German Shepherd

Origin country: Germany

Original tasks: Basically it is a shepherd dog, but it is very intelligent so it is able to many other tasks.

Original name: Deutscher Schaferhund

English name: German Shepherd Dog

Origin: A German Captain and dog breeder, Max von Stephanitz is credited with having developed the German Shepherd dog in the XIX. Century.

Appearance

The German Shepherd Dog is a large, strong, handsome-looking dog. The fur is a double-coat and can be either short or long haired. It varies in color, coming in many different shades, mostly cream (tan) and brown, but also solid black or white. Dogs with coats that have tricolored hair (black and white with either brown or red) are called sable or agouti. Different kennel clubs have different standards for the breed according to size, weight, coat color, and structure.

Body: The over-line proceeds from the neck, continuing over the high, long withers and over the straight back through the slightly sloping croup without abrupt change. The back is moderately long, firm, strong, and well muscled. The loin is broad, short, powerfully fashioned, and well muscled. The croup should be long and slightly sloping (approx. 23° from the horizontal) and without a break in the over-line as it continues over the tail-set. The chest should be moderately broad, its underline as long as possible, and pronounced. The depth of chest should be about 45 % to 48 % of the dog's height at the withers. The ribs should widen out and curve moderately. Barrel-shaped chests or slab-sided appearance are equally faulty. The tail extends at least up to the hock joint, but not beyond the middle of the metatarsus. Its hair is somewhat bushy on the underside. It is carried in a gentle hanging curve when relaxed, and is lifted more in excitement and in movement, though not over the horizontal. Surgical corrections are forbidden.

Head: The head is to be wedge-shaped, large but in proportion to the body, with length about 40% of the dog's height at the withers, without being clumsy or overly long. It is dry in its general appearance, and moderately broad between the ears. The forehead is seen from in front and from the side to be only little arched, and without central furrow or with only a slightly implied one. The proportion of back-skull to fore-ace is 50:50. The breadth of back-skull corresponds approximately to its length. The top of the head (seen from above) from the ears to the nose is a fairly continuous wedge-shaped taper, with a slanting but not too-sharply defined stop. Upper and lower jaws are definitely strong. The muzzle is straight, neither a saddle shape nor an arch being desired. The lips are tight, closing well, and of dark color. The nose must be black. The teeth must be strong, healthy and complete (42, conforming to the established rule). The German Shepherd dog has a scissors bite; i.e., the incisors must mesh in a scissors bite whereby the incisors of the upper jaw intersect like scissors with those of the lower jaw. Level (pincer), over-, and under-bites are faulty, as are large gaps between the teeth (interrupted arrangement). Likewise incorrect is a straight line of the incisors. The jawbones must be strongly developed, so that the teeth can be deeply embedded in their places. The eyes are medium in size, almond-shaped, somewhat slanted, and not protruding. The color of the eyes should be as dark as possible; light, piercing eyes are not desired, as this detracts from the dog's expression.

Size/weight: Males: Withers height 60 cm to 65 cm; weight 30 kg to 40 kg Females: Withers height 55 cm to 60 cm; weight 22 kg to 32 kg

Coat / Condition of the hair: The correct type of hair-coat for the German Shepherd Dog is the Stock-hair (straight, harsh topcoat) with undercoat. The topcoat should be as tight as possible, straight, harsh, and lying closely and firmly. On the head between the ears, on the front side of the legs, and on paws and toes it is short. At the neck somewhat longer and more abundant. On the backs of the legs the hair grows longer as far down as the wrist, and correspondingly down to the hock. At the backside of the thighs it forms moderate trousers.

Colors: Black with reddish-brown, brown, tan, and/or light gray markings. Solid-black. Sable with dark overcast. Black saddle and mask. Inconspicuous, small white chest markings, likewise light color on the insides, are allowed but not desirable. The nose bulb must be black in all colors of the breed. Missing mask, light (piercing) eye color, as well as light to whitish markings at chest and under/inner sides, light claws, and red-tipped tail are to be considered as deficient pigment. The undercoat has a light gray color. The color white is not permitted.

Food claim: 1700-1800g/day

Litter: 6-10 puppies

Lifetime:10-12 years

The Character of German Shepherds

Often used as working dogs, German Shepherds are direct and fearless, eager and alert. Bold, cheerful, obedient and eager to learn. Known for their tremendous loyalty and courage. Calmly confident, but not hostile. Serious and almost human in his intelligence. They have a high learning ability.
German Shepherds love to be close to their families, but they are wary of strangers. This breed needs his people and should not be left isolated for long periods of time.
Shepherd only bark when it is necessary, making them excellent watch dogs and guard dogs. They have a very strong protective instinct, so they should be extensively socialized to prevent over-guarding when they are an adult. Aggression and attacks on people are largely due to poor breeding, handling and training.
A well bred, well-adjusted, and trained dog is for the most part generally good with other pets and excellent with children in the family. They must be firmly trained in obedience from an early age.
The German Shepherd is also a popular show and family companion.

Social Behaviour

They are lively, playful and devoted, but should be socialized well when they are young to avoid a tendency for timidity. They do well with families and children; but because of their size, they should always be supervised around young children.
The German Shepherd is not only a friend but a companion and protector as well. The females are territorially protective, as a general rule, and will guard their home and property faithfully, while the males are more inclined toward personal protection, guarding and protecting "their" humans with their lives, if they need to. German Shepherds are some of the most protective, loyal dogs around.

General Care Knowledge

Grooming: This breed sheds bits of hair constantly and is a seasonally heavy shedder. A quick daily brushing is best unless hair in the houses is not a problem. They should be bathed rarely, only once or twice a year to avoid skin oil depletion.

Training: This breed is very intelligent, and can be trained very easy. They like to do the tasks. They are very sensitive to the tone of the voice. You have to train them with patience and connectedly and you will not have problems with them.

Claim for moving: Owner sometimes forget that this breed need a lot of moving. The need  long walks or swimming. They need moving an hour every day. If you develop a good friendship with your dog  you can take it for a walk  without a dog-lead.

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