| German vs. American |
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| This is not going to be a section about which type of GSD is better than the other, rather, a more objective view of each type. I'll try to describes the differences and 'advantages' of each type. |
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| Ike von der Polizei West German Working/DDR dog |
| Puppies |
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| Moderately angled American bred |
| Extremely angled American bred |
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| Moderately roached German show |
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| Extremely roached German show |
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| German working dog |
| The American Showline German Shepherd |
| These dogs are bred to fit a standard developed by the German Shepherd Dog Club of America. They look elegant and fancy compared to the German Showline Shepherd or the Workingline Shepherd. They gait at a flying trot, a ground covering gait. These dogs tend to be light and slender, not heavy boned. They have very elegant bodies and movement. Their muzzles are longer and not a broad as the German bred dogs. Their ears tend to be larger as well. As for temperment, the American bred dogs tend to be more mellow and laid back. Some can and do still do the work of their ancestors: herding. Others do agility or therapy work. Some of the American show dogs are overly angulated which some believe causes the dog to lose strength and stability in their back end. The extra angulation makes for a more smooth flying trot. Some angulation is necessary but anything to the extreme can be problamatic. |
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| Ch. St. Ledger's Cutty Sark |
| The German Showline German Shepherd |
| These dogs conform to a different standard than the American line dogs. The SV (German Shepherd Dog Parent Club) decides what the standard is. This is the international standard. All countries, except for America and Canada, follow this standard. These dogs also gait at a flying trot. These dogs are heavier boned than their American cousins. Their heads are also larger and more massive. Their muzzles are shorter and broader and their ears are smaller. As for temperment, these dogs tend to be more active and have a stronger prey drive. As part of conformation, they are required to do bitework and other things to prove that they're a strong, well put-together dog. Of the show dogs, the German Showline dogs are bred more for working. There is less emphasis on movement. Some of the German Showline dogs have a roached back or 'banana back.' This was developed recently in the breed. It was believed to increase the reach of the back legs for more efficient movement. However it created back problems in the breed. Most breeders are breeding the roached back out. |
| Gracie vom ZederKamme |
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| Sash Arminius/Noricum lines |
| The German Working German Shepherd |
| The working German shepherd is built more like a wolf. They have moderate angulation with no roaching. They're a more 'square' dog. They have high prey drive and are made to work. Because of this, some people find them 'hyper' and hard to live with. However, if you exercise their bodies and minds, they're just as good in the house as any other shepherd. Not all of them have that high of a prey drive anyways. Most of these dogs work for a living. Be it herding sheep in their native Germany or working alongside police officers here in America. Some even do search and rescue. |
| Erk Vom Powell-Haus |
| No written standard (to my knowledge) |
| Whatever type of German shepherd you decide to get, make sure you do some research first, so you'll know what you're getting into. Ask breeders and owners, get some books out of the library, search on the Internet. There are too many good German shepherds that end up in shelters because people DON'T know what they're getting into. Please don't add to the problem. Please be responsible. |
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| Brix vom grauen Mythos |
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| Misty |