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The German Shepherd Dog (GSD) (German:
Deutscher Schäferhund), is a large breed of dog originally
bred for herding sheep. The German shepherds average weight is
80 to 95 lbs because when in herding they need to be able to
move quickly and not be to heavy. The German shepherd is one
of the most widely used police and military dogs, due to the
amount of strength they have. Acording to military and police
stations across the world, the German shepherd is one of the
best guard dogs. The German Shepherd, these days, is used more
as a guard dog. The GSD is also one of the most popular breeds
in USA, and the UK.
Exact standards for the breed vary by country and
organization, but the following criteria are generally part of
the definition. The German Shepherd Dog is a large and strong
dog, typically between 65 and 100 lbs, but have been known to
reach 115+lbs. The height for males is typically 24 - 26in (60
- 65cm); for females it is 22 - 24in (55 - 60cm). The fur is a
double-coat (under coat and outer coat). While some
organizations accept long-haired German Shepherds,
short-haired dogs are typically, and historically, preferred.
German Shepherds are easily identifiable by their large head,
ears which stand straight up, wedge-shaped muzzle and compact
legs. They also have a distinctive gait, as well as other
breed-specific features. Their jaw strength ranges from
250-1200 pounds. Disqualifications for conformation-line dogs
include white nails, a nose which isn't all-black, a muzzle
which isn't predominantly black, non-erect ears, and very
light-toned eyes.
German Shepherds are sparingly bred, by the efforts of a great
few, for work function (working line) as was originally
intended by the breed inventor Max von Stephanitz. Most often
they are bred to conform to breed appearance standards
(conformation line), although Max von Stephanitz distinctly
stated, "Our shepherd dog is a service dog, and he must
only be bred as a service dog. He must only be judged as a
service dog. With service dogs, suitability ranks higher than
beauty."
In Germany, Conformation line dogs are bred to not only proper
physical appearance, but must also have working instincts
(herding, prey drive) They are bred to conform to the
published breed standards for appearance, health and
workability, hence the strict rules of the German SV
Schaeferhunde Verein for dogs in their Pink Paper breeding
program to be titled and Küred (critiqued by a Judge).
However, because they are bred for conformation to the breed
standard of appearance, these dogs are most often found as
quality pets, in breeder environments, and in sport
(Schutzhund, IPO, AKC agility) and as volunteer Search and
Rescue dogs.
Working line German Shepherds are typically excluded from the
show ring, as most don't conform to the current interpretation
of the breed standard for physical appearance. These dogs are
bred to have an enduring work drive, and unwavering obedience.
Of critical importance is the dog's ability to distinguish
what constitutes a threat and what does not constitute a
threat. Dogs that cannot make that distinction are eliminated
from police and military programs.
Extremely well-suited for police and military work, these dogs
are less suitable as pets for home environments, unless the
owners are familiar with their dog's abilities and needs.
Working line dogs are now employed in many police departments
and government organizations across the globe such as the UK
Police Service and the Metropolitan Counter Terrorism Command
in the United Kingdom, and the ATF, the U.S. Marshals, and
Customs in the USA. Working line dogs are frequently found in
sport and as volunteer search and rescue dogs.
There are typically four recognized breed lines. The West
German Lines contain conformation lines and are the best known
of the various lines. The split between the working line and
conformation line bred dogs has affected this line also, with
the confirmation line specializing in beauty while the working
line dogs are targeted towards performance and working related
activities.
The DDR lines. In the former East Germany, German Shepherds
adhered more closely to the old pre-war standard, marked by a
straighter back, a longer and denser coat, and a darker color.
The government sponsored breeding program fell when the wall
fell; thus there are no longer any true DDR dogs being bred,
although there are current attempts to preserve this distinct
line amongst certain breeders.
Most Czech dogs had their origins in the government kennels of
Z Pohranicni straze (z PS), Z Jirkova dvora CS and Z
Blatenskeho zamku. One of the most prolific kennels, Z
Pohranicni straze (Z PS), was founded in the year 1955 for the
strict purpose of production and training of the dogs that
would be solely used for the protection of Czechoslovakia's
borders. The majority of these dogs were acquired from former
East Germany.
The American lines are recognized by the AKC and the UKC;
their appearance is different from the international
conformation line (German line) German Shepherds, most
obviously with sloping backs and "collapsed" hips, a
disqualification for dogs in international competitions. This
has led to the creation of the Shiloh Shepherd in the United
States, which was originally a line of German shepherd whose
breeder did not favor that feature in the American lines and
wanted to preserve the way the breed originally looked.
German Shepherds are a range of colors; conformation-line dogs
are most often black-and-tan or black-and-red. Combinations
containing very light hues such as cream are typically
considered faulty. All-black is usually, but not always,
accepted. A white German Shepherd is automatically
disqualified from the AKC, but is fully recognized as a
pure-bred dog by the UKC. Working-line dogs are typically
sable, solid black, bi-color, or black-and-red.
There are several different color-marking patterns. For
conformation-line dogs, the "saddle" marking is
probably the most well-known. This consists of a large black
patch on the upper and mid back, extending partway down the
dog's sides. The "sable" marking, which consists of
one color with randomly-sized and -shaped patches or swaths of
different-colored hair mixed in, is typical for working-line
dogs. Some sable-pattern dogs have three colors in their coat;
this is called agouti. The other popular marking is called
"bi-color", and consists of a dog that is all one
color (typically black) save for differently-colored paws and
lower legs, and sometimes a swath on the belly.
Some groups or breeders have focused on variants of the breed
that are not recognized by most kennel clubs as standard
conformation German Shepherds. White Shepherds or Berger Blanc
Suisse are recognized as a separate breed. German Shepherds
have a double coat which sheds year round, with particularly
heavy shedding in the Spring and Autumn.
Dogs with the long haired coat variation look somewhat like
the Tervuren type of Belgian Shepherd Dog. The long hair gene
is recessive. Popular myth holds that long-haired GSDs
(sometimes called "fuzzies") are more affectionate,
but there is little evidence for this beyond owner
impressions. Long coats can come in two variations, both with
an undercoat and without. Without the undercoat they have very
little weather protection, but those longhairs with it fair as
well as their short-haired companions, just with longer hair
on the outside.
Kennel club treatment of long-haired German Shepherds varies.
It is considered a fault under American Kennel Club and FCI (Fédération
Cynologique Internationale, i.e. International Canine
Federation) standards. Under other standards, such as Germany
and the United Kingdom, long-haired German Shepherds are
actively bred, registered, and shown, and specialized
long-haired breeders exist. There is also a variation known as
'long, stock-haired German Shephard'; stock hair isn't
registered directly as a fault and such dogs are able to
participate, and are also known as plush coats.
The recessive gene for white coat hair was fixed in the German
Shepherd Dog breed DNA by the late nineteenth and early
twentieth century German breeding program that extensively
used "color coated" dogs who carried a recessive
gene for "white coats." The maternal grandfather of
Horand von Grafrath, the first entry "SZ 1" in the
SV Stud Book, was a white-coat German shepherding dog named
Greif von Sparwasser. Whites can come in anything from pure
white to a blondish golden colour. Normal pigment was expected
to be present in the nose, pads, and eyes. White was
designated a disqualifying conformation fault by the SV
(German Shepherd Club of Germany) in 1933 and by the German
Shepherd Dog Club of America (GSDCA) and the German Shepherd
Dog Club of Canada (GSDCC)in the mid-1960s. White German
Shepherds were disqualified from dog shows and other
organizations mainly because of their fur color. Their color
was known to be noticed too easily in the dark and difficult
to spot in the lighter conditions such as snow.
German Shepherds are highly intelligent and agile dogs, with a
strong work drive. They are often deployed in various roles
such as police, guarding, search and rescue, therapy,
service-dog, and in the military applications. The breed has a
personality marked by direct, fearless willingness to protect
what it considers its "den" (i.e. house, car, and
property in a home situation) and "pack" (i.e. human
family in a home situation). It is poised, but when the
occasion demands, eager and alert; both fit and willing to
serve in its capacity as a companion, watchdog, guide dog for
people who are blind, herding dog, or guardian, whichever the
circumstances may demand.
Proper socialization as a puppy is one of the two key factors
which determines what a dog's temperament will be as an adult.
Genetics is the other. They go hand-in-hand; a dog with
certain genetics cannot be trained to be stable and friendly,
and by the same token the genetics most fit for training are
meaningless if the dog is not well-socialized as a puppy. The
"ideal" German Shepherd should be alert and fearless
in defense of its den and pack, but loving and non-aggressive
within the home environment.
As is common of many large breeds, German Shepherds are
susceptible to elbow and hip dysplasia. Proper breeding is
needed to breed these traits out of their dogs, so that the
dog may enjoy a pain-free life and stay suited for work
situations. These breeders typically require that their
puppies' hips and elbows be x-rayed, and the x-rays approved
and certified by the OFA when the puppy is fully-grown (age
two), in order for the puppy to be allowed to be bred. Recent
American breeders have failed to maintain the same standard
regarding the hind quarters of the breed as in other countries
and dogs presenting the weaker hind quarters are disqualified
in international shows.
Other health problems sometimes occurring in the breed are von
Willebrand's disease, skin allergies and canine degenerative
myelopathy. German Shepherds, like all large bodied dogs, are
also prone to bloat. They have an average lifespan of 10-12
years.
German Shepherds also are prone to pancreas deficiency, which
is where the pancreas stops creating enzymes and the animal is
unable to pass any faeces. There is medication available, but
it is not 100% effective. Unfortunately, it does not cure the
problem, and the treatment is fairly expensive.
Other illness that may occur are: Panosteitis-(definition from
AKC encyclopedia) Excessive formation of bone growth or
different maturity around some joints on young dogs resulting
in intermittent lameness. Cauda equina syndrome-Group of
neurological signs resulting from compression of the spinal
nerves of the lumbosacral region. Pyotraumatic dermatitis-(no
definition). Malignant neoplasms-(no definition).
Pannus(chronic superficial keratitis)- Potentially blinding
inflammation of the cornea,including abnormal growth of
vascularized pigment over cornea.
The proper English name for the breed is German Shepherd Dog
(a literal translation from the German Deutscher Schäferhund)
but they are usually informally referred to as GSDs or as
"German Shepherds". In addition, the sobriquet
police dog is used in many countries where the GSD is the
predominant or exclusive breed used by the police force. In
Germany the dog is referred to as just Schäferhund (shepherd
dog) and often held as an ordinary companion dog.
Anti-German sentiment was still high in the wake of World War
I (1914 - 1918), and change of German-oriented names in the UK
- including that of the Royal Family - were common at the time
when a few dogs were taken to Britain and the United States.
In 1919, the English Kennel Club gave the breed a separate
register. Since it was feared that the name German Shepherd
Dog could be an impediment, the name Alsatian wolf dog was
introduced, from Alsace, a traditionally German-speaking
French area on the west bank of the Rhine which had been
annexed by the German Empire in 1870 but restored to France in
1918. The 'wolf dog' part was dropped shortly thereafter for
fear of causing undue criticism of the breed. This name is
still occasionally used in the United Kingdom, Italy and the
Republic of Ireland.
The German Shepherd breed was invented by "Captain
Max" von Stephanitz in 1899. His first German Shepherd,
named Horand von Grafrath, is the genetic basis for the German
Shepherd as we know it today.
The German Shepherd was originally conceived as a
sheep-herding dog, hence its name. Throughout the years, the
specific working drives of tracking, obedience, and protection
have been intentionally highlighted in the breed by selective
breeding, making German Shepherds very well-suited for active
working environments. German Shepherds first came to the
attention of the British authorities at the beginning of the
twentieth century where they were already being used
extensively by German forces on the Western front during the
first world war. German Shepherds were used commonly by the
Germans during the time of World War I.
There are many prestigious titles available for German
Shepherds, covering everything from conformation to herding
abilities. Schutzhund trials were invented for evaluation
German Shepherds, and measure the dogs' abilities in the areas
of protection, tracking, and obedience. Most world-class
conformation dogs are titled to the second or third (which is
the highest) level of Schutzhund before they're bred.
The German Shepherd dog is one of the most widely-used breeds
in a wide variety of scent-work roles. These include search
and rescue, cadaver searching, narcotics detection, explosives
detection, accelerant detection, and mine detection dog,
amongst others.
Famous Shepherd Dogs:
Ace the Bat-Hound
Beauty and Beast in the 2006 remake of Wes Craven's film
The Hills Have Eyes
Blondi, pet of Adolf Hitler
Bullet, the Wonder Dog - Roy Rogers' dog
Charlie, from All Dogs Go to Heaven
Clipper, pet of John F. Kennedy
Jerome from the anime Ginga Legend Weed
Jerry Lee, James Belushi's police dog sidekick in the
films K-9, K-911, and "K-9: P.I."
John from the anime Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin
Luks, pet of Josip Broz Tito
Major, pet of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Mukhtar, the police dog in the Russian TV serial Mukhtar
Returns and Return of Mukhtar - 2
Rebel, from Champion the Wonder Horse
Rex (also known as Reginald von Ravenhorst) from
Kommissar Rex
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