German Shepherd is 100% loyal to its owner, the show type is docile and non-aggressive, the work type is level-headed and can be used as a guard dog, but a well-trained German Sheepdog is very loyal to its owner. Sometimes, when the police dog of the army performs tasks, it knows that it may lose its life, but it will still obey its owner. Order to complete that task! So how do we choose a good German Shepherd?

German Shepherd

German Shepherd Head

The German Shepherd head should be the same size as the body The size is suitable, and the length of about 40% of the body height (the length from the forehead to the nose) is the most suitable, and the skull must have a solid feeling. Do not stretch too thin. The overall feeling needs to be full. There is an appropriate width between the ears.

① Forehead: Seen from the front and side, there should be no bow shape as a whole, and no depression in the middle, so it should be relatively compact.

② Cheeks: The cheeks and jaws can show the strength of the bite force. Although the curve of the cheeks is long, it should not protrude to the front.

③ Upper forehead (accounting for about 50% of the total length of the head): viewed from above, from the ears to the front of the nose, gradually forming the first thinning, and forming layers to the forehead. When viewed from above, it also extends to the wedge-shaped and long nose. The width of the forehead should roughly match the length of the forehead.

④ Upper jaw and lower jaw: must reach a strong and powerful fullness, must bite and force, lips should be tight, and connected with good muscles.

⑤ Nose bridge: The straight bridge of the nose should be the same line as the extension line of the forehead.

⑥ Teeth: The dog's teeth must be healthy, strong, and complete. There are 42 teeth in all, 20 in the upper jaw and 22 in the lower jaw. The teeth of the German Shepherd are like scissors, and the teeth of the upper jaw are too protruding or receding to the front, which are all defects. The gap between the teeth is too large, which is also a disadvantage. There should be no gap between the incisors and the bite should be very tight. Must be strong and powerful.

⑦ Ears: medium in size, broad at the base, high up and erect, both ears pointing in the same direction, not inclined to one side, the front end of the outer ear hub must be thin and pointed, facing forward. The dog's ears appear inclined, short, and drooping, which is not very good.

⑧ Eyes: The size of the eyes should be medium, forming an apricot shape, not protruding, and the eye color should be dark, which is suitable for the coat color, and the dark color with black is better.

⑨ Neck: The neck whiskers are strong, with well-developed muscles, and the throat skin should not be slack and drooping. The German Shepherd's neck should maintain a 45-degree angle when it is tense. It is better to have the neck stretched forward.

German Shepherd Body

① The length of the body of the German Shepherd should be longer than the length of the body height. The length of the body height is 100 , for this length, the length of the body length should be between 110% and 117% of the body height.

② Chest depth: The depth of the chest is preferably about 45% to 48% of the body height. Especially deep ones are not very good.

③ Ribs: The rib bones must be well developed, long and well-shaped. Neither barrel-shaped nor flat is very good.

④ Elbow: The position of the elbow should extend to the sternum of the elbow. That is, the elbow is in line with the lower line of the sternum. A normal chest allows easy and free movement of the elbows when running. If the chest is underdeveloped due to the underdevelopment of the ribs, the muscles are not stretched enough, and if the chest is too round, it will cause the morbidity of the elbows, and it cannot be easily rotated. A chest that is too flat will cause the elbow to be pressed in. The chest stretches back, resulting in a shorter waist.

⑤ Abdomen: The curve of the abdomen gradually slows down and rises backwards.

German Shepherd Back

① Back: including waist. Stretching and powerfully developed. The distance from the neck to the buttocks should not be too long.

② The front part of the back must have sufficient length and height, which is obvious relative to the entire back of the German Shepherd, and does not interrupt the top line, and gradually runs along the top line from front to back.

③ The waist must be broad and muscular.

④ The rump of the female German Shepherd affects the formation of the placenta, so the short sloping rump or the straight rump are not ideal.

⑤ The buttocks are long, only slightly inclined downward (about 23 degrees) is appropriate.

⑥ Tail: The tail should have plump hairs, curved outwards and drooping like a knife. During rest, it maintains a gentle arc sagging, but when excited or exercising, it becomes a slightly arch-like lift. However, it should not be raised above the horizontal line, and the tail should not be straightened or rolled up on the back. Artificially clipping or changing the shape of the tail is not permitted.

German Shepherd Forelimbs, Hind Limbs

① Forelimbs: The scapula must be long, and the inclined position is in contact with the ground. The upper carpal bone and the forearm are about a right angle.

② The upper wrist is the same as the shoulder, requiring strength and well-developed muscles.

③ Forearm: When viewed from any direction, it should be straight. The bones of the upper and forearm are oblong.

④ The elbow should not be too loose or too squeezed.

⑤ The bones of the forelimbs are longer than the deep tip of the chest, accounting for about 55% of the height relative to the body.

German Shepherd's hind legs

① The upper part of the hind legs must have strong muscles and a wide range.

② The upper part of the hind limbs: when viewed from the side, it is inclined.

③ The lower part of the hind limb is slightly longer than the upper part, and the angle is about the same as that of the upper wrist of the fore limb, and the angle that is too deep is not very good.

④ The joints must be strong and powerful. The front tarsus must also be strong and powerful, forming a tight joint with the lower hindquarters. The hind limbs can easily propel the body during the dog's movement, which not only requires the dog to have strong feet, but also requires the dog to have developed hind limb muscles.

German Shepherd's Toes

The German Shepherd's toes are short, tight, and arched. The bulbous part of the sole of the foot is very thick and has no cracks. The claws are short, strong and black. German Shepherd's claws are longer than the hind feet and should be cut off on the first day of life.

German Shepherd coat color

The coat color of German Shepherd dog can be divided into light gray, black, brown and yellow, only Black blends into other coat colors to form the main coat color tone of the dog. Small white spots on the chest or inside, or very light colors are allowed but not ideal for the dog as a whole.

The body color of the German Shepherd, in addition to black, is often gray. The coat color of a puppy can only be determined when the body is fully grown.

German Shepherd Hair

The thicker the upper part of the German Shepherd, the better, each whisker is straight and thick, the inside of the ears and the head and feet The front, feet and toes are short haired. The neck is slightly longer, the hair on the elbows of the front feet and the root joints of the front feet are all long, and the hair on the upper part of the hind legs and the buttocks is longer, and the length of the hair is mixed. Varies from dog to dog.