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The Standard of
the German Shepherd Dog
The Standard of the German Shepherd Dog
as adopted by the German Shepherd Dog Club of America, Inc. and approved
by the American Kennel Club
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 dog 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.
Character
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 dog 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 dog is a working animal with an incorruptible character combined
with body and gait suitable for the arduous work that constitutes its primary
purpose.
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 muzzle is long and strong with the lips firmly fitted, and
its topline is parallel to the topline of the skull. Seen from the front,
the forehead is only moderately arched, and the skull slopes into the long,
wedge-shaped muzzle without abrupt stop. Jaws are strongly developed.
Ears
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 dog with cropped or hanging ears must be disqualified.
Eyes
Eyes of medium size, almond shaped, set a
little obliquely and not protruding. The color is as dark as possible.
The expression keen, intelligent, and composed.
Teeth
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
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 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, but a little higher than the top of the
shoulders, particularly in motion.
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.
Feet
The feet are short, compact, with toes well
arched, pads thick and firm, nails short and dark. The dew claws, if any,
should be removed from the hind legs. Dew claws on the forelegs may be
removed, but are normally left on.
Proportion
The German Shepherd Dog is longer than tall,
with the most desirable proportions as 10 to 8 1/2. 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 length is measured from
the point of the posternum or breastbone to the rear edge of the pelvis,
the ischical tuberosity.
Body
The whole structure of the body gives an impression
of depth and solidity without bulkiness. Chest: Commencing at the posternum,
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 posternum showing ahead of the shoulder in profile.
Rib: 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 dog 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.
Topline
Withers The withers are higher than and sloping
into the level back. Back: The back is straight, very strongly developed
without sag or roach, and relatively short. 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. 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 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.
Tails too short, or with clumpy ends due to ankylosis, are serious faults.
A dog with a docked tail must be disqualified.
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.
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 dog 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 hind quarters 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 hind
quarter 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 crab wise 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 dog 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.
Color
The German Shepherd Dog varies in color, and
most colors are permissible. Strong rich colors are preferred. Nose black.
Pale, washed-out colors and blues and livers are serious faults. A white
dog or a dog with a nose that is not predominantly black, must be disqualified.
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 fore face,
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.
Disqualifications
Cropped or hanging ears; undershot jaw; docked
tail; white dogs; dogs with noses not predominantly black; any dog that
attempts to bite the judge. Revised 1978
American Kennel Club disqualifications:
Monorchidism; Cryptorchidism; Any dog that, in the opinion of the judge,
attacks any person in the ring. |
