Short historic overview 
 

Since the official establishment in Augsburg, within the German Canine Association known as the VDH (German "Kennel Club"), the parent club of the breed, the Club for German Shepherd Dogs (SV), is responsible for the breed Standard of the German Shepherd Dog. The Standard was set up in the first membership meeting in Frankfurt on 20 September 1899, upon the suggestions of A. Meyer and M. von Stephanitz. At the 6th membership gathering on 28 July 1901, the 23rd meeting in Köln on 17 September 1909, the conference of the executive committee and board in Wiesbaden on 5 September 1930, and the breed committee and board of directors meeting on 25 March 1961. As part of that one, the World Union of German Shepherd Dog Clubs (WUSV) was involved with the work. At the WUSV conference on 30 August 1976 they agreed on another revision, and on 23/24 March 1991 assumed full powers by way of resolution of the executive and advisory committees. [The current version was adopted in 1997.] The German Shepherd Dog, whose systematic breeding was begun in the year 1899 with the founding of the Club, is from the former Central and Southern German stocks then available. They were bred and descended from guardian dogs with the objective of creating a working dog predisposed to high performance. To reach this goal, the breed Standard of the German Shepherd Dog was determined, with reference both to the bodily construction as well as to the essential nature and character traits. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General appearance 

The German Shepherd Dog is a medium-size, slightly stretched, strong, and well muscled, with the "bone" dry and firm in the over-all construction. Important measurements and proportions The withers height for males is 60 to 65 cm; that of bitches is 55 to 60 cm.* The length of torso exceeds the measure of the withers height by about 10 - 17 %. The German Shepherd Dog must be, in its essential image, well-balanced, firm in nerves, self-confident, absolutely calm and impartial, and (except in tempting situations) amiable. He must possess courage, willingness to fight, and hardness, in order to be suitable as companion, watchdog, protector, service dog, and guardian. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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. 

Ears

The German Shepherd Dog has pricked ears of medium size, which are carried upright and neither pointing outward nor inward; they taper to a point and are held with the opening of the shell facing forward. Tipped over and hanging ears are faulty. Ears laid back during gating and/or relaxation are not faulted. 

Neck 

The neck should be strong, well muscled, and without loose skin at the throat (dewlap). The head is held such that the neck is at an angle of approximately 45 degrees from the (horizontal) torso. The skin is (loosely) contiguous without, however, forming folds. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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. 

Limbs - Forehand 

The front limbs are seen from all sides to be straight, and from the front view are perfectly parallel. Shoulder blade and upper arm are of equal lengths accumulated and firmly attached to the torso with medium-strong muscling. The angle between shoulder blade and upper arm amounts to, in the ideal case 90°, but as a rule is 110°. The elbows, either when standing or moving, may not be turned out; likewise not pinched together. The forearms in the standing dog are seen in all views to be straight and perfectly parallel to each other, dry, and firmly muscled. The pastern has a length of approximately 1/3 that of the forearm and has an angle of approx. 20° to 22° to this. Both a slanting pastern (more than 22°) as well as a steep pastern (less than 20°) are harmful to working suitability, particularly endurance. The paws are round, well closed and arched, the soles hard, but not inflexible. The nails are sturdy and of a dark color. 

Hind Quarters

The position of the hind legs is slightly toward the rear, and viewed from behind the hind-legs are parallel to each other. Upper thigh and lower thigh are roughly of equal length and form an angle of approximately 120°. The thighs are powerful and well muscled. The hock joints are sturdily built and firm; the metatarsus is vertical from the hock joint. The paws are closed, slightly arched, the pads hard and of dark color, the nails sturdy and arched, and also dark. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Movement

The German Shepherd Dog is a trotter. The limbs must be so harmonious with each other in length and angulation, that without creating much undulation of the top-line, the hindquarters can push the torso forward in such a manner that the stride matches that of the forequarters. Every tendency toward over-angulation of the hindquarters decreases the firmness and the endurance, and with that the working ability. With correct structural proportions and angulation, a far-reaching, ground-covering, level gait results, which conveys the impression of effortless forward movement. With the head thrust forward and tail slightly lifted it presents, in a fairly level, balanced, and smooth trot, one uninterrupted, gently flowing over-line from the tips of the ears over the nape and back, through to the end of the tail. 

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. 

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 Testicles Dogs should display two evidently normally developed testicles, situated in the scrotum. Faults All deviations from the above-mentioned points should be considered as errors, the severity of fault appraisal being strictly in proportion to the degree of the deviation. Major Faults Anything that departs from the Standard and known characteristics of the breed in relation to the suitability for work; Ear faults: held out to the side; low-set; tipped over; overset (tipped toward each other); weak; Considerably lacking in pigment; Considerable deficiency in overall firmness. 

Teeth 
 

 

 

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42 teeth - upper 20   lower 22.

Teeth must be healthy and strong and dare I say clean as in white. Scissor bite - 2mm + gap over or under is an ‘eliminating fault', this means no grading. 

The scissor bite applies to the side of the mouth not just the incisors

All adult teeth should be erupted by age 7 months

 

• Large spaces between the teeth are a fault. Sometimes I have seen a gap, a misalignment where a double P1 has been removed! 

• A straight dental ridge of the incisors is a fault

• Missing teeth are a fault – 1 PM + one other tooth / 1 canine / 1 PM or Molar 2 or 3 teeth

• Double P1 is not desirable but nor is it a penalizable fault

• Level bite is an eliminating fault – no grading. There are degrees of this though. A test is to flick your nail against the face of the teeth and if there is a defined click of the nail it is noted but acceptable. A 'small degree' of level bite will allow class II classification only.

*Dogs are 60-65 cm (23.6 to 25.6 inches) and 30-40 kg (66-88 lbs.); bitches 55-60 cm (21.6 to 23.6 inches) and 22-32 kg (481/2 to 701/2 lbs.).


Information on titles and certification
 

Hips/Elbows certification

HD/ED- hips/elbows: 
a1 is equal to OFA excellent
a2 is equal to OFA good
a3 is equal to OFA fair
a4 is equal to OFA mild dysplastic
a5 is equal to OFA severe dysplastic
a6 means hips/elbows were certified by country other than 
Germany , but met the standard requirements and are not lower than a3


Breeding survey ratings:

KKL I - Koerklasse I - Especially recommended for breeding
KKL II - Koerklasse II - Suitable for breeding

Show ratings for Puppy Classes:

VP- Very Promising
P- Promising
LP- Less Promising

Show ratings for dogs in Youth class: 

SG - Sehr Gut - Very Good show and performance rating; highest rating for dogs under 2 years old at Sieger shows, 
the highest rating that can be obtained by a young dog prior obtaining a working SchH title.
G - Gut - Good show and performance rating.
U - Unsatisfactory show and performance rating.

Show ratings for dog in working class:

VA - Vorzuglich-Auslese - Excellent Select, the highest show rating at Sieger show; highest award given to 10-12 best males and 10-12 best females each year.
V – Vorzuglich - Excellent show and performance rating.
SG - Sehr Gut - Very Good show and performance rating.
G - Gut - Good show and performance rating.

Working titles: 

SchH1, SchH2, SchH3: Three difficulty levels 1,2,3 of Schutzhund titles which means that dog passed three 
phases: scent tracking, obedience and protection.
Dog must pass all three phases and have an overall passing score or higher to get a SchH title.