German Shepherd Dog

The German Shepherd Dog or Alsatian is a very popular breed of dog. German Shepherds are highly intelligent, agile and well-suited to active working environments. They are often deployed in various roles such as police work, guarding, search and rescue, therapy and in the military. They can also be found working as guide dogs for the blind. Despite their suitability for such work, German Shepherds can also make loyal and loving pets inside the home. They enjoy being around people and other animals. German Shepherds are well-suited to obedience, with advanced & prestigious titles available to test both the handler and dog in various schutzhund trials.

German Shepherd Dog Appearance

The German Shepherd Dog is a large and strong dog. The fur is a double-coat and can be either short or long haired. Although the black and tan saddle may be most recognizable, German Shepherds come in a variety of colours and patterns though not all are accepted by the various breed clubs or FCI. Two toned German Shepherds can be black and tan, black and red, black and brown, black and silver, black and cream, blue and tan, or liver and tan. Solid colours may be black and solid white or any of the dilutes (liver, blue, or cream).

Dogs with coats that have tricolour hair (black and white with either brown or red) are called sable or agouti. Sables can come in a variety of mixtures as well including black and silver, black and red, black and cream, and black and tan. Some various markings are referred to as 'striping' (black stripe markings on the legs found in some sables), 'pencilling' (also often found on the sable as black lines on the top of the dog's toes), 'tar heels' (black that runs down the back of the dog's legs), and the bitch stripe (grey hairs along the back of a female or a neutered male.)

Different kennel clubs have different standards for the breed according to size, weight, coat colour, and structure. German Shepherds that compete in dog shows, must have an appearance that conforms with the guidelines of the individual kennel club. Some common disqualifying faults include ears that are not completely erect, or a muzzle that is not predominantly black. Ear faults can be caused by weak cartilage in the ears which allow them to flop (also called "friendly-tipped"). It is often possible for a veterinarian to correct this problem by taping up the ears.

There are a number of different types or lines of German Shepherd in which the behaviour, abilities, and appearance of each is quite different. The major lines are the international working line, the international show line, and the North American show line

The FCI-recognized international show lines differ in that more emphasis is placed on the dog's appearance when breeding, so that show quality traits are retained.

The North American show lines have also been bred primarily for their looks, but have a markedly different appearance from the international show line shepherd, featuring a more noticeably sloped back and sharper angles of the hock joint. There is a current debate over whether the American show line still represents the original German Shepherd Dog, or if the line has diverged enough over the years to be considered a separate breed. Critics of the American line argue that the working ability of these dogs has been diminished, and that the angled back is detrimental to the health of the animal. Proponents of the line believe that the altered bone structure of the American line improves the dog's herding ability.

Some groups or breeders have focused on variants of the breed that are not recognized by most kennel clubs as standard show German Shepherds. White Shepherds or Berger Blanc Suisse are recognized as a separate breed.

The German lines of the German Shepherd tend to be larger dogs with a broader head and darker coat. With the "Americanization" of the German Shepherd, many of the dogs have become smaller with less sloping to their hips. These lines can also show more of the silver and black coat coloring as opposed to the black and tan/brown coat of the German lines

In the former East Germany, German Shepherds adhered more closely to the old prewar standard, marked by a straighter back, a longer and denser coat, and a darker colour. These dogs are now praised for their working ability. There are current attempts to preserve this distinct line and raise it to the status of an officially recognized breed (East German Shepherd Dog).

The so-called "long-haired German Shepherd" is considered a "fault" of the German Shepherd Dog breed according to American Kennel Club standards, as well as those of the International (FCI). However, there is also a 'long-stock-haired German Shephard'; stock hair isn't registered directly as a fault, hence such dogs are eligible to participate. Long-haired German Shepherds are however, actively bred, registered, and shown in some countries  such as Germany and the United Kingdom . The long hair gene is recessive. Dogs with this coat look somewhat like the Tervueren type of Belgian Shepherd Dog. Popular myth holds that long-haired German Shepherd Dog s ("fuzzies") are more affectionate, but there is little evidence for this. Long coats usually have no or little undercoat, thus they can be rather sensitive to extreme weather.

The Shiloh Shepherd is not just a "larger version" of a German Shepherd. The Original breeder of the Shiloh Shepherd wanted to breed a dog that embodied what the German Shepherd originally and legendarily embodied in spirit and temperament, as the present shepherds were being bred to be more aggressive and less reliable with children and other animals.The King Shepherd is a larger variation of the German Shepherd but is not accepted in the AKC ring. When shepherds are bred this large, their size prevents them from fitting the AKC's breed standard description of "Size, Proportion, Substance".

German Shepherd Dog Temperament

Well-bred German Shepherd Dog s have powerful jaws and strong teeth, can develop a strong sense of loyalty and obedience, and can be trained to attack and release on command. Poorly bred German Shepherd Dog s such as those from puppy mills can be fearful, overly aggressive, or both. German Shepherd Dog s, along with Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans, are often perceived as inherently dangerous, and are the target of Breed Specific Legislation in several countries. If a German Shepherd Dog  is violent or aggressive, it is often due to the combination of poor breeding and the owner's lack of control, training, and socialization. German Shepherd Dog s are often used as guard, seeing eye, and police dogs and more specifically search and rescue, narcotics dogs, and bomb scenting dogs which further contributes to the perception of their being a dangerous breed. However, many German Shepherd Dog s function perfectly well as search dogs and family pets - roles where aggressive behaviour is unsuitable.

German Shepherd Dog s' sense of loyalty and emotional bond with their owners is almost impossible to describe. They have a keen intuition or bond which is highly in tune with their owner/handler. Separation trauma is one reason they are now used less often in guide dog roles, since guide dogs are typically trained from puppyhood by one owner/handler prior to final placement with their employer, i.e, new owner. This is simply avoidable by proper socialization, continuing stimulation to all types of situations, with people, in and out of traffic, and better guiding of their new handler/owner into the relationship with their new dog.

German Shepherd Dog History

The breed was originated by Captain Max von Stephanitz in 1899. He founded the SV, "Schaeferhunde Verein". This is now the most powerful single breed registry in the World. On average in Germany alone, 22,000 German Shepherd pups are born each year. His goal was to breed an all-purpose working dog. The first registered German Shepherd Dog  was Horand v. Grafrath referred to as Schaeferhunde Verein 1.

Von Stephanitz admired the landrace herding dogs of his native German Empire, and believed they had the potential to be all-purpose working dogs. Additionally, he was aware of the declining need for herding dogs and believed that the working abilities of the breed would decline unless it was put to other uses.

The Schaeferhunde Verein then created the schutzhund trial as a breed test for the German Shepherd Dog, consisting of Obedience, Tracking and Protection phases, and only those dogs with passing test results in all three phases, in addition to a "Korung" aka Critique by a judge for conformation purposes, done officially on trial ground in front of an Schaeferhunde Verein-approved judge were awarded the Schaeferhunde Verein "Pink Papers." In recent decades, the Schaeferhunde Verein added other important improvements for the betterment of their breed. These include mandatory X-raying of all German Shepherds' hips before breeding under the Schaeferhunde Verein rules, DNA registration of all breeding stock, and mandatory elbow X-rays.

The schutzhund trial, along with the Schaeferhunde Verein's conviction that "German Shepherd breeding is working dog breeding or it is not German Shepherd breeding" led to a rapid development of the breed's abilities.

By World War I, the breed was already popular throughout Germany. During that War, in the US where it had been known as the German Sheepdog, the American Kennel Club renamed it the 'Shepherd Dog' to reduce discrimination against the breed. In 1931, they restored its heritage back by naming it the German Shepherd Dog. After World War I, British and American soldiers, impressed by the abilities of the dog, returned home with breeding stock, thus ensuring its popularity, both as a family pet and as a working dog; in North America especially due to the appearance of two movie stars named Strongheart and Rin-Tin-Tin, followed by decades of movies and tv shows featuring German Shepherd Dogs.