All About the German Shepherd Dog

• Original title: DEUTSCHER Schaeferhund
• FCI Standard No. 166 / Group: 1
• Country of Origin: Germany

Temperment 
The German Shepherd is one of the most popular breeds in the world, because of their exceptional intelligence and ability. His dedication and courage it among the 10 most popular dog breeds worldwide. Works great for any business who is trained: conduct handicapped, police work, tracking and tracing, narcotics detection, herding. In addition, the German Shepherd is a popular pet.
As one of the working dogs, the German Shepherd is fearless, bold and cautious. It is also a cheerful, obedient and willing to constantly learn. A calm, confident, serious and extremely intelligent. It's extremely faithful to the owner, and will without hesitation risk his life to protect his human family. He likes to be near family, but suspicious of strangers. You would not be left alone for a long time. Barks only when necessary. It has a strong instinct to protect the people, so it is used in the work of the police.
He needs a good early socialization to prevent aggression developed by people and other dogs. An aggressive dog is the result of poor training and education. The problem arises when the owner allows the dog to believe that he is the leader of the pack, and when it does not provide enough psycho physical training that is essential to a stable dog. German Shepherds need authoritative, calm, but the owner, reliable and confident. A balanced and well-trained dog get along with other dogs and animals, like children in his family. He needs a rigorous period of training obedience puppy. German shepherd will be obedient if he felt mentally stronger than its owner, and does not respond positively to harsh discipline.
This dog is one of the most intelligent breed and very easily trained. This dog requires constant that sets him a task, in order to be physically and mentally employed. The German Shepherd Dog is not happy if neglected and if they are not working.


History
The German Shepherd is a relatively Malada race: encourages dating from 1899. , and for his generation is credited Captain Max von German army Stefanic who wanted to create an unbeatable race for herding. Stefanic the 1898th withdrawn from service and dedicated to the study of British engineering education dogs, with the British at the time had the best sheep breeds. Visiting exhibitions, Stefanic saw many beautiful dogs that are either smart or capable or extremely athletic, but did not see all these qualities in one dog. In an exhibition 1899th year, he saw a puppy like the wolf who was immediately taken and registered under the name "German shepherd." Although he initially wanted to create a perfect shepherd, more rapid industrialization of Germany demanded a working dog to be used in the police and army. How, as a former soldier, had ties to the military, Stefanic is easily persuaded authorities to use the dog in the "Red Cross" during World War I to carry messages, rescue, protection, supply. One German shepherd puppy just five days old, were rescued during the war and taken to Los Angeles, where he trained. It was the famous Rin Tin Tin, the largest quadruped Hollywood star ever, he appeared in 26 films. So the race popularized in the United States. After the war, most countries in the alliance, the race was not recognized that originates from Germany, and this dog got a few names around the world (in the U.S. - Shepherd dog in Bitaniji - Alsatian wolf dog - Alsatian wolf dog)


Conditions of education and care
The German Shepherd Dog is well tolerated indoors, if you get enough training. Most adequate to imka big yard available.
Requires a lot of hard training and gizičke activity, active, and longs for the challenge. He needs daily, long walks, jogging or running the bike. During the walk, the dog should always be behind or in front of the man, because in the mind of a dog, the one who goes ahead of the pack leader. Most of these dogs love to catch a ball or Frisbee. With a daily walk, such activity will satisfy his needs and appease him. If you do not trnira enough, the German Shepherd can become restless and destructive.
This dog sheds year round and seasonal waste a lot of his hair. It should be brushed daily. Swimming is recommended only when needed, flushing because of natural fat from the skin can cause problems with allergies.


Health Problems
German Shepherd Dog is generally a healthy breed, but like any breed, can suffer from some disease, the most common are:
- Dysplasia of the hip and knee
- Dilatation (and bloat), recommended two meals a day instead of one (valid for an adult dog)
- Problems with the heart and pancreas
- allergies
- deafness
- epilepsy



Lifetime of about 13 years

FCI standrard:

General Appearance The German Shepherd Dog is of medium size, slightly elongated, strong and well muscled, the bones are dry and the overall structure of the firm.

Important measures: Height at the withers in males ranges from 60-65 cm, females 55-60 cm. Trunk length exceeds the height at the withers by about 10-15%.

Character: The German Shepherd Dog hand, to be calm, steady nerves, self-confident, calm, cautious and biddable. Must have the courage, grit and edge that would be suitable for many uses, particularly as a companion, guard, guardian and protector.

Head: The head is wedge-shaped, according to body size (about 40% of the height at withers) without being coarse or too elongated. The overall effect appears to be dry, and between the ears is relatively broad. The forehead is seen from the front and sides slightly rounded with no or little furrow.
Skull accounts for 50% total head length. From the top view, going from ear to nose, and gradually tapering to the sloping, not sharply defined stop in the wedge-shaped muzzle. Upper and lower jaw are strongly developed.
Nasal bridge is straight, dents or bulges are not desirable. Lips tight, close-fitting and dark colors.

Nose: The nose must be black.
Teeth: Teeth must be healthy, strong and complete (42 teeth according to tooth formula). German Shepherd Dog has a scissor bite, ie. teeth have a scissor to touch while lower incisors (front tip) touches the upper incisors (inside). Serious flaws are undershot, overshot bite bite, and bite palisade (larger spacing between the teeth). The jaw bones must be strongly developed so that the teeth were deeply ingrained.
Eyes: Medium size, almond shaped, somewhat slanting and not protruding. Eye color should be as dark and bright, sparkling eyes are not desirable because it affects the dog.
Ears: The German Shepherd Dog has erect ears of medium size, parallel, not twisted inwards, the tips are tapered, and the shells turned forward. Lop and drop ears are permissible. In motion or at rest carried laid back ears are not faulty.
NECK: Strong, well muscled, without dewlap. Angle to the horizontal of about 45 degrees.
BODY: Top line runs from the neck over the well defined withers and over the back of the gently sloping horizontal, to slightly sloping croup without a visible break. The back is firm, strong and muscular. The loin is broad, strong and muscular. The croup should be long and slightly sloping (approximately 23 degrees to the horizontal) and without any break in the lines to the tail set.
Chest: Moderately broad, lower chest as long as possible and pronounced. Depth of chest should be at 45-48% of the height at the withers.
Ribs should have moderate. Barrel-shaped chest is a serious fault, and too flat.
Tail reaching at least to hock and crosses the middle of the rear pastern. The underside is more feathered and carried in a gentle curve down, the move carried little more but not over back. Operational adjustments are allowed.
Forelegs: Seen as a whole are making a previously run absolutely parallel. Shoulder and upper arm are equal in length and well muscled attached to the hull. Angle between shoulder blade and upper arm is between 90 and 110 degrees normally. Elbows should not be protruding or indented or when standing or moving. The forearms are straight and parallel, lean and muscular. The pastern has a length of about 1/3 forearm, forming with it an angle to about 20-22 degrees. Too sloping pastern Delivered a steep pastern in application and durability. The feet are round, well-knit and arched, pads are hard but not brittle. The nails are strong and dark in color.
Hindquarters The eyes are slightly backwards, with parallel when seen from behind. Upper and lower thighs are of approximately the same length and form an angle of about 120 degrees, and the thighs are strong and muscular.
The hock joint is strong and firm, and the rear pastern stands vertically under the hock.
Feet:, slightly arched, pads hard and dark, protruding nails and dark.
Movement: The German Shepherd Dog is a trotter. The legs must be so angulated and long hind legs to reach for walking to the middle of the body and the front legs are the same length step, where the topline does not change significantly. Any tendency to angle the hindquarters reduces firmness and endurance, and therefore usability. For proper behavior of materials and angles evolving journey that conquers space, so that the impression is that the dog walks easily, without fatigue. When gently pushed forward with his head slightly raised tail, in an even and quiet trot, the impression is that the tips of the ears over the neck and back, and by the end of the tail, there is a slight wave unbroken top line.
Skin: Free tighter, but without creating wrinkles.
COAT: The correct coat is harsh with developed undercoat. The outer coat should be as dense as possible, the rights and lying well to the body. On the head, inside the ears, front legs feet and toes hair is short. On the neck it is longer and thicker. At the rear of the front and hind legs, to the pastern or hock hair is longer, and the back of the thigh creates shorts.
Color: Black with brown, brown, yellow to light gray markings. Black and gray, with darker gray markings, saddle and mask. Unobtrusive, small white marks on chest as well as all-ground inside of the leg, are permitted but not desirable. Nose is still dark. Dogs with a poor mask, bright eyes, light markings on the chest and the inside of the leg, with whitish nails and red tip of tail or washed colors are qualified as poorly pigmented. The undercoat shows a light greyish tone. The color white is not permitted.

Size: Males, height at withers 60-65 cm, weight 30-40 kg, height at withers Bitches 55-60 cm, weight 22-32 kg.

N.B. Males must have two testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Faults: Any departure from the foregoing points in the standard, it must be considered a fault, whose score has to be in proportion to the degree of deviation.
Serious drawbacks: Deviation from the above described breed characteristics which affect the usability.
Errors ears: widely worn, too low set, oval-shaped ears and not firm. Express error in the pigment, total body weakness. Bugs bite: all deviations from a scissor bite and dental formula, if it is not a disqualifying defects.
ELIMINATING FAULTS: Weak temperament, ujedljivi and nervous dogs. Dogs with established severe mistake HD (hip dysplasia). Monorchid, cryptorchism, as well as dogs with highly unequal or stunted testicles. Dogs with deformed ears or tail. Dogs with malformations. Dogs with bite faults in the absence of some further 1XP3 tooth, or 1xC (canine) or 1XP4 or 1XM1 or M2, or a total of three more teeth. Dogs with faulty jaws, podgrizanje of two millimeters or more, undershot incisors. Dogs above or below the height of the ridge, more than l cm, than prescribed. Albinism (depigmentation). White coat color. Long double coat, long, soft, not firm lying topcoat with undercoat, flags on ears and legs, bushy tail and legs with a flag down. Long soft top coat without undercoat, mostly parted in the middle of the back, flags on ears, legs and tail.