Breeders of Quality German Shepherd Dogs in Virginia
German Shepherd Dog - The Breed Standard.
FCI-Standard-No. 166/23.12.2010/E
German Shepherd Dog
Origin: Germany/23.12.2010
FCI classification: Group 1 - herding dogs and cattle dogs
Section 1 - herding dogs with working trial
Use: Versatile Working, Herding and Service Dog
NOTE: For the ease of understanding of our audience, we have created an interactive breed standard which can help the viewer interact with each highlighted part of the dog's anatomy to see in depth details, making the process more interesting and easier for intellectual consumption of the novice fancier or someone looking to educate themselves on the subject. Hope you enjoy the process.
Brief Historical Overview:
According to the official documentation of the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV) e.V. (Society for the German Shepherd Dog, “SV” for short) – legal domicile in Augsburg, Germany, member of the Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen (VDH, German Kennel Club) – the "SV" as the founding club of the breed is responsible for the breed standard of the German Shepherd Dog. Established in the first General Meeting at Frankfurt/Main on the 20th of September 1899 according to suggestions by A. Meyer and Max von Stephanitz and in addition to the amendments of the 6th General Meeting on the 28th of July 1901, the 23rd General Meeting at Cologne/Rhineland on the 17th of September 1909, the Executive Board & Advisory Board Meeting at Wiesbaden on the 5th of September 1930 and the Breeding Committee & Executive Board Meeting on 25 March 1961, revisions were resolved within the framework of the World Union of German Shepherd Dog Clubs (WUSV) Meeting on 30 August 1976. Revisions and cataloged measures were resolved with the Enabling Resolution through the Executive Board and Advisory Board from 23/24 March 1991, amended through the Federal Conventions from the 25th of May 1997 and the 31st of May/1 June 2008.
General Appearance:
The German Shepherd Dog is medium-size, slightly elongated, powerful and well-muscled, with dry bone and firm overall structure with clear distinction between the sexes.
Character:
The German Shepherd Dog must be well-balanced (with strong nerves) in terms of character, self-assured, absolutely natural and (except for a stimulated situation) good-natured as well as attentive and willing to please. He must possess instinctive behavior, resilience and self-assurance in order to be suitable as a companion, guard, protection, service and herding dog.
Dimensional Ratios:
The height at the withers amounts to 60 cm to 65 cm for male dogs and 55 cm to 60 cm for female dogs. The trunk length exceeds the dimension at the height at the withers by about 10 – 17 %.
THE HEAD:
Eyes, Ears, Nose, Teeth, Jaws, Lips, Expression.
Please scroll over highlighted areas for detailed explanations of each component of the head, as explained in the breed standard.
The Eyes
The Eyes are of medium size, almond-shaped, slightly slanted and not protruding. The color of the eyes should be as dark as possible. Light, piercing eyes are undesirable since they impair the dog’s impression.
The Ears
The German Shepherd Dog has erect ears of medium size, which are carried upright and aligned (not drawn-in laterally); they are pointed and with the auricle facing forward. Tipped ears and drooping ears are faulty. Ears carried rearward when moving or in relaxed position are not faulty.
Ratios
The ratio from the cranial region to the facial region is 50 % to 50 %. The width of the cranial region more or less corresponds to the length of the cranial region. The cranial region (seen from above) tapers evenly towards the nasal bridge with gradually sloping, not sharply depicted stop in the wedge-shaped facial region (fore-face) of the head. Upper and lower jaws are powerfully developed. The nasal dorsum is straight, any dip or bulge is undesirable. The lips are taut, close well and are of dark coloring. The nose must be black.
Teeth , Jaw and lips
The Teeth must be strong, healthy and complete (42 teeth according to the dental formula). The German Shepherd Dog has a scissor bite, i.e. the incisors must interlock like scissors, whereby the incisors of the upper jaw overlap those of the lower jaw. Occlusal overlay, overbite and retrusive occlusion as well as larger spaces between the teeth (gaps) are faulty. The straight dental ridge of the incisors is also faulty. The jaw bones must be strongly developed so that the teeth can be deeply embedded in the dental ridge.
The Head : Appearance
The head is wedge-shaped, and in proportion to the body size (length about 40 % at the height at the withers), without being plump or too elongated, dry in the overall appearance and moderately bro- ad between the ears. Seen from the front and side, the forehead is only slightly arched and without any or with only a slightly indicated middle furrow.
Above, are examples of expressions of the German Shepherd Dog, these images include both males and females.
Please click on the thumbnails for an enlarged view.
THE STAND:
Neck, Chest, Overline, Forequarters, Hindquarters, Croup, Underline, Tail.
Please scroll over highlighted areas for detailed explanations of each component of the body, as explained in the breed standard.
The Neck
The neck should be strong, well-muscled and without loose neck skin (dewlap). The angulation towards the trunk (horizontal) amounts to approximately 45 %.
Pasterns, Feet & Nails
The pastern has a length of approx. 1/3 of the forearm, and has an angle of approx. 20° to 22° to the forearm. A slanted pastern (more than 22°) as well as a steep pastern (less than 20°) impairs the suitability for work, particularly the stamina.
The Paws are rounded, well-closed and arched; the soles are hard, but not brittle. The Nails are strong and of dark color.
Tail & Hocks
The Tail extends at least to the hock, but not beyond the middle of the hind pastern. It has slightly longer hair on the underside and is carried hanging downward in a gentle curve, whereby in a state of excitement and in motion it is raised and carried higher, but not beyond the horizontal. Operative corrections are forbidden.
The Hocks are strongly developed and firm; the hind pastern stands vertically under the hock.
The position of Hind Legs is slightly backwards, whereby the hind limbs are parallel to each other when seen from the rear. Upper leg and lower leg are of approximately the same length and form an angle of approx. 120°; the legs are strong and well-muscled.
The Paws are closed, slightly arched; the pads are hard and of dark color; the nails are strong, arched and also of dark color.
Overline
The Over-Line runs from the base of the neck via the high, long withers and via the straight back towards the slightly sloping croup, without visible interruption. The Back is moderately long, firm, strong and well-muscled. The Loin is broad, short, strongly developed and well-muscled. The Croup should be long and slightly sloping (approx 23° to the horizontal) and the Over-Line should merge into the base of the tail without interruption.
Chest, Ribs and the Forequarters.
The Chest should be moderately broad, the lower chest as long and pronounced as possible. The depth of the chest should amount to approx. 45% to 48 % of the height at the withers. The Ribs should feature a moderate curvature; a barrel-shaped chest is just as faulty as flat ribs.
The forelimbs are straight when seen from all sides, and absolutely parallel when seen from the front. Shoulder Blade and Upper Arm are of equal length, and firmly attached to the trunk by means of powerful musculature. The angulation from shoulder blade and upper arm is ideally 90°, but generally up to 110°.
The Elbows may not be turned out either while standing or moving, and also not pushed in. The forearms are straight when seen from all sides, and absolutely parallel to each other, dry and firmly muscled.
THE MOVEMENT:
Front Reach, Overline, Neck Carriage, Hind Thrust.
Please scroll over highlighted areas for detailed explanations of each component of the body, as explained in the breed standard.
"The German Shepherd Dog is a trotter. The limbs must be coordinated in length and angulations so that the dog can shift the hindquarters towards the trunk without any essential change of the top line and can reach just as far with the forelimbs. Any tendency towards over-angulation of the hindquarters reduces the stability and the stamina, and thereby the working ability.
Correct body proportions and angulations results in a gait that is far-reaching and flat over the ground which conveys the impression of effortless forward movements. The head pushed forward and the slightly raised tail result in a consistent, smooth trot showing a gently curved, uninterrupted upper line from the ear tips over the neck and back to the end of the tail."
The Neck
The neck is slightly extended forward, not held erect carrying a head that is proportionately in balance to the body. The neck acts as a counter balance for the rear end for the dog to be able to move effectively without spending excessive energy trying to support a very large head that is carried high.
FOREQUARTERS
The forequarter consists of the shoulder blade and the upper arm. The length and angle of the upperarm is relevant always in relation to its proportions with the hindquarters. Only when the front and the rear are in harmony, does the dog move effectively. The German Shepherd is always a sum total of its parts, which means everything needs to be in perfect unison or harmony for the dog to be able to move as "one piece". The stress here should be laid on the relevance of the length and positioning of the shoulder taking priority over the length and placement of the upperarm since this is the part in direct contact with the torso, a correctly angled shoulder blade compensates for the variation in the angle and length of the upper arm resulting in dogs that will last longer as far as effective, powerful motion is concerned.
HINDQUARTERS
Well muscled hindquarters with strong parallel hocks generate power from the back and initiate the movement. The importance of firm ligaments is stressed because any looseness lowers the stability of the hindquarters, leading to a waste of energy as the power is generated and needs to be transmitted with the least possible loss though the back to the front, hereby completing each power cycle of forward propulsion.
The Slightly arched, closed paws also aid in reducing the footprint, hence generating more force with each step the dog takes forward.
Overline
When the dog is in motion, the highest point of the overline should be the withers, followed by a strong straight back which stays straight during movement, carrying the force generated from the hindquarters through the back and transmitting it to the forequarters of the dog. When the dog has a loose back, the energy is lost trying to support the back, hence not making for the most cost effective way to transmit the force generated by the hindquarters.
Front Reach
The dog should The forelimbs are straight when seen from all sides, and absolutely parallel when seen from the front. Shoulder Blade and Upper Arm are of equal length, and firmly attached to the trunk by means of powerful musculature. The angulation from shoulder blade and upper arm is ideally 90°, but generally up to 110°.
The Elbows may not be turned out either while standing or moving, and also not pushed in. The forearms are straight when seen from all sides, and absolutely parallel to each other, dry and firmly muscled.
Under reach
Another aspect of the movement is the underreach generated by the hindquarters underneath the dog, which again for the sake of effectiveness of motion is relevant as too much of this phenomenon generated by excessively angled rear-end would cause the dog to plant its hock flat on the ground, taking more effort to push back again as the point of impact has become the whole hock instead of just being the foot, rendering the motion as a waste of energy, leading to loss of stamina, power and even agility.
Above, are examples of the German Shepherd Dog in motion, these images include both males and females.
Please click on the thumbnails for an enlarged view.
THE COAT
Skin – The skin is (loosely) fitting, but without forming any folds.
HAIR TEXTURE
Hair:
The German Shepherd Dog is bred in the hair varieties double coat and long and harsh outer coat – both with undercoat.
Double coat (Stock Coat):
The guard hair should be as dense as possible, particularly harsh and close fitting: short on the head, including the inside of the ears, short on the front side of the legs, paws and toes, some-what longer and more strongly covered in hair on the neck. On the back side of the legs the hair extends to the carpal joint or the hock; it forms moderate ‘trousers’ on the back side of the haunches.
EARS
Short hair inside the ears is a hallmark of the stock coat dogs which is also short around the neck.
FOREARMS
Short hair on the front side of the legs, paws and toes.
EARS
Short hair inside the ears is a hallmark of the stock coat dogs which is also short around the neck.
HINDQUARTERS
On the back side of the legs the hair extends to the carpal joint or the hock; it forms moderate ‘trousers’ on the back side of the haunches.
TAIL
The tail of the German Shepherd is covered with thick, straight guard hair which is moderately long.
Long and harsh outer coat (Long Stock Coat):
The guard hair should be long, soft and not close fitting, with tufts on the ears and legs, bushy trousers and bushy tail with downward formation of tuft. Short on the head, including the inside of the ears, on the front side of the legs, on the paws and toes, somewhat longer and more strongly covered in hair on the neck, almost forming a mane. On the back side of the legs the hair extends to the carpal joint or the hock and forms clear trousers on the back side of the haunches.
EARS
The guard hair should be long, soft and not close fitting, with tufts on the ears.
FOREARMS
on the front side of the legs, on the paws and toes, somewhat longer and more strongly covered in hair on the neck, almost forming a mane.
EARS
The guard hair should be long, soft and not close fitting, with tufts on the ears.
HINDQUARTERS
On the back side of the legs the hair extends to the carpal joint or the hock and forms clear trousers on the back side of the haunches.
TAIL
Very thick bushy tail with long soft guard hair with downward formation of tufts.
Colors:
Colors are black with reddish-brown, brown and yellow to light grey markings; single-colored black, grey with darker shading, black saddle and mask. Unobtrusive, small white marks on chest as well as very light color on insides are permissible, but not desirable. The tip of the nose must be black in all colors. Dogs with lack of mask, light to piercing eye color, as well as with light to whitish markings on the chest and the insides, pale nails and red tip of tail are considered to be lacking in pigmentation. The undercoat shows a light greyish tone. The color white is not allowed.