SV BREED STANDARD June 1997 Revisions Translated by Fred Lanting, SV Conformation Judge Reprinted from Schutzhund
USA Magazine Shepherd Dog FCI Standard #166; replaces 23 March, 1991 edition FCI Classification: Group 1 - Guardian and Driving dogs; Section 1 - Shepherds' dogs with working titles. Versatile use: Guardian and Service (Working) Dog 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. 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. 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. Skin The skin is (loosely) contiguous without, however, forming folds. 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. Dentition faults: All deviations from the scissors bite and the formation of the teeth that are
not dealt with in the following list of specific faults. Disqualifying Faults
(also ineligible for breed survey): a) Weak character, biting, nervous; b)
Demonstrated severe hip dysplasia c) Cryptorchidism (unilateral or bilateral),
clearly unequal or stunted, atrophied testicles; d) Deformed ears or tails; e)
Dogs with deformities; f) Dentition faults involving the absence of: one P-3 and
another tooth, or one fang (canine), or one P-4, or one Molar-1 or Molar-2, or
any total of three or more teeth; g) Incisor (bite) irregularities: overshot by
2mm or more, undershot, or pincer bite (even or level in entire incisor area);
h) Oversize by more than one centimeter; i) Albinism; j) White haircoat even if
the dog has dark eyes and nails; k) Langstockhaar (topcoat long, straight, soft,
not lying tightly; with undercoat present; flags (feathering) on ears and legs,
bushy trousers, bushy tail with formation of flags on the underside); l)
Langhaar (topcoat long, soft; without undercoat, generally parting in the middle
of the back; flags at ears, legs, and tail). *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.).
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