23.12.2010/EN
FCI-Standard N°166
GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG
(Deutscher Schäferhund)
TRANSLATION:
Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV) E.V. / Original version: (D).
Double coat
Long and harsh outer coat:
ORIGIN:
Germany.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE
OFFICIAL VALID STANDARD:
11.08.2010.
UTILIZATION:
Versatile working, herding and service dog.
FCI-CLASSIFICATION:
Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Mountain and
Cattle Dogs).
Section 1 Sheepdogs. With
working trial.
Brief historical overview:
According to the official
documentation of the
Verein für Deutsche
Schäferhunde (SV) e.V.
(Society for the German Shepherd Dog, “SV” for short) – legal
domicile in Augsburg, Germany, member of the Verband für das
Deutsche Hundewesen (VDH, German Kennel Club) – the "SV" as the
founding club of the breed is responsible for the breed standard of
the German Shepherd Dog. Established in the first General Meeting at
Frankfurt/Main on 20 September 1899 according to suggestions by A.
Meyer and Max von Stephanitz and in addition to the amendments of
the 6th General Meeting on 28 July 1901, the 23rd
General Meeting at Cologne/Rhineland on 17 September 1909, the
Executive Board & Advisory Board Meeting at Wiesbaden on 5 September
1930 and the Breeding Committee & Executive Board Meeting on 25
March 1961, revisions were resolved within the framework of the
World Union of German Shepherd Dog Clubs (WUSV) Meeting on 30 August
1976.
Revisions and catalogued measures
were resolved with the Enabling Resolution through the Executive
Board and Advisory Board from 23/24 March 1991, amended through the
Federal Conventions from 25 May 1997 and 31 May/1 June 2008.
The German Shepherd Dog, whose
methodical breeding was started in 1899 after the foundation of the
society, had been bred from the central German and southern German
breeds of the herding dogs existing at that time with the ultimate
objective of creating a working dog inclined to high achievements.
In order to achieve this objective, the breed standard of the German
Shepherd Dog was determined, which relates to the physical
constitution as well as the traits and characteristics.
General appearance
The German Shepherd Dog is
medium-size, slightly elongated, powerful and well-muscled, with dry
bone and firm overall structure.
Important dimensional ratios
The height at the withers amounts to
60 cm to 65 cm for male dogs and 55 cm to 60 cm for female dogs. The
trunk length exceeds the dimension at the height at the withers by
about 10 – 17 %.
Character
The German Shepherd Dog must be
well-balanced (with strong nerves) in terms of character,
self-assured, absolutely natural and (except for a stimulated
situation) good-natured as well as attentive and willing to please.
He must possess instinctive behaviour, resilience and self-assurance
in order to be suitable as a companion, guard, protection, service
and herding dog.
Head
The head is wedge-shaped, and in
proportion to the body size (length about 40 % at the height at the
withers), without being plump or too elongated, dry in the overall
appearance and moderately broad between the ears.
Seen from the front and side, the
forehead is only slightly arched and without any or with only a
slightly indicated middle furrow.
The ratio from the cranial region to
the facial region is 50 % to 50 %. The width of the cranial region
more or less corresponds to the length of the cranial region. The
cranial region (seen from above) tapers evenly towards the nasal
bridge with gradually sloping, not sharply depicted stop in the
wedge-shaped facial region (foreface) of the head. Upper and lower
jaws are powerfully developed.
The nasal dorsum is straight, any dip
or bulge is undesirable. The lips are taut, close well and are of
dark colouring.
The nose
must be black.
The teeth
must be strong, healthy and complete
(42 teeth according to the dental formula). The German Shepherd Dog
has a scissor bite, i.e. the incisors must interlock like scissors,
whereby the incisors of the upper jaw overlap those of the lower
jaw. Occlusal overlay, overbite and retrusive occlusion as well as
larger spaces between the teeth (gaps) are faulty. The straight
dental ridge of the incisors is also faulty. The jaw bones must be
strongly developed so that the teeth can be deeply embedded in the
dental ridge.
The eyes
are of medium size, almond-shaped,
slightly slanted and not protruding. The colour of the eyes should
be as dark as possible. Light, piercing eyes are undesirable since
they impair the dog’s impression.
Ears
The German Shepherd Dog has erect
ears of medium size, which are carried upright and aligned (not
drawn-in laterally); they are pointed and with the auricle facing
forward.
Tipped ears and drooping ears are
faulty. Ears carried rearward when moving or in relaxed position are
not faulty.
Neck
The neck should be strong,
well-muscled and without loose neck skin (dewlap). The angulation
towards the trunk (horizontal) amounts to approx. 45 %.
Body
The upper line
runs from the base of the neck via
the high, long withers and via the straight back towards the
slightly sloping croup, without visible interruption. The back is
moderately long, firm, strong and well-muscled. The loin is broad,
short, strongly developed and well-muscled. The croup should be long
and slightly sloping (approx 23° to the horizontal) and the upper
line should merge into the base of the tail without interruption.
The chest
should be moderately broad, the lower
chest as long and pronounced as possible. The depth of the chest
should amount to approx. 45 % to 48 % of the height at the withers.
The ribs
should feature a moderate curvature;
a barrel-shaped chest is just as faulty as flat ribs.
The tail
extends at least to the hock, but not
beyond the middle of the hind pastern. It has slightly longer hair
on the underside and is carried hanging downward in a gentle curve,
whereby in a state of excitement and in motion it is raised and
carried higher, but not beyond the horizontal. Operative corrections
are forbidden.
Limbs
Forequarters
The forelimbs
are straight when seen from all
sides, and absolutely parallel when seen from the front.
Shoulder blade and upper arm
are of equal length, and
firmly attached to the trunk by means of powerful musculature. The
angulation from shoulder blade and upper arm is ideally 90°, but
generally up to 110°.
The elbows
may not be turned out either while
standing or moving, and also not pushed in. The forearms are
straight when seen from all sides, and absolutely parallel to each
other, dry and firmly muscled. The pastern has a length of approx.
1/3 of the forearm, and has an angle of approx. 20° to 22° to the
forearm. A slanted pastern (more than 22°) as well as a steep
pastern (less than 20°) impairs the suitability for work,
particularly the stamina.
The paws
are rounded, well-closed and arched;
the soles are hard, but not brittle. The nails are strong and of
dark colour.
Hindquarters
The position of hind legs is
slightly backwards, whereby the hind limbs are parallel to each
other when seen from the rear. Upper leg and lower leg are of
approximately the same length and form an angle of approx. 120°; the
legs are strong and well-muscled.
The hocks are strongly
developed and firm; the hind pastern stands vertically under the
hock.
The paws are closed, slightly
arched; the pads are hard and of dark colour; the nails are strong,
arched and also of dark colour.
Gait
The German Shepherd Dog is a trotter.
The limbs must be coordinated in length and angulations so that the
dog can shift the hindquarters towards the trunk without any
essential change of the top line and can reach just as far with the
forelimbs. Any tendency towards over-angulation of the hindquarters
reduces the stability and the stamina, and thereby the working
ability. Correct body proportions and angulations results in a gait
that is far-reaching and flat over the ground which conveys the
impression of effortless forward movements. The head pushed forward
and the slightly raised tail result in a consistent, smooth trot
showing a gently curved, uninterrupted upper line from the ear tips
over the neck and back to the end of the tail.
Skin
The skin is (loosely) fitting, but
without forming any folds.
Coat
Hair texture
Hair:
The German Shepherd Dog is bred in
the hair varieties double coat and long and harsh outer coat – both
with undercoat.
Double coat:
The guard hair should be as dense as
possible, particularly harsh and close fitting: short on the head,
including the inside of the ears, short on the front side of the
legs, paws and toes, some-what longer and more strongly covered in
hair on the neck. On the back side of the legs the hair extends to
the carpal joint or the hock; it forms moderate ‘trousers’ on the
back side of the haunches.
Long and harsh outer coat:
The guard hair should be long, soft
and not close fitting, with tufts on the ears and legs, bushy
trousers and bushy tail with downward formation of tuft. Short on
the head, including the inside of the ears, on the front side of the
legs, on the paws and toes, somewhat longer and more strongly
covered in hair on the neck, almost forming a mane. On the back side
of the legs the hair extends to the carpal joint or the hock and
forms clear trousers on the back side of the haunches.
Colours
Colours are black with reddish-brown,
brown and yellow to light grey markings; single-coloured black, grey
with darker shading, black saddle and mask. Unobtrusive, small white
marks on chest as well as very light colour on insides are
permissible, but not desirable. The tip of the nose must be black in
all colours. Dogs with lack of mask, light to piercing eye colour,
as well as with light to whitish markings on the chest and the
insides, pale nails and red tip of tail are considered to be lacking
in pigmentation. The undercoat shows a light greyish tone. The
colour white is not allowed.
Size/weight
Male dogs:
Height at the withers: 60 cm to 65 cm
Weight: 30 kg to 40 kg
Female dogs:
Height at the withers: 55 cm to 60 cm
Weight: 22 kg to 32 kg
Testicles
Male dogs should have two obviously
normally developed testicles which are completely in the scrotum.
Faults
Any deviation from the aforementioned
points should be considered as a fault whose evaluation should be in
exact proportion to the degree of deviation.
Serious faults
Deviations from the above-described
breed characteristics which impair the working capability.
Faulty ears: ears set too low
laterally, tipped ears, inward constricted ears, ears not firm
Considerable pigment deficiencies.
Severely impaired overall stability.
Dental faults:
All deviations from scissor bite and
dental formula insofar as it does not involve eliminating faults
(see the following)
Eliminating faults
a)
Dogs with weak character and weak nerves which bite
b)
Dogs with proven “severe hip dysplasia”
c)
Monorchid or cryptorchid dogs as well as dogs with clearly
dissimilar or atrophied testicles
d)
Dogs with disfiguring ears or tail faults
e)
Dogs with malformations
f)
Dogs with dental faults, with lack of:
1 premolar 3 and another tooth, or
1 canine tooth, or
1 premolar 4, or
1 molar 1 or molar 2, or
a total of 3 teeth or more
g)
Dogs with jaw deficiencies:
Overshot by 2 mm and more,
undershot,
level bite in the entire incisor
region
h)
Dogs with oversize or undersize by more than 1 cm
i)
Albinism
j)
White hair colour (also with dark eyes and nails)
k)
Long Straight Topcoat without undercoat
l)
Long-haired (long, soft guard hair without undercoat, mostly
parted in the middle of the back, tufts on the ears and legs and on
the tail)
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