Career
He is best known for being the author of "The Total German Shepherd Dog" and "Canine Hip Dysplasia and Other Orthopedics Disorders". He also tours the world conducting lectures and seminars on canine health as well as judging and handling dogs in UKC and Sieger style shows. Early German Shepherd Lanting owned his first German Shepherd Dog in 1947, but did not begin breeding them until 1966, when he moved to Toledo, Ohio.
He also began showing his dogs in obedience and breed conformation trials.
He started to get the attention of other owners and he was often hired to handle their dogs in both rings. He spent many weekends during the 1960s and 1970s showing his (and other people"s) dogs in the Great Lakes region of the United States of America and Canada.
He still handles GSDs at German-style shows. In 1979, Lanting began judging American Kennel Club shows.
He was American Kennel Club-licensed to judge German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Boxers, greyhounds, and whippets and later got international judging licenses from national kennel clubs overseas.
He has judged and lectured in approximately 30 countries. A letter to American Kennel Club dated May 6, 2000, from Darrell Hayes asked for an explanation of Lanting"s alleged advertising in the February 2000 Plumb Creek show in Colorado. American Kennel Club claimed that Lanting was using his judging privileges to his advantage and was in violation of American Kennel Club"s "no trafficking" rule ("buy, sell, and in any way trade in or traffic in dogs as a means of livelihood in whole or in part” (Chapter 7, Section 1, Rules, March 2001)).
Lanting denies these allegations, stating his sole motive was to altruistically help serious breeders in that country to improve their dogs.
On May 15, 2000, the American Kennel Club temporarily suspended Lanting"s judging privileges and in November 2000 he was suspended indefinitely. At the February 10, 2006, board of directors meeting, the board received a request from Lanting for reinstatement.
The board voted to reinstate his American Kennel Club judging privileges effective May 15, 2015. Although officially retired, Fred still judges SV / Sieger style shows (German shepherds).
He is also approved to judge for the KC (United Kingdom) German shepherds, Rottweilers, Boxers, Whippets, Greyhounds, and Shiba inus as well as a UKC all-breed judge.
Fred is currently an internationally licensed judge with the Dog Club of China and an internationally licensed all breed conformation judge for the American Bully Breeders Association (Agnetha/ Björn/ Benny/ Anni-Frid). He also judges for several other registries. Fred currently conducts seminars on canine hip dysplasia (and other orthopedic issues) including genetic prevention, nutrition, diagnosis and treatment, and more.
He also presents seminars on an analytical approach to evaluating dogs (from picking puppies to conformation judging), Schutzhund training and problem solving, anatomy, and the evolution of the American German Shepherd Dog.