GERMAN SHEPHERD
STANDARD
Origin: Germany FCI
classification.
Group 1: Sheepherding - Sheep Guardian.
Section 1: Sheepherding-dog tested/examined for working
qualifications.
Use:
Sheep dog with a high degree of
versatility and usability; police dog, guide dog, and rescue
dog.
General
Appearance:
The German Shepherd is medium size,
slightly stretched,
strong,
dry, and well-muscled, with strong bones, while the whole body
must
appear compact.
Important size
proportions:
At the point of the wither, the
measurement must be
between
60-65cms in males and 55-60cm in females. The body length
must
surpass the wither height by between 10-17%.
Character:
The German Shepherd must be self-assured, balanced with
strong
nerves and absolutely impartial behavior, while maintaining a
good
nature - until pushed to the limit. The dog must be vibrant and
easy
going. Furthermore the dog must be courageous, have a
strong
fighting instinct and possess firm nerves. These are
essential
requirements since the dog is to be used as companion,
guardian,
protector, and a working sheep dog.
Head:
The head is wedge-shaped and should be proportionate in size
with
the rest of the body (the length of the head should be
approximately
40% of the height at the withers), without appearing awkward
or
over-long. The general appearance should be dry, with
moderate
distance between the ears. The forehead, whether seen from the
front
or side, should not appear domed and should have little or no
center
furrow.
The ratio between the forehead and the muzzle should be
about
50:50. The forehead width must be the same as its length. The
skull
(seen from the top) from the ears to the tip of the nose must
consist
of smooth lines, while having a defined separation between the
skull
and the muzzle (stop).
Both the under and upper jaw must be well developed. The
muzzle
must be straight, it is not desirable for it to be any other way.
The
lips must be tight, well-knit, and of dark color.
Nose:
Must be black.
The
Mouth:
Must be strong, well-developed, healthy and complete (42 teeth
in
total). The German Shepherd must have a scissor-like bite,
in
otherwords, the bottom teeth locking with the top teeth in
a
scissor-like formation. Furthermore, the upper jaw must overlap
the
bottom jaw. The definition on the sides of the jaw, is positioned
in
such a way so as the top and bottom layers of the front teeth (top
and
bottom) must not shut level (directly on top of the other) - the
top
must overlap the bottom in a scissor-like close. The bones of the
jaws
must be well-developed so that the teeth are not prematurely
worn.
The
Eyes:
are medium size, almond shaped, and slightly angled, and must
not
protrude. The eye color should be as dark as possible. Light eyes
are
not desirable as they spoil the expression of the dog.
The
Ears:
The German Shepherd has ears which are medium sized,
firm
textured, broad at the base, set high on the skull, are carried
erect
(almost parallel and not pulled inwards), taper to a point and
open
towards the front. Tipped ears are faulty. Hanging ears are a
very
serious fault. During movement, the ears may be folded back.
Neck:
The neck must be strong, well-muscled, and without excessive
loose
skin at the throat. It should be at a 45 degree angle to the
body.
Body:
A smooth top line beginning from the
back of the neck and
continuing
in a straight line over a well developed wither and sloping
slightly
toward the croup- without any visible disturbance. The back is
firm,
strong and well-muscled. The loin is broad, well developed and
well
muscled. The croup must be long and slightly angled (about
23
degrees to the horizontal), without any disturbance to the topline -
it
must continue toward the beginning of the tail.
The
Chest:
Must be moderately broad and the
brisket should be long
and
pronounced. The depth of the chest should not be more than
45-48%
of the wither height.
Ribs:
Must show a moderate curve. It is faulty for the ribs to be
either
barrel shaped (too round) or slab sided (too flat).
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