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General Appearance
The first impression of a good German Shepherd Dog is that of a strong,
agile, well muscled animal, alert and full of life. It is well balanced,
with harmonious development of the forequarter and hindquarter. The
dog is longer than tall, deep-bodied, and presents an outline of smooth
curves rather than angles. It looks substantial and not spindly, giving
the impression, both at rest and in motion, of muscular fitness and
nimbleness without any look of clumsiness or soft living. The ideal
dog is stamped with a look of quality and nobility--difficult to define,
but unmistakable when present. Secondary sex characteristics are strongly
marked, and every animal gives a definite impression of masculinity
or femininity, according to its sex
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Size, Proportion, Substance
The desired height for males at the top of the highest point of the
shoulder blade is 24 to 26 inches; and for bitches, 22 to 24 inches.
The German Shepherd Dog is longer
than tall, with the most desirable proportion as 10 to 8½. The
length is measured from the point of the prosternum or breastbone to the
rear edge of the pelvis, the ischial tuberosity. The desirable long proportion
is not derived from a long back, but from overall length with relation
to height, which is achieved by length of forequarter and length of withers
and hindquarter, viewed from the side. |
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Color
The German Shepherd Dog varies in color, and most colors are permissible.
Strong rich colors are preferred. Pale, washed-out colors and blues
or livers are serious faults. A white dog must be disqualified.
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Gait
A German Shepherd Dog is a trotting dog, and its structure has been
developed to meet the requirements of its work. General Impression--
The gait is outreaching, elastic, seemingly without effort, smooth and
rhythmic, covering the maximum amount of ground with the minimum number
of steps. At a walk it covers a great deal of ground, with long stride
of both hind legs and forelegs. At a trot the dog covers still more
ground with even longer stride, and moves powerfully but easily, with
coordination and balance so that the gait appears to be the steady motion
of a well-lubricated machine. The feet travel close to the ground on
both forward reach and backward push. In order to achieve ideal movement
of this kind, there must be good muscular development and ligamentation.
The hindquarters deliver, through the back, a powerful forward thrust
which slightly lifts the whole animal and drives the body forward. Reaching
far under, and passing the imprint left by the front foot, the hind
foot takes hold of the ground; then hock, stifle and upper thigh come
into play and sweep back, the stroke of the hind leg finishing with
the foot still close to the ground in a smooth follow-through. The overreach
of the hindquarter usually necessitates one hind foot passing outside
and the other hind foot passing inside the track of the forefeet, and
such action is not faulty unless the locomotion is crabwise with the
dog's body sideways out of the normal straight line.
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Transmission
The typical smooth, flowing gait
is maintained with great strength and firmness of back. The whole effort
of the hindquarter is transmitted to the forequarter through the loin,
back and withers. At full trot, the back must remain firm and level without
sway, roll, whip or roach. Unlevel topline with withers lower than the
hip is a fault. To compensate for the forward motion imparted by the hindquarters,
the shoulder should open to its full extent. The forelegs should reach
out close to the ground in a long stride in harmony with that of the hindquarters.
The dog does not track on widely separated parallel lines, but brings
the feet inward toward the middle line of the body when trotting, in order
to maintain balance. The feet track closely but do not strike or cross
over. Viewed from the front, the front legs function from the shoulder
joint to the pad in a straight line. Viewed from the rear, the hind legs
function from the hip joint to the pad in a straight line. Faults of gait,
whether from front, rear or side, are to be considered very serious faults.
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A
German Pup |
A
German Adult |
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