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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.

Temperament
The breed has a distinct personality marked by direct and fearless, but not hostile, expression, self-confidence and a certain aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships. The dog must be approachable, quietly standing its ground and showing confidence and willingness to meet overtures without itself making them. It is poised, but when the occasion demands, eager and alert; both fit and willing to serve in its capacity as companion, watchdog, blind leader, herding dog, or guardian, whichever the circumstances may demand. The dog must not be timid, shrinking behind its master or handler; it should not be nervous, looking about or upward with anxious expression or showing nervous reactions, such as tucking of tail, to strange sounds or sights. Lack of confidence under any surroundings is not typical of good character. Any of the above deficiencies in character which indicate shyness must be penalized as very serious faults and any dog exhibiting pronounced indications of these must be excused from the ring. It must be possible for the judge to observe the teeth and to determine that both testicles are descended. Any dog that attempts to bite the judge must be disqualified. The ideal dog is a working animal with an incorruptible character combined with body and gait suitable for the arduous work that constitutes its primary purpose. 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.

Head
The head is noble, cleanly chiseled, strong without coarseness, but above all not fine, and in proportion to the body. The head of the male is distinctly masculine, and that of the bitch distinctly feminine.

The expression keen, intelligent and composed. Eyes of medium size, almond shaped, set a little obliquely and not protruding. The color is as dark as possible. Ears are moderately pointed, in proportion to the skull, open toward the front, and carried erect when at attention, the ideal carriage being one in which the center lines of the ears, viewed from the front, are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. A dog with cropped or hanging ears must be disqualified.

Seen from the front the forehead is only moderately arched, and the skull slopes into the long, wedge-shaped muzzle without abrupt stop. The muzzle is long and strong, and its topline is parallel to the topline of the skull. Nose black. A dog with a nose that is not predominantly black must be disqualified. The lips are firmly fitted. Jaws are strongly developed. Teeth --42 in number--20 upper and 22 lower--are strongly developed and meet in a scissors bite in which part of the inner surface of the upper incisors meet and engage part of the outer surface of the lower incisors. An overshot jaw or a level bite is undesirable. An undershot jaw is a disqualifying fault. Complete dentition is to be preferred. Any missing teeth other than first premolars is a serious fault.

Neck, Topline, Body
The neck is strong and muscular, clean-cut and relatively long, proportionate in size to the head and without loose folds of skin. When the dog is at attention or excited, the head is raised and the neck carried high; otherwise typical carriage of the head is forward rather than up and but little higher than the top of the shoulders, particularly in motion.

Topline-- The withers are higher than and sloping into the level back. The back is straight, very strongly developed without sag or roach, and relatively short.

The whole structure of the body gives an impression of depth and solidity without bulkiness.

Chest--Commencing at the prosternum, it is well filled and carried well down between the legs. It is deep and capacious, never shallow, with ample room for lungs and heart, carried well forward, with the prosternum showing ahead of the shoulder in profile. Ribs well sprung and long, neither barrel-shaped nor too flat, and carried down to a sternum which reaches to the elbows. Correct ribbing allows the elbows to move back freely when the dog is at a trot. Too round causes interference and throws the elbows out; too flat or short causes pinched elbows. Ribbing is carried well back so that the loin is relatively short. Abdomen firmly held and not paunchy. The bottom line is only moderately tucked up in the loin.

Loin Viewed from the top, broad and strong. Undue length between the last rib and the thigh, when viewed from the side, is undesirable. Croup long and gradually sloping.

Tail bushy, with the last vertebra extended at least to the hock joint. It is set smoothly into the croup and low rather than high. At rest, the tail hangs in a slight curve like a saber. A slight hook- sometimes carried to one side-is faulty only to the extent that it mars general appearance. When the dog is excited or in motion, the curve is accentuated and the tail raised, but it should never be curled forward beyond a vertical line. Tails too short, or with clumpy ends due to ankylosis, are serious faults. A dog with a docked tail must be disqualified.

Forequarters
The shoulder blades are long and obliquely angled, laid on flat and not placed forward. The upper arm joins the shoulder blade at about a right angle. Both the upper arm and the shoulder blade are well muscled. The forelegs, viewed from all sides, are straight and the bone oval rather than round. The pasterns are strong and springy and angulated at approximately a 25-degree angle from the vertical. Dewclaws on the forelegs may be removed, but are normally left on. The feet are short, compact with toes well arched, pads thick and firm, nails short and dark.

Hindquarters
The whole assembly of the thigh, viewed from the side, is broad, with both upper and lower thigh well muscled, forming as nearly as possible a right angle. The upper thigh bone parallels the shoulder blade while the lower thigh bone parallels the upper arm. The metatarsus (the unit between the hock joint and the foot) is short, strong and tightly articulated. The dewclaws, if any, should be removed from the hind legs. Feet as in front.

Coat
The ideal dog has a double coat of medium length. The outer coat should be as dense as possible, hair straight, harsh and lying close to the body. A slightly wavy outer coat, often of wiry texture, is permissible. The head, including the inner ear and foreface, and the legs and paws are covered with short hair, and the neck with longer and thicker hair. The rear of the forelegs and hind legs has somewhat longer hair extending to the pastern and hock, respectively. Faults in coat include soft, silky, too long outer coat, woolly, curly, and open coat.

**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 ,White dogs are NOT show quality .They are good for pets.

ECHOES OF THE PAST

Famous German Shepherd Dogs of the past that played an important role role in the development of the breed.

Utz. vom Haus Schuetting - 1929 German Sieger.

For a student of the history of the German Shepherd, an examination of important dogs of the past that exerted a tremendous influence on the development of the breed presents a fascinating study.

One of the most influential dogs in the history of the breed was the controversial 1929 German Sieger - Utz. vom Haus Schuetting. There are probably very few German Shepherd Dogs exhibited in the show rings of any part of the world today whose pedigrees in which the name of "Utz" does not feature.

Because we are talking about the history of the breed and the particular period of the late 1920' and early 1930's when there was an enormous increase in German Shepherd Dog interest, research into your dog's pedigree will obviously involve delving back many generations.

What was interesting about "Utz" is the fact that he was the subject of a great deal of controversy in the German Shepherd Dog world, whose virtues were extolled by some and harshly criticized by others.

"Utz" represented a completely departure from the long-legged, somewhat shelly   ype of Shepherd in vogue at the time. He was born on the 12th March 1926, bred by Dr, Funk of the well-known "Haus Schuetting" kennels in Munich.   Dr. Funk became president of the S.V. from 1956 to 1971.

At the 1929 annual Champinship in Germany, "Utz" became the Grand Champion - "Sieger".    He was subsequently exported to the United States where he obtained his American and also his Canadian championship tittles.

What sort of dog was "Utz"? From description and reports of well-known authorities at the time, it would appear that he was somewhat smaller than the the type of dog popular at time. He was also described as being somewhat unimpressive due to a certain dullness in temperament.   Nevertheless, he was a beautifully constructed dog with excellent balance and he proved to be a remarkably prepotent sire.

Prior to his departure to America, "Utz" was extensively used at study in Germany and proved his worth as a Sire. His most famous son in Germany was the 1932 "Sieger" "Hussan v. Haus Shuetting.   "Hussan" himself was the sire of two "Siegerins" - "Jamba v. Haus Schuetting" the 1933 winner and the winner of the 1935 title "Stella v. Haus Schuetting".

In the United States he sired a host of champions and also two Grand Victors. These were the 1935 Grand Victor "Nox of Ruthland" and the 1939 Grand Victor "Hugo of Cosalta" bred by Marie Leary.

In Great Britain his influence was also profound.   Mrs. Gwen Barrington's famous international Champion "Gerolf of Brittas" was sired by the imported dog "Voss v. Bern" a son of "Utz".

Another famous bloodlines though which Utz is perpetuated is that of "Ingosohn of Errol" who was sired by the famous Utz descendant "Ingo v. Piastemdamm".   Since Ingosohn was the grandsire of Champion Avon Prince of Alumvale, one of the most wide used studs of his time, the extent to which the blood of "Utz" has been spread through the breed in Great Britain can be appreciated.

"Utz" has been widely criticised for being responsible for poor temperaments and fading collurs and it is an acknowledged fact that his Dam - "Donna zum Reurer" - was a particularly light coloured bitch.   However, it would appear that it was the indiscriminate "mis-use" of "Utz" rather the use of this important dog was the root of the trouble.

Mrs. Barrington of the well-known "|Brittas" kennels wrote in 1942..."the benefits of his blood far outweigh the disadvantages. Most of the faults attributed to Utz are in fact due to strains of blood allied to this though the bitches he was mated to..."

Colonel Baldwin, of the "Picardy" kennels, also a legendary figure in the development of the breed in Britain, made the following comments in an article published in the September 1946 issue of the American publication the "Shepherd Dog Review"..."It is quite common to hear people say that Utz bred, light washy colours, was very shy, bred shy stock, etc.   On the contrary he was lethargic and disinterested. Looking at him I always thought: There is the shape and the type, but we must add nobility to it.   I am sure Utz blood his extremely valuable if it is used properly. Use it to get shape and type and then add nobility..."

Finally a well-known American breeders, Mrs. Margaret Horn, expressed similar comments in the April issue of the same magazine.   "I take nothing from the good Utz did to the breed, but I do say he has been overdone and with this comes the danger. Utz was no villain. We the American fancy are the villains in our over-use of him. No one wants a cup of pepper in one's soup"

It would seem, therefore, that "Utz" must be definitely be regarded as one of the most important dogs in the development of the breed. It is apparent however, that because of his own remarkable qualities and his rare ability to reproduce these qualities he was used indiscriminately.

Clearly there is a message to be learned. Today there is also a tendency for breeders, keen to sell pups sired by well-known show winner, to mate their bitches to the dog, irrespective whether the animal is the most suitable.

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.

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.

Disqualifications
Cropped or hanging ears.
Dogs with noses not predominantly black.
Undershot jaw.
Docked tail.
White dogs.
Any dog that attempts to bite the judge.

The 1925 German "Sieger" "Klodo v. Boxberg" -sired by the 1920 German Sieger "Erich v. Grafenwerth - in addition to being the Sire of the famous "Utz. v. Haus Schuetting" also sired a great many other excellent animals. One of his best sons was "Curt v. Herzog Hedan" who sired an exceptionally good dog, "Odin v. Stolzenfels", an animal who was to exert an enormous influence of the breed.

Odin was born on April 7th 1930 and bred by J. Breitbach of Oberlahnstein am Rhein. He was described as a dog of excellent substance and sold structure with powerful head, fleeting gait and perfect temperament. He was strongly pigmented and grayish tan in collour.

In 1933 Odin became Sieger and was subsequently exported to Japan where he became Japanese Sieger in 1935, where he proved a tremendous asset in the development of the Japanese German Shepherd Dogs. In the short period he was st stud in Germany, prior to being exported to Japan, Odin sire a number of outstanding animals, the most famous being "Sigbert Heidegrund" and "Ferdl Secretainerie", bred by Joseph Schwabacher.

"Sigbert", an excellent specimen and himself a pepotent sire, was sired by Odin out of "Dina v. Webbelmannslust", a daughter of "Utz".

Sigbert produced a number of outstanding dogs such as the litter brothers "Quell" and "Quido" Durmersheime and "Baldur v. Befreiungsplatz"

"Baldur's" most famous sons were "Arry v.d. Gassenquelle", a dog very highly regarded by German authorities and "Pirol v. Buchenhohe". He was also the sire of particularly good bitch "Bionda v.d. Buchenhohe", the dam of the well-known English Champion "Danko v.d. Menkenmoor of Hardwick".

"Danko" was exported to England from Germany just after the war and proved to be a remarkably dominant sire. He is regarded as one of the most important dogs in the development of the post-war German Shepherds in Britain. His Sire was "Lex Preussenblut" who was. of course, the sire of the important pillar of the breed in Germany "Rolf v. Osnabrueckerland".

"Odin v. Stolzenfels's" other famous son "Ferdl v. Secretainerie" was bred by Joseph Schwabacher, a well-known, very successful German breeder. Because he was known to be Jewish Jospeh Schwabacher, had to flee to England before the outbreak of war in 1939. Schwabacher's knowledge and experience proved of inestimable value to English breeders.

"Ferdl" was Dutch Sieger in 1936 and 1938, and in the select V.A. group in 1938, when the Sieger title was discontinued. "Ferdl" a very beautiful, but slightly long dog,was regarded as an animal with of good movement. He played an important role in the development of the breed both in Britain and the United States.

In America his excellent daughter, Champion "Carol of Ruthland", when bred to the 1937 German Sieger "Pfeffer v. Bern", who had been exported to the States, produced two important animals who mirrored the type of dogs favoured by the Americans. These were the litter brothers "Noble" and "Nox" of Ruthland. Both became Grand Victor "Nox" in 1941 and again in 1944 and "Noble" in 1942.

In Britain the bloodlines of "Ferdl" are presented though his son "Gerlad v. Humelache", the sire of "Erich of Bucklebury". "Erich's daughter, "Empress of Leeds" when mated to "Ingopsoh of Erol" produced the well-known Champion "Arno of Saba", the sire of "Avon Prince".

It is interesting to note that "Arno of Saba's" sire, "Ingosohn of Erol" was a son of "Ingo v.Piastendam" and "Franze v.d. Secretainerie". Since "Franzie" was a daughter of Odin (and litter sister to Ferdl) the influence of "Odin v. Stolzenfels on the development of the breed in Brain cannot be underestimated.

Of interest too, is the remarkable similarity in the combination of bloodlines in the breeding of the two important English stud forces, Champion "Danko" and "Avon Prince", In both instances the dominant "Ingo v. Piastendamm bloodlines has been merged with that of the "Odin v. Stolzenfels" blood.

When one examine the picture of "Odin", it is difficult to realize that this great dog was born more than 70 years ago! Of course there have been very marked changes in today's show winning Shepherd particularly with regard to front and hind angulation, length of croup and other features, but Odin's fluid lines, firm backline and excellent balanced structure are as desirable today as they were so many years ago when he was acclaimed the finest specimen of his time.

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At the annual German Shepherd Dog specialist Show held in Germany every year, hundreds of the finest German Shepherds in the world compete for the coveted title of "Sieger",the male Grand Champion of the year and "Siegerin",the female Grand Champion of the year.

The hugely popular, three-day event is attended by as many as 40,000 enthusiasts, many of whom have traveled from all over the world. A large number of those who attend are serious German Shepherd Dog breeders. An important reason for their visit to see which top males are proving to be the most dominant and successful sires of quality progeny and which bloodlines are the most successful .The extreme - almost obsessive - enthusiasm for their hobby, shown by these German Shepherd Dog breeders, can be compared to the fanaticism of the most ardent baseball or soccer fan .For many the names of the top-winning male in previous year,winners of the "Sieger" or "Siegerin" titles,are as familiar to them as the names of top baseball or soccer players are to devotees of these sports.There is however, an important differences.If you were to ask any baseball fanatic the name of Babe Ruth's grandmother, or Lou Gehrig's paternal grandfather, or Warren Spahn's great- grandfather, or ask any soccer the name of David Beckham's maternal grandfather (incidentally I happen to know it was Joseph West!) do you think they would be able to tell you? I doubt it!,But with true German Shepherd dog fanatics, not only are the name of the top show winners of the present and the past familiar to them, virtually every name in the pedigrees of previous winners of "Sieger" titles are names they can instantly quote without hesitation.Does this detailed knowledge of pedigrees help them breed the very best, show-winning German Shepherd Dogs? Yes! But only to a limited extent!.Breeding top-quality, show-winning German Shepherd Dogs is a fascinating, but frustrating hobby. Why frustrating? Because as familiar as one may be with pedigrees and the various attributes of the dogstheir faults and virtues - the breeding of top quality animals still involves a great deal of luck.It's impossible to explain why some top-quality, show winning males turn out to be excellent, prepotent, dominant sires that consistently reproduce their own excellence while other stud dogs of equal show quality, with equally good pedigrees- sometimes even litter brothers, are disappointing sires.Of course, the breeding of top quality German Shepherd Dogs can be simplified by only using males in one's breeding program that have already established themselves as dominant animals and have proved their worth as dominant, prepotent stud dogs, known to have produced excellent progeny.But this over cautious attitude involves completely ignoring promising youngsters that have yet to prove themselves capable of transmitting their own excellent qualities.Many of the dogs frequently used as studs because of their show successes and their known ability to produce a large number of show winning progeny, owe their reputation to statistics. They sire hundred of litters. A good proportion of their progeny are excellent animals. But there are also a large number of mediocre animals in these litters.Luck always has been and always will be an important element in breeding top quality dogs.Another important factor,perhaps even more important,is the breeding value of the bitch. The problem arises in the choice of your original breeding stock. Many newcomers to the breed believe the quickest road to success is to select a bitch whose Dam is a top show winner. They follow the route of acquiring the daughter of a "Siegerin" and mate her to a top show winning male, perhaps the current "Sieger".Unfortunately success is not achieved so easily. An examination of the breeding records of a large number of "Siegerins" will reveal that by far the majority have not been successful in producing show-winning progeny, even when mated to top show winning males.Unlike the popular stud dog that frequently sires hundreds of litters in his breeding lifetime, the bitch because of the limited number of litters she is capable of having, has very limited opportunitities of proving her breeding worth. Statistics are not in her favor!Here again the element of luck plays a very important role in breeding success.
The number of top winning bitches,"Siegerins" and top-rated show animals, who have proved to be outstanding producers of excellent progeny, are very few indeed. There have been some, but they have been the exception rather than the rule.There is unfortunately insufficient space in this short article to allow a detailed list of all past "Siegerins" and an examintion of their pedigrees and their progeny. Below are the name of only a few Siegerins, winners of the title from 1997 - 2007.Some of these "Siegerins" proved to be successful brood bitches as well as top show specimens, producing a number of excllent animals in their litters. Others, even though they were equally well bred, did not produce any progeny of real quality.