Instructions
Look at the general appearance of the well-muscled German Shepherd Dog. It is a strong, agile dog. It is a well-balanced breed with congruous development of the fore- and hindquarters. It is deep-bodied, and longer than it is tall. It should give off a noble expression and not look spindly.
Check the size and proportion of the German Shepherd Dog. Males should be 24 to 26 inches at the withers and females should be 22 to 24 inches at the withers. The dog should be about 15 percent longer than high when measured from the point of the breastbone to rear edge of the pelvis. The German Shepherd Dog does not have an unusually long back, but length is achieved instead by the length of the forequarter and length of the hindquarter as viewed from the side.
Make sure the cleanly chiseled head is strong but not coarse. The male’s head is distinctly masculine and the female’s head is distinctly feminine. Both males and females should have an intelligent and composed expression. The medium-sized eyes are almond shaped, and though set a bit obliquely, should not protrude. They should be very dark. The ears are pointed and open toward the front. They are carried erect, and should not hang. Nor should they be cropped. The muzzle is long, leafing to a black nose.
Look at the neck and body of the German Shepherd Dog. The muscular neck is rather long, but proportionate in size to the head. It does not have any loose folds of skin. The withers are higher than the back, and actually slope into the level back. The adeep chest is carried far down between the legs. The prosternum shows ahead of the shoulder when looking at the breed’s profile. The tail is bushy and long, with the last vertebra extending to at least the hock joint. It is set low into the croup, and hangs in a slight curve while the dog is at rest. The tail is raised when the dog is excited, but should not curl up over the past a vertical line. The tail should not be docked. The long shoulder blades are angled at a slant, and laid on flat. The upper arm and shoulder blade should be well-muscled. The front dewclaws can be removed, but are normally left on. Strong legs lead to short, compact feet and well-arched toes with thick, firm pads. The broad thigh is well-muscled and forms a right angle with the lower thigh. The upper thigh should be parallel with the shoulder and the lower thigh should be parallel with the upper arm. Dewclaws should be removed from the rear legs. The feet are compact, have well-arched toes and thick, firm pds.
Feel the medium-length double coat. The outer coat is very dense with straight hair and lies close to the body. The head, inner ear, foreface, legs and paws are covered with short hair. The has long, thick hair. The legs have hair that is a bit longer. The German Shepherd Dog’s colors should be strong and rich and should not be blue or liver. Though there are white German Shepherd Dogs, they do not qualify for conformation showing.
How to Identify a German Shepherd Dog
The German Shepherd Dog was first bred in 1899 by Captain Max von Stephaniz in Karlsruhe, Germany. The breed is a combination of old herding breeds and farm dogs. Today, the breed is known for its police work and other service related jobs. It makes a great family companion and herder. The German Shepherd Dog has a direct and fearless personality, but it is not hostile. It does not make immediate friends because of the combination of self-confidence and aloofness. Any lack of confidence is considered a character fault, so this breed should be properly socialized to people and noises such as loud cars, bikes, children playing and unexpected noises.