from Showing to Working?

Liesje

This would be my dog.  She has a great pedigree for SchH (west and east German working lines), but man is she one ball of nerves!  I can get her barking, lunging, maybe even gripping if I want, but she's a reactive mess at that state so she will NEVER train any form of "protection" work (I put "" on that b/c I don't see SchH protection as real protection work...but she will do neither).  If SchH is the true test of a GSD, than my Kenya is a total failure.  I love her just the same and she's quite good with obedience and agility, hopefully herding as well, but NOT a dog I would want breeding, even if the weak nerves were caused by environmental factors (her cousins, half brothers, and other related dogs do well in SchH and K9 police work).
 

It isn't that SchH is a true test of a GSD and your dog is a failure but you said yourself - she isn't breeding quality due to her temperament.

It isn't that SchH is a true test of a GSD and your dog is a failure but you said yourself - she isn't breeding quality due to her temperament.

I think I'm going to get a t-shirt to this effect - seriously. 

So many times people get offended when we try to explain our position that working BCs should continue to be bred to a working standard.  "So, my dog sucks because we don't herd?  Only herding dogs are real Border Collies?"

No, no, no, a thousand times no!  These discussions have no bearing on what a person chooses to do with their dog, only on breeding decisions. 

To me there is the "ideal" GSD, but in my mind, I know that I can't expect ALL GSDs of quality breeding to match that ideal even with genetics on their side, that only a select few will ever BE the ideal GSD, via good breeding, environmental factors, and proper training.  Kenya is a good example of that.  Her father was a high scoring SchH dog, but he was a great family companion and had a rock solid temperament.  Her half brother died defending his family from an armed intruder.  Kenya...if you come knocking at my door, she will only bark if Coke barks and when you try to come in, she will just sniff your crotch and walk away.  If you shout at her she will probably hide even though you are invading her space.  So she's a great example of a dog that WAS bred to be an ideal, but for whatever reasons, she doesn't cut it.  I don't think it makes her brothers and sisters lesser dogs, or her dam or sire, or means her breeder did a "bad" job.  You just never know with a dog, there's no guarantees.... 

Anyway, I guess as far as showing vs. working...there's always the UKC.  Kenya's 100% working lines and finished a UKC championship.  I know it's not as difficult as an AKC one, but still, she did conformation nonetheless.  I guess when it comes down to it, I'd rather have a UKC Ch working dog than have an AKC Ch show dog with no sign of working dogs in the pedigree. 

Liesje

So she's a great example of a dog that WAS bred to be an ideal, but for whatever reasons, she doesn't cut it.  I don't think it makes her brothers and sisters lesser dogs, or her dam or sire, or means her breeder did a "bad" job. 

 I don't think it was implied otherwise. If just breeding two dogs together with good working ability produced puppies with good working ability (who could than produce the same), there would be no need for actually working the dogs to determine if  individuals are suitable for breeding or not.