Over the years, there has been a trend toward breeding German Shepherds away from their classic body style. This has been observed in both the German and North American show circuits; and, for a GSD lover like myself, represents a sad state of affairs in breeding and showing such a potentially magnificent animal.
Were it not for those of us who are enamored with the classic-build of the German Sheperd, the regal stature of this creature would be all but lost.
Here we present a pictorial of the German Shepherd breed, as judged and awarded high honors in the American and German show circuits; as the foundation for our reasoning that the classic lines of this animal should not be bred out of existence by those who seek only trophies, acclaim, and an opportunity to sell an animal for nothing more than its reputation in the show circuit.
In reading through this page, you will see the progressive changes in the body lines of the GS show dog; as compared to those lines which we consider to be true to the original breed--the Classic German Shepherd Dog.
|
| Here you see the 'Breed Standards' illustrations; which are supposed to be used in judging German Shepherd show dogs. |
Additional information and images may be found here.
The illustrations below represent the sad state of German Shepherds (new lines) in the show ring today--both German & American. You will be shocked when you see the final pictures compared to those of the dogs in the 40's & 50's.
German show lines are compared first, American show lines follow.
NOTICE:All dogs represented by photographs or other image rendering, below, are representative of award-winning show chattle which conform to the breeding and judging standards set-forth by the GSDCA, and in effect in the year that the award was conferred upon the animal. No comment is offered as to any individual breeder's competency, nor is it postulated that any animal is not entitled to the award earned as a result of contest judging against the standards in effect at the time of award. All images were derived from public domain sources and are used illustratively, solely for the purposes of instruction and commentary; which constitute protected speech under The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, and Fair Use under United States Copyright Law. --Webmaster |
German Show Line Changes. |
|
1940s Era: |
|
1950s Era: |
|
1960s Era: |
|
Early 1970s Era: |
|
Mid-to-Late 1970s Era: |
|
1980s Era: |
|
1990s Era: |
|
Early 2000s Era: |
|
Now prepare yourself for a shock! |
||
|
|
|
1947 Seiger |
2003 Sieger |
VA 2 |
Notice the level back and smooth, sound lines of the 1947 winner. |
Notice the roach back or banana back, low slung hip placement and much more extreme hock angulation of these specimens. |
|
American Show Line Changes. |
|
1940s Era: |
|
1950 - 1960s Era: |
|
Late 1960s - 1970s Era: |
|
1980s Era: |
|
1990s Era: |
|
The New Century: |
|
Now, prepare yourself for yet another shock! |
|
|
|
1959 Champ |
2003 Champ |
1959 American Show Grand Victor: A BIG, beautiful dog, straight-backed, with normal hock angulation. |
Todays standards give us nothing more than a Roach: Notice the low-slung hips with extreme hind angulation, chest hangs below elbows and a much smaller dog as well. |
The comparison is a painful one to make for a German Shepherd lover, like myself. |
|
NOTICE:All dogs represented by photographs or other image rendering, above, are representative of award-winning show chattle which conform to the breeding and judging standards set-forth by the GSDCA, and in effect in the year that the award was conferred upon the animal. No comment is offered as to any individual breeder's competency, nor is it postulated that any animal is not entitled to the award earned as a result of contest judging against the standards in effect at the time of award. All images were derived from public domain sources and are used illustratively, solely for the purposes of instruction and commentary; which constitute protected speech under The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, and Fair Use under United States Copyright Law. --Webmaster |
