GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG
The German Shepherd is a member of the herding group,
but his abilities do not end with that. The breed is probably most notable for it's roll
as a police K9 officer, and is also found in Search & Rescue, Guide dogs for the blind
and physically disabled, and on the training field working obedience, tracking, agility,
Schutzhund, and French Ring Sport. The breeds great versitility is do to it's extreme
intellegence, athletic ability, all weather natural coat, and devotion to it's master.
When viewing a German Shepherd, your first impression should be that of a well balanced,
confident, and noble dog. Movement should be effortless, as the German Shepherd Dog was
bred to cover much ground with little effort, working all day without tiring.
The following are the
Official Breed Standards as published by the Canadian Kennel Club
dated July 1994:
- General Appearance
- The first impression of a good German Shepherd Dog is that of a strong, agile,
well-musceled animal, alert and full of life. It should both be and appear to be well
balanced, with harmonious development of the forequarter and hindquarter. The dog should
appear to the eye, and actually be, longer than tall, deep bodied, and present an outline
of smooth curves rather than corners. It should look substantial and not spindly, giving
the impression both at rest and in motion of muscular fitness and nimbleness without any
look of clumsiness or soft living.
The Shepherd should be stamped with a look of quality and nobility, difficult to define
but unmistakable when present. The good German Shepherd Dog never looks common.
Secondary sex characteristics should be strongly marked, and every animal should give a
definite impression of masculinity or femininity, according to its sex. Dogs should be
definitely masculine in appearance and deportment; bitches, unmistakably feminine, without
weakness of structure or apparent softness of temperament.
The condition of the dog should be that of an athlete in good condition, the muscles and
flesh firm and the coat lustrous.
- Temperament
- The breed has a distinct personality marked by a direct and fearless, but not hostike,
expression, and self-confidence and a certain aloofness with does not lend itself to
immediate and indiscriminate friendships. The Shepherd Dog is not one that fawns upon
every new acquaintance. At the same time, it should be approachable, quietly standing its
ground and showing confidence and a willingness to meet overtures without itself making
them. It should be poised, but when the occasion demands, eager and alert, both fit and
willing to serve in any capacity as companion, watch dog, blind leader, herding dog or
guardian; whichever the circumstances may demand.
The Shepherd Dog must not be timid, shrinking behind its master or handler, nervous,
looking about or upward with anxious expression or showing nervous reactions to strange
sounds or sights, or lackadaisacal, sluggish, or manifestly disinterested in what goes on
about him. Lack of confidence under any surroundings is not typical of good character.
Cases of extreme timidity and nervous unbalance sometimes give the dog an apparent, but
totally unreal, courage and it becomes a "fear biter", snapping not for any
justifiable reason but because it is apprehensive of the approach of a stranger. This is a
serious fault subject to heavy penalty.
- Size
- The ideal height for dogs is 25 inches (64cm), and for bitches, 23 inches (58cm) at the
shoulder. This height is established by taking a perpendicular line from the top of the
shoulder blade to the ground with the coat parted or so pushed down that this measurement
will show the only actual height of the frame or structure of the dog. The working value
of the dogs above or below the indicated height is proportionately lessened, although
variations of an inch (3cm) above or below the ideal height are acceptable, while greater
variations must be considered as faults. Weights of dogs of desirable size in proper flesh
and condition average between 75 and 85 lb. (34 and 39 kg); and of bitches, between 60 and
70 lb. (27 and 32 kg).
- Coat
- The Shepherd is normally a dog with a double coat, the amount of undercoat varying with
the season of the year and the proportion of the time the dog spends out of doors. It
should, however, always be present to a sufficient degree to keep out water, to insulate
against temperature extremes, and as a protection against insects. The outer coat should
be as dense as possible, hair straight, harsh and lying close to the body. A slightly wavy
outer coat, often of wiry texture, is equally permissible. The head, including the inner
ear, foreface, and legs and paws are covered with short hair extending to the pastern and
hock respectively. Faults in coat include complete lack of any undercoat, soft, silky or
too long outer coat and curly or open coat.
- Colour
- The German Shepherd Dog differs widely in colour and all colours are permissible.
Generally speaking, strong, rich colours are to be preferred, with definite pigmentation
and without the appearance of a washed-out colour. White dogs are not desirable and are to
be disqualified if showing albino characteristics.
- Head
- Clean-cut and strong, the head of the Shepherd is characterized by nobility. It should
seem in proportion to the body and should not be clumsy, although a degree of coarseness
of head, especially in dogs, is less of a fault than over-refinement. A round or domey
skull is a fault. The muzzle is long and strong with the lips firmly fitted, and
its topline is usually parallel with an imaginary elongation of the line of the forehead.
Seen from the front, the forehead is only moderately arched and the top skull slopes into
the long wedge-shaped muzzle without abrupt stop. Jaws are strongly developed. Weak and
too narrow underjaws, snipey muzzles, and no stop are faults. Teeth: The strong
teeth, 42 in number (20 upper and 22 lower) are strongly developed and meet in a scissors
grip in which part of the inner surface of the upper teeth meets and engages part of the
outer surface of the lower teeth. This type of bite gives a more powerful grip than one in
which the edges of the teeth meet directly, and is subject to less wear. The dog is
overshot when the lower teeth fail to engage the inner surfaces of the upper teeth. This
is a serious fault. The reverse condition - an undershot jaw - is a very serious fault.
While missing premolars are frequently observed, complete dentition is decidedly to be
preferred. So-called distemper teeth and discoloured teeth are faults whose seriousness
varies with the degree of departure from the desired white, sound colouring. Teeth broken
by accident should not be severly penalized but worn teeth, especially the incisors, are
often indicative of the lack of a proper scissors bite, although some allowance shoudl be
made for age. Eyes of medium size, almond shaped, set a little obliquely and not
protruding. The colour as dark as possible. Eyes of lighter colour are sometimes found and
are not a serious fault if they harmonize with the general colouration, but a dark brown
eye is always to be preferred. The expression should be keen, intelligent, and composed.
The ears should be moderately pointed, open towards the front, and are carried
erect when at attention, the ideal carriage being one in which the centre lines of the
ears, viewed from the front, are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground.
Puppies usually do not permanently raise their ears until the fourth or sixth month, and
sometimes not until later. Cropped and hanging ears are to be discarded. The well-placed
and well-carried ear of a size in proportion to the skull materially adds to the general
appearance of the Shepherd. Neither too large nor too small ears are desirable. Too much
stress, however, should not be laid on perfection of carriage if the ears are fully erect.
- Neck
- The neck is stron and muscular, clean-cut and relatively long, proportionate in size to
the head and without loose folds of skin. When the dog is at attention or excited, the
head is raised and the neck carried high, otherwise typical carriage of the head is
forward rather than up and but little higher than the top of the shoulder, particularly in
motion.
- Body
- The whole structure of the body gives an impression of depth and solidity without
bulkiness. Forechest, commencing at the prosternum, should be well filled and carried well
down between the legs with no sense of hollowness. Chest should be deep and capacious with
ample room for lungs and heart. Well carried forward, with the prosternum, or process of
the breastbone, showing ahead of the shoulder when the dog is viewed from the side. Ribs
should be well sprung and long, neither barrel shaped nor too flat, and carried down to a
breastbone which reaches to the elbow. Correct ribbing allows the elbow to move back
freely when the dog is at a trot, while too round a rib causes interference and throws the
elbow out. Ribbing should be carried well back so that loin and flank are relatively
short. Abdomen firmly held and not paunchy. The bottom line of the Shepherd is only
moderately tucked up in flank, never like that of a Greyhound.
- Legs
- The bone of the legs should be straight, oval rather than round or flat, and free from
sponginess. It's development should be in proportion to the size of the dog and contribute
to the overall impression of substance without grossness. Crooked leg bones and any
malformationsuch as, for example, that caused by rickets, should be penalized. Pastern
should be of medium length, strong and springy. Much more spring of pastern is desirable
in the Shepherd Dog than in any other breeds, as it contributes to the ease and elasticity
of the trotting gait. The upright terrier pastern is definitely undesirable.
Metatarsus (the so-called "hock"): short, clean, sharply defined, and of great
strength. This is the fulcrum upon which much of the forward movement of the dog depends.
Cow-hocks are a decided fault, but before penalizing for Cow-hocks, it should be
difinitely determined, with the animal in motion, that the dog has this fault, since many
dogs with exceptionally good hindquarter angulation occasionally stand so as to give the
appearance of cow-hockedness which is not actually present.
- Feet
- Rather short, compact, with toes well arched, pads thick and hard, nails short and
strong. The feet are important to the working qualities of the dog. The ideal foot is
extremely strong with good gripping power and plenty of depth of pad. The so-called
cat-foot, or terrier foot, is not desirable. The thin, spread or hare-foot is, however,
still more undesirable.
- Topline
- The withers should be higher than, and sloping into, the level back to enable a proper
attachment of the shoulder blades. The back should be straight and very strongly developed
without sag or raoch, the section from the wither to the croup being relatively short.
(The desirable long proportion of the Shepherd Dog is not derived from a long back but
from overall length with relation to height, which is achieved by breadth of forequarter
and hindquarter viewed from the side.) Loin: viewed from the top, broad and stron,
blending smoothly into the back without undue length between the last rib and the thigh,
when viewed from the side. Croup should be long and gradually sloping. Too level or flat a
croup prevents proper functioning of the hindquarter, which must be able to reach well
under the body. A steep croup also limits the action of the hindquarter.
- Structure
- A German Shepherd is a trotting dog and his structure has been developed to best meet
the requirements of his work in herding. That is to say, a long, effortless trot which
shall cover the maximum amount of ground with the minimum number of steps, consistent with
the size of the animal. The proper body proportion, firmness of back and muscles and the
proper angulation of the forequarters and hindquarters serve this end. They enable the dog
to propel itself forward by a long step of the forequarter. The high withers, the firm
back, the strong loin, the properly formed croup, even the tail as balance and rudder, all
contribute to this same end.
- Proportion
- The German Shepherd Dog is properly longer than tall with the most desirable proportion
as 10 is to 8 1/2. We have seen how the height is ascertained; the length is established
by a dog standing naturally and fore-square, measured on a horizontal line from the point
of the prosternum, or breastbone, to the rear edge of the pelvis, the ischium tuberosity,
commonly called the sitting bone.
- Angulation
- Forequarter: the shoulder blade should be long, laid on flat against the body with its
rounded upper end in a vertical line above the elbow, and sloping well forward to the
point where it joins the upper arm. The withers should be high, with shoulder blades
meeting closely at the top, and the upper arm set on at an angle approaching as nearly as
possible a right angle. Such an angulation permits the maxiumum forward extension of the
foreleg without binding or effort. Shoulder faults include too steep or straight a
position of either blade or upper arm, too short a blade or upper arm, lack of sufficient
angle between these two members, looseness through lack of firm ligamentation, and loaded
shoulder with prominent pads of flesh or muscles on the outer side. Construction in which
the whole shoulder assembly is pushed too far forward also restricts the stride and is
faulty.
- Hindquarters
- The angulation of the hindquarter also consists ideally of a series of sharp angles as
far as the relation of the bones to each other is concerned, and the thigh bone should
parallel the shoulder blade while the stifle bone parallels the upper arm. The whole
assembly of the thigh, viewed fromt he side, should be broad, with both thigh and and
stifle well muscled and of proportionate lenght, forming as nearly as possible a right
angle. The metatarsus (the unit between the hock joint and the foot commonly and
erroneously called the hock) is strong, clean and short, the hock joint clean-cut and
sharply defined.
- Tail
- Bushy, with the last vertebra extended at least to the hock joint, and usually below.
Set smoothly into the croup and low rather than high, at rest the tail hangs in a slight
curve like a sabre. A slight hook - sometimes carried to one side - is faulty only tot he
extent that it mars general appearance. When the dog is excited or in motion, the curve is
accentuated and the tail raised, but it should never be lifted beyond a line at right
angles with the line of the back. Docked tails, or those which have been operated upon to
prevent curling, disqualify. Tails too short, or with clumpy end due to the ankylosis or
the growing together of the vertebrae, are serious faults.
- Gait
- General Impression: The gait of the German Shepherd Dog is outreaching, elastic,
seemingly without effort, smooth and rhythmic. At a walk it covers a great deal of ground,
with long step of both hind leg and foreleg. At a trot, the dog covers still more ground
and moves powerfully but easily with a beautiful co-ordination of back and limbs so that,
in the best examples, the gait appears to be the steady motion of a well-lubricated
machine. The feet travel close to the ground, and neither fore nor hind feet should lift
high on either forward reach or backward push.
The hindquarter delivers, through the back, a powerful forward thrust which slightly lifts
the whole animal and drives the body forward. Reaching far under, and passing the imprint
left by the front foot, the strong arched hind foot takes hold of the ground; then hock,
stifle, and upper thigh come into play and sweep back, the stroke of the hind leg
finishing with the foot still close to the ground in a smooth follow-through. The
overreach of the hindquarter usually necessitates one hind foot passing outside and the
other hind foot passing inside the track of the forefeet and such action is not faulty
unless the locomotion is crabwise with the dog's body sideways out of the normal straight
line. In order to achieve ideal movement of this kind, there must be full muscular
co-ordination through-out the structure with the action of muscles and ligaments positive,
regular and accurate.
- Back Transmission
- The typical smooth, flowing gait of the Shepherd Dog cannot be maintained without great
strength and firmness (which does not mean stiffness) of back. The whole effort of the
hindquarter is transmitted to the forequarter through the muscular and bony structure of
the loin, back, and withers. At full trot, the back must remain firm and level without
sway, roll, whip or roach. To componsate for the forward motion imparted by the
hindquarter, the shoulder should open to it's full extent - the desirability of good
shoulder angulation now becomes apparent - and the forelegs should reach out in a stride
balancing that of the hindquarter. A steep shoulder will cause the dog either to stumble
or to raise the forelegs very high in an effort to co-ordinate with the hindquarter, which
is impossible when soulder structure is faulty. A serious gait fault results when a dog
moves too low in front, presenting an unleveled topline with the wither lower than the
hips. The Shepherd Dog does not track on widely separated parallel lines as does the
terrier, but brings the feet inward toward the middle line of the body when at trot in
order to maintain balance. For this reason a dog viewed from the front or rear when in
motion will often seem to travel close. This is not a fault if the feet do not strike or
cross, or if the knees or shoulders are not thrown out, but the feet and hocks should be
parallel even if close together. The excellence of gait must also be evaluated by viewing
from the side the effortless, properly coordinated covering of ground.
- Summary
- It should never be forgotten that the ideal Shepherd is a working animal w3hich must
have an incorruptible character combined with body and gait suitable for the arduous work
which constitutes its primary purpose. All its qualities should be weighed in respect to
their contribution to such work, and while no compromise should be permitted with regard
to its working potentiality, the dog must nevertheless possess a high degree of beauty and
nobility.
- Evaluation of Faults
- Note: Faults are important in the order of their group, as per group headings,
irrespective of their position in each group.
Very Serious Faults
Major faults of temperament; undershot lower jaw.
Serious Faults
Faults of balance and proportion; poor gait, viewed either from the front, rear or side;
marked defieciency of substance (bone or body); bitchy male dogs; faulty backs; too level
or too short croup; long and weak loin; very bad feet; ring tails; tails much too short;
rickety condition; more than four missing premolars or any other missing teeth, unless due
to accident; lack of nobility; badly washed-out colour; badly overshot bite.
Faults
Doggy bitches; poorly carried ears; too-fine in head; weak muzzles; improper muscular
condition; faulty coat, other than temporary condition; badly affected teeth.
Minor Faults
Too coarse head; hooked tails; too light, round or protruding eyes; discoloured teeth;
condition of coat, due to season or keeping.
- Disqualifications
- Albino characteristics; cropped ears; hanging ears (as in a hound); docked tails; male
dogs having one or both testicles undescended (monorchids or cryptorchids).
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