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1) Angulation and Movement
The German Shepherd Dog is a trotter. His gait
exhibits diagonal movement, i.e., the hind foot and the forefoot on
opposite sides move simultaneously. The limbs, therefore, must be so
similarly proportioned to one another, i.e. angulated, that the action
of the rear as it carries through to the middle of the body and is
matched by an equally far-reaching forehand causes no essential change
in the topline. Every tendency toward overangulation of the rear
quarters diminishes soundess and endurance. The correct proportions of
height to length and corresponding length of the leg bones results in a
ground-eating gait that is low to the ground and imparts an impression
of effortless progression. With his head thrust forward and a slightly
raised tail, a balanced and even trotter will have a topline that falls
in moderate curves from the tip of the ears over the neck and level back
through the tip of the tail.
2) Temperament, Character and Abilities
Sound nerves, alertness, self-confidence,
trainability, watchfulness, loyalty and incorruptibility, as well as
courage, fighting drive and hardness, are the outstanding
characteristics of a purebred German Shepherd Dog. They make his
suitable to be a superior working dog in general, and in particular to
be a guard, companion, protection and herding dog.
His ample scenting abilities, added to his conformation as a trotter,
make it possible for him to quietly and surely work out a track without
bodily strain and with his nose close to the ground. This makes him
highly useful as a multipurpose track and search dog.
3) Head
The head should be in proportion to the body size (in
length approximately 40% of the height at the withers) and not coarse,
overrefined or overstretched(snipey). In general appearance, it should
be dry with moderate breadth between the ears.
The forehead when viewed from the front or side is only slightly arched.
It should be without a center furrow or with only a slightly defined
furrow.
The cheeks form a gentle curve laterally without protrusion toward the
front. When viewed from above, the skull (approximately 50% of the
entire head length) tapers gradually and evenly from the ears to the tip
of the nose, with a sloping rather than a sharply defined stop and into
a long, dry wedge-shaped muzzle (the upper and lower jaws must be
strongly developed.)
The width of the skull should correspond approximately to the length of
the skull. Also, a slight oversize in the case of males or undersize in
the case of females is not objectionable.
The muzzle is strong; the lips are firm and dry and close tightly.
The bridge of the nose is straight and runs nearly parallel with the
plane of the forehead.
4) Dentition
Dentition must be healthy, strong and complete (42
teeth, 20 in the upper jaw and 22 in the lower jaw). The German Shepherd
Dog has a scissors bite, e.g. the incisors must meet each other in a
scissorslike fashion, with the outer surface of the incisors of the
lower jaw sliding next to the inner surface of the incisors of the upper
jaw.
An undershot or overshot bite if faulty, as are large gaps between the
teeth. A level bite is faulty, as the incisors close on a straight line.
The jaws must be strongly developed so that the teeth may be deeply
rooted.
5) Ears
The ears are of medium size, wide at the base and set
high. They taper to a point and are carried facing forward and
vertically (the tips not inclined toward each other). Tipped, cropped
and hanging ears are rejected. Ears drawn toward each other greatly
impair the general appearance. The ears of puppies and young dogs
sometiems drop or pull toward each other during the teething period,
which can last until six months of age and sometimes longer.
Many dogs draw their ears back during motion or at rest. This is not
faulty.
6) Eyes
The eyes are of medium size, almond shaped, somewhat
slanting and not protruding.
The color of the eyes should blend with the color of the coat. They
should be as dark as possible. They should have a lively, intelligent
and self-confident expression.
7) Neck
The neck should be strong with well-developed muscles
and without looseness of the throat skin (dewlaps).
The neck is carried at an angle of about 45 degrees to the horizontal.
It is carried higher when excited and lower when trotting.
8) Body
The body length should exceed the height at the
withers. It shouldamount to about 110 to 117% of the height at the
witthers. Dogs with a short, square or tall build are undesirable.
The chest is deep (approximately 45 to 48% of the height at the withers)
but not too wide. The underchest should be as long as possible and
pronounced.
The ribs should be well formed and long, neither barrel shaped nor too
flat. They should reach the sternum, which is at the same level as the
elbows. A correctly formed rib cage allows the elbows freedom of
movement when the dogs trots. A too round rib cage disrupts the motion
of the elbows and causes them to turn out. A too flat rib cage draws the
elbows in toward one another. The rib cage extends far back so that the
loins are relatively short.
The abdomen is moderately tucked up. The back, including the loins, is
straight and strongly developed yet not too long between the withers and
the croup. The withers must be long and high, sloping slightly from
front to rear, defined against the back into which it gently blends
without breaking the topline. The loins must be wide, strong and well
muscled.
The croup is long and slightly angled (approximately 23 degrees). The
ileum and the sacrum are the foundation bones of the croup. Short, steep
or flat croups are undesirable.
9) Tail
The tail is bushy and should reach at least to the
hock joint but not beyond the middle of the hocks. Sometimes the tail
forms a hook to one side at its end, though this is undesirable. At rest
the tail is carried in a gentle downward curve, but when the dog is
excited or in motion, it is curved more and carried higher. The tail
should never be raised past the vertical. The tail, therefore, should
not be carried straight or curled over the back.
Docked tails are inadmissible.
10) Forequarters
The shoulder blade should be long with an oblique
placement (the angle at 45 degrees) and lying flat against the body. The
upper arm joins the shoulder blade in an approximate right angle. The
upper arm as well as the shoulder must be strong and well muscled.
The forearm must be straight when viewed from all sides. The bones of
the uppper arm and forearm are more oval than round.
The pasterns should be firm but neither too steep nor too down in
pastern (Approximately 20 degrees).
The elbows must be neither turned in nor turned out. the length of the
leg bones should exceed the depth of the chest (approximately 55%).
11) Hindquarters
The thigh is broad and well muscled. The upper thigh
bone when viewed from the side joins the only slightly longer lower
thigh bone at an angle of approximately 120 degrees. The angulation
corresponds roughly to the forequarter angulation without being
overangulated. The hock joint is strong and firm. The hock is strong and
forms a firm joint with the lower thigh. The entire hindquarters must be
strong and well muscled to be capable of carrying the body effortlessly
forward during motion.
12) Feet
The feet are relatively round, short, tightly formed
and arched. The pads are very hard, but not chapped. The anils are
short, strong and of a dark color. Dewclaws sometime appear on the hind
legs and should be removed within the first few days of birth.
14) Color
Color should be black with regular markings in brown,
tan to light gray, also with a black saddle, dark sable (black cover on
a gray or light brown case with corresponding lighter marks), black,
uniform gray or with light or brown markings. Small white markings on
the forechest or a very light color on the insides of the legs are
permissible though not desired. The nose must be black with all coat
colors. (Dogs with little or no masks, yellow or strikingly light eyes,
light markings on the chest and insides of the legs, white nails and a
red tip of the tail or washed out weak colors are considered lacking in
pigment.) The undercoat or base hair is always light gray, with the
exception of that on black dogs. the final color of a puppy is only
determined when the outer coat completely develops.
15) Coat
a) The medium smooth coated German Shepherd Dog
The outer coat should be as thick as possible. The
individual hairs are straight, coarse and lying flat against the body.
The coat is short on the head inclusive of the ears, the front of the
legs, the feet and the toes but longer and thicker on the neck. The hair
grows longer on the back of the fore- and hind legs as far down as the
pastern and the hock joint, forming moderate breeching on the thighs.
the length of the hair varies, and due to these differences in length,
there are many intermediate forms. A too short or molelike coat is
faulty.
b) The long smooth coated German Shepherd Dog
The individual hairs are longer, not always straight
and above all not lying close to the body. The coat is considerably
longer inside and behind the ears, on the back of the forearm and
usually in the loin area. now and then there will be tufts in the ears
and feathering from elbow to pastern. The breeching along the thigh is
long and thick. The tail is bushy with slight feathering underneath. the
long-smooth-coat is not as weatherproof as the medium-smooth-coat and is
therefore undesirable; however, provided there is sufficient undercoat,
it may be passed for breeding, as long as the breed regulations of the
countr allow it.
With the long smooth coated German Shepherd Dog, a narrow chest and
narrow overstretched muzzle are frequently found.
c) The long coated German Shepherd Dog
The coat is considerably longer than that of the
long-smooth-coat. It is generally very soft and forms a parting along
the back. The udnercoat will be found in the region of the loins or will
not be present at all. A long coat is greatly diminished in
weatherproofing and utility and therefore is undesirable.
=Faults=
Faults include anything that impairs working
versatility, endurance and working competency, especially lack of sex
characteristics and temperament traits contrary to the German Shepherd
Dog such as apathy, weak nerves or overexcitability, shyness; lack of
vitality or willingness to work; monorchids and cryptorchids and
testicles too small; a soft or flabby constitution and a lack of
substance; fading pigment; blues, albinos (with complete lack of
pigmentation, e.g. pink nose, etc.) and whites (near to pure white with
black nose); over and under size; stunted growth; high-legged dogs and
those with an overloaded forechest; a disproportionaltely short, too
refined or coarse build; a soft back, too steep a placement of the limbs
and anything depreciating the reach and endurance of gait; a muzzle that
is too short, blunt, weak , pointed or narrow and lacks strength; an
over-or undershot bite or any other faults of dentition, especially weak
or worn teeth; a coat that is too soft, too short or too long; a lack of
undercoat; hanging ears, a permanently faulty ear carriage or cropped
ears; a ringed, curled or generally faulty tail set; a docked tail
(stumpy) or a naturally short tail.
The above standard was approved
and put into effect for the countries and clubs of the FCI. The name of
the breed is the German Shepherd Dog. The country of origin is Germany.
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