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German Shepherd Dog Breed
General Appearance
The first impression of a good German Shepherd Dog is that of a
strong, agile, well muscled animal, alert and full of life. It is well
balanced, with harmonious development of the forequarter and
hindquarter. The dog is longer than tall, deep-bodied, and presents an
outline of smooth curves rather than angles. It looks 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 ideal German Shepherd is stamped with a look of quality
and nobility--difficult to define, but unmistakable when present.
Secondary sex characteristics are strongly marked, and every animal
gives a definite impression of masculinity or femininity, according to
its sex.
Temperament
The breed has a distinct personality marked by direct and fearless,
but not hostile, expression, self-confidence and a certain aloofness
that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships.
The dog must be approachable, quietly standing its ground and showing
confidence and willingness to meet overtures without itself making
them. It is poised, but when the occasion demands, eager and alert;
both fit and willing to serve in its capacity as companion, watchdog,
blind leader, herding dog, or guardian, whichever the circumstances
may demand. The German Shepherd must not be timid, shrinking behind
its master or handler; it should not be nervous, looking about or
upward with anxious expression or showing nervous reactions, such as
tucking of tail, to strange sounds or sights. Lack of confidence under
any surroundings is not typical of good character. Any of the above
deficiencies in character which indicate shyness must be penalized as
very serious faults and any dog exhibiting pronounced indications of
these must be excused from the ring. It must be possible for the judge
to observe the teeth and to determine that both testicles are
descended. Any dog that attempts to bite the judge must be
disqualified. The ideal German Shepherd is a working animal with an
incorruptible character combined with body and gait suitable for the
arduous work that constitutes its primary purpose.
Size, Proportion, Substance
The desired height for males at the top of the highest point of the
shoulder blade is 24 to 26 inches; and for bitches, 22 to 24 inches.
The German Shepherd Dog is longer than tall, with the most desirable
proportion as 10 to 8½. The length is measured from the point of the
prosternum or breastbone to the rear edge of the pelvis, the ischial
tuberosity. The desirable long proportion is not derived from a long
back, but from overall length with relation to height, which is
achieved by length of forequarter and length of withers and
hindquarter, viewed from the side.
Head
The head is noble, cleanly chiseled, strong without coarseness, but
above all not fine, and in proportion to the body. The head of the
male is distinctly masculine, and that of the bitch distinctly
feminine.
The expression keen, intelligent and composed. Eyes of medium size,
almond shaped, set a little obliquely and not protruding. The color is
as dark as possible. Ears are moderately pointed, in proportion to the
skull, open toward the front, and carried erect when at attention, the
ideal carriage being one in which the center lines of the ears, viewed
from the front, are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the
ground. A German Shepherd with cropped or hanging ears must be
disqualified.
Seen from the front the forehead is only moderately arched, and the
skull slopes into the long, wedge-shaped muzzle without abrupt stop.
The muzzle is long and strong, and its topline is parallel to the
topline of the skull. Nose black. A German Shepherd with a nose that
is not predominantly black must be disqualified. The lips are firmly
fitted. Jaws are strongly developed. Teeth --42 in number--20 upper
and 22 lower--are strongly developed and meet in a scissors bite in
which part of the inner surface of the upper incisors meet and engage
part of the outer surface of the lower incisors. An overshot jaw or a
level bite is undesirable. An undershot jaw is a disqualifying fault.
Complete dentition is to be preferred. Any missing teeth other than
first premolars is a serious fault.
Neck, Topline, Body
The neck is strong and muscular, clean-cut and relatively long,
proportionate in size to the head and without loose folds of skin.
When the German Shepherd 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 shoulders, particularly in motion.
Topline-- The withers are higher than and sloping into the level back.
The back is straight, very strongly developed without sag or roach,
and relatively short.
The whole structure of the body gives an impression of depth and
solidity without bulkiness.
Chest--Commencing at the prosternum, it is well filled and carried
well down between the legs. It is deep and capacious, never shallow,
with ample room for lungs and heart, carried well forward, with the
prosternum showing ahead of the shoulder in profile. Ribs well sprung
and long, neither barrel-shaped nor too flat, and carried down to a
sternum which reaches to the elbows. Correct ribbing allows the elbows
to move back freely when the German Shepherd is at a trot. Too round
causes interference and throws the elbows out; too flat or short
causes pinched elbows. Ribbing is carried well back so that the loin
is relatively short. Abdomen firmly held and not paunchy. The bottom
line is only moderately tucked up in the loin.
Loin Viewed from the top, broad and strong. Undue length between the
last rib and the thigh, when viewed from the side, is undesirable.
Croup long and gradually sloping.
Tail bushy, with the last vertebra extended at least to the hock
joint. It is set smoothly into the croup and low rather than high. At
rest, the tail hangs in a slight curve like a saber. A slight hook-
sometimes carried to one side-is faulty only to the extent that it
mars general appearance. When the German Shepherd is excited or in
motion, the curve is accentuated and the tail raised, but it should
never be curled forward beyond a vertical line. Tails too short, or
with clumpy ends due to ankylosis, are serious faults. A German
Shepherd with a docked tail must be disqualified.
Forequarters
The shoulder blades are long and obliquely angled, laid on flat and
not placed forward. The upper arm joins the shoulder blade at about a
right angle. Both the upper arm and the shoulder blade are well
muscled. The forelegs, viewed from all sides, are straight and the
bone oval rather than round. The pasterns are strong and springy and
angulated at approximately a 25-degree angle from the vertical.
Dewclaws on the forelegs may be removed, but are normally left on.
The feet are short, compact with toes well arched, pads thick and
firm, nails short and dark.
Hindquarters
The whole assembly of the thigh, viewed from the side, is broad, with
both upper and lower thigh well muscled, forming as nearly as possible
a right angle. The upper thigh bone parallels the shoulder blade while
the lower thigh bone parallels the upper arm. The metatarsus (the unit
between the hock joint and the foot) is short, strong and tightly
articulated. The dewclaws, if any, should be removed from the hind
legs. Feet as in front.
Coat
The ideal German Shepherd has a double coat of medium length. 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 permissible. The head, including the inner ear and
foreface, and the legs and paws are covered with short hair, and the
neck with longer and thicker hair. The rear of the forelegs and hind
legs has somewhat longer hair extending to the pastern and hock,
respectively. Faults in coat include soft, silky, too long outer coat,
woolly, curly, and open coat.
Color
The German Shepherd Dog varies in color, and most colors are
permissible. Strong rich colors are preferred. Pale, washed-out colors
and blues or livers are serious faults. A white dog must be
disqualified.
Gait
A German Shepherd Dog is a trotting dog, and its structure has been
developed to meet the requirements of its work. General Impression--
The gait is outreaching, elastic, seemingly without effort, smooth and
rhythmic, covering the maximum amount of ground with the minimum
number of steps. At a walk it covers a great deal of ground, with long
stride of both hind legs and forelegs. At a trot the German Shepherd
covers still more ground with even longer stride, and moves powerfully
but easily, with coordination and balance so that the gait appears to
be the steady motion of a well-lubricated machine. The feet travel
close to the ground on both forward reach and backward push. In order
to achieve ideal movement of this kind, there must be good muscular
development and ligamentation. The hindquarters deliver, 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 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.
Transmission The typical smooth, flowing gait is maintained with great
strength and firmness of back. The whole effort of the hindquarter is
transmitted to the forequarter through the loin, back and withers. At
full trot, the back must remain firm and level without sway, roll,
whip or roach. Unlevel topline with withers lower than the hip is a
fault. To compensate for the forward motion imparted by the
hindquarters, the shoulder should open to its full extent. The
forelegs should reach out close to the ground in a long stride in
harmony with that of the hindquarters. The German Shepherd does not
track on widely separated parallel lines, but brings the feet inward
toward the middle line of the body when trotting, in order to maintain
balance. The feet track closely but do not strike or cross over.
Viewed from the front, the front legs function from the shoulder joint
to the pad in a straight line. Viewed from the rear, the hind legs
function from the hip joint to the pad in a straight line. Faults of
gait, whether from front, rear or side, are to be considered very
serious faults.
Disqualifications
Cropped or hanging ears.
Dogs with noses not predominantly black.
Undershot jaw.
Docked tail.
White dogs.
Any German Shepherd that attempts to bite the judge.
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VOM ROM
GERMAN SHEPHERD