’s view: the truth lies in the middle. Well-chosen inbreeding can strengthen the qualities of an outstanding ancestor, but it strengthens faults just as surely. He uses it only on strong, healthy, proven dogs and has seen very close matings lead to degeneration.

By Ján Sudimák International judge for conformation and performance, breed survey commissioner (Körmeister), with German Shepherds since 1963, founder of the Eqidius kennel in Bardejov, Slovakia.
Published 3 November 2026

What the book covers

The book’s chapters on inbreeding explain how breeders write it in a pedigree, the signs of degeneration the author watches for, the closest combination he has used himself and the alternatives he often prefers, drawing on the early history of the breed and on matings from his own kennel.

Guide

Related guides

How to read a German Shepherd pedigree
For Ján Sudimák a pedigree is a record of generations, not a list of titles. He looks at where ancestors repeat on the sire’s and the dam’s side, at the quality of the maternal line and well beyond the first generations – and he reminds breeders that ratings and points are not inherited.
How do I choose a stud dog for my female?
Ján Sudimák starts with health – of the stud, his siblings and his ancestors. Then he looks for a male from an excellent mother, sound in body and mind and confident in character, and he weighs only what can be inherited, never titles or points.
The main German Shepherd bloodlines
The German Shepherd goes back to a handful of founding sires, led by Horand von Grafrath. In his book, Ján Sudimák follows the male lines behind the sires used in Slovak breeding from 1980 to 2021 and groups them into 21 bloodline sections, from Hector von Schwaben to Quanto von der Wienerau.