Meet the German Shepherd. Dog Fancy Magazine
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Meet the German Shepherd and More!
A great place to see German Shepherd Dogs and more than 200 other dog and cat breeds is at AKC Meet the Breeds®, hosted by the American Kennel Club and presented by Pet Partners, Inc. Not only can you see dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens of all sizes, you can also talk to experts in each of the breeds. Meet the Breeds features demonstration rings to watch events with law enforcement K9s, grooming, agility, and obedience. You also can browse the more than 100 vendor booths for every imaginable product for you and your pet.
It’s great fun for the whole family. Meet the Breeds takes place in the fall in New York City. For more information, check out www.meetthebreeds.com.
The German Shepherd works for approval and learns best when guided by positive rewards rather than being forced into a behavior, so the breed’s ideal owner must also be capable of providing strong positive feedback for the dog. Although your dog would undoubtedly like to have you with him all day, he can easily adapt to a routine, if you work during the day and are away from home—just be sure to make an extra effort to share time with him each day. At least a few quality minutes of one-on-one interaction such as obedience work or games in the yard are vital if you want to remain closely bonded to your shepherd. The rest of the time, he will be content to lounge around in your sight, perhaps giving an occasional nose-nudge to solicit petting.
Bigger Is Not Always Better!
In the past hundred years that German Shepherd Dogs have been selected for work as police, military, and home guardians, the breed has increased in body size (both height and weight), compared to the original German sheep-tending dogs. The current standard for this breed calls for a mature dog between 24 and 26 inches at the top of the shoulders. Well-proportioned GSDs at that size weigh about 70 to 90 pounds. It takes up to three years for a GSD youngster to completely fill out his large frame, although pups reach adult height by about a year of age.
Today, over-sized GSDs are often advertised as desirable. Beware, though, that GSDs that are significantly larger than the standard recommends (and all dogs much over 100 pounds, for that matter) are much more susceptible to joint problems and generally do not live as long. Bigger is definitely not better.
GSD Breed Standard
OVERALL: 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 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.
PROPORTION:
The German Shepherd Dog is longer than tall. The desirable long proportion is not derived from a long back, but from overall length with relation to height.
HEAD:
The head is noble, cleanly chiseled, strong without coarseness, and in proportion to the body. The expression keen, intelligent and composed. Ears are moderately pointed, in proportion to the skull, open toward the front, and carried erect when at attention, the ideal carriage being parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. The muzzle is long and strong, and its topline is parallel to the topline of the skull. Jaws are strongly developed.
NECK:
The neck is strong and muscular, clean-cut and relatively long, proportionate in size to the head and without loose folds of skin. At attention, the head is raised and neck carried high; otherwise head is forward rather than up.
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.
CHEST:
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, Correct ribbing allows the elbows to move back freely when the dog is at a trot.
TAIL:
The tail is bushy. It is set low rather than high. At rest, the tail hangs in a slight curve like a saber. When the dog is excited or in motion, the curve is accentuated and the tail raised, but it should never be curled forward beyond a vertical line.
FOREQUARTERS:
The shoulder blades are long and obliquely angled, laid on flat and not placed forward. 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 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.
COAT:
The ideal dog 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. The German Shepherd Dog varies in color, and most colors are permissible.
—Excerpts from the German Shepherd Dog Breed Standard
A good GSD owner absolutely must be able to interact with the dog in a self-confident manner. These dogs want their humans to be leaders; your dog will look to you for direction. It’s important that you remain self-assured and fair with both corrections and praise. The German Shepherd is very independently minded. If you fail to instruct your dog in self-control or lack assertion, your dog will decide he can act on his own without permission. The breed’s natural instinct is to protect and, if not trained properly, can result in the dog unexpectedly deciding a person is threatening and acting protectively. For these reasons, the GSD thrives best with a decisive owner who can think quickly and take firm control of his dog under all circumstances.
Once you bring a German Shepherd Dog into your home, take the time to train him properly. For training resources, including class information, search the AKC’s extensive database for a training club in your area by visiting their site at www.akc.org/events/obedience/training_clubs. Successful training will lead to many happy years together with this happy, intelligent breed.
German Shepherds are friendly when in a relaxed setting. When well-trained, they get along great with children and other dogs.
At a Glance …
The German Shepherd Dog is renowned throughout the world for his striking good looks and dutiful service to our society.
The blueprint for the ideal GSD—the breed standard—is written and maintained by the breed’s national parent club, the German Shepherd Dog Club of America, a member club of the American Kennel Club.
German Shepherds were popular in Germany, where the breed originated, long before they arrived in the United States at the turn of the twentieth century.
Highly active by nature, German Shepherds are great workers. Give yours plenty of time each day devoted to exercise and mental stimulation.