By Vicki Bemont
The German Shepherd Dog was originally developed as a dog to be used in tending stock. Unlike many other herding breeds, the shepherd was designed to keep stock in a graze area by patrolling in a steady, quiet manner.
The breed then morphed into a breed prized by the military and law enforcement for a variety of tasks including patrol and detection work.
With the correct nerves and temperament, there is no end to the work or sport in which this breed can excel.
Because German Shepherds were developed for long, tiring tasks, the movement of the dog is critical. The opening statements of the standard are among my personal favorite descriptors of the breed.. Words like strong, full of life, having the appearance of nimbleness are just a few. The German Shepherd should be eager and alert—both fit and willing to serve in many capacities.
A harmonious balanced side gait is then described in detail.The movement should be sound, elastic and smooth. Efficiency and a lack of wasted motion are highlighted as desired.
Somewhere along the way, it became fashionable to show extreme, exaggerated movement in the show ring. There was a trend towards dogs who were overangluated, particularly in hindquarter. Our standard does NOT describe an extreme dog!
Extreme speed should never be used to examine and evaluate the German Shepherd, Extreme speed at the trot has little or no place in the actual tasks the dog performs, If extreme speed is required, the dog gallops full speed to achieve success in his task. The core work of the German Shepherd is done at slow to moderate speeds. Some esteemed members of our fancy describe this as a”tending” speed. Quite honestly, if a German Shepherd Dog approached a flock of sheep at the extreme speeds we often see in the show ring, it would be a total disaster.
Speed is also a great equalizer. Dogs with improper angulation can often smooth out and look quite exciting. But when moved at a proper speed, they can display all of the unsoundnesses present in over angulated specimens, Common imperfections would be lifting forehands that are quite flashy but that are quite tiring to the dogs. The actual footfall is quite different than the false appearance. Likewise over reaching at extreme speeds in the rear can result in a dog who can disguise the fact that at slower, proper speeds such imperfections as dragging toes or lack of follow through are easily seen. While we do not want to “Fault judge” neither do we want to be deceived into putting up a dog whose movement would hinder his ability to work.
We want a dog who is sound, balanced, elastic, agile and well muscled. They should be able to jump, and turn easily. While they should be able to move soundly at any speed, a pace consistent with tending is the prevailing speed that we should use to evaluate the usefulness of the dog.
In conclusion, our breed should be judged at a slow, working speed. A speed that truly highlights the qualities we so treasure in one of the greatest working breeds ever developed.
Vicki Bemont hass been an AKC Judge of German Shepherd Dogs for 40 years. She is a breeder, exhibitor and CGC evaluator. Vicki has titled dogs in Obedience, Agility, Herding, Rally and Schutzhund. Additionally she worked as a SAR handler for many years and trained dogs for HRD, Air Scent, and Water Recovery.
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By Vicki Bemont
Color in German Shepherd Dogs is an area that has created confusion, debate, and misinterpretation!
The standard states “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.”
In the early days, some of the working hill country shepherding dogs were used in the development of the breed. This led to an introduction of white into the gene pool. This color trait has been carried forward into modern times. The architects of our breed stated that this was undesirable and actively bred to eradicate this color . Small white markings on the dog are acceptable, however. This could occur on the chest, tip of tail, toes, etc. However pinto, piebald or panda patterns are not desired.
Our standard clearly states that whites are to be disqualified
Unfortunately the mention of blues and livers is somewhat ambiguous. The fact that they do not have black noses puts them in the category of disqualification also. Disqualifications for the German Shepherd Dog include cropped or hanging ears. DOGS WITH NOSES NOT PREDOMINATELY BLACK.Undershot jaw. Docked tail. White dogs .Any dog that attempts to bite the judge.
Strong rich colors are highly desired, rather they be black and tan, black and red, or various shades of sable. Solid black is also very acceptable as is bi-color.. It is interesting to note that many of the best working German Shepherd dogs are sable, bi-color or black.
It is distressing to see posts on social media or websites that refer to such undesirable colors as panda, lilac, Isabella, mousse gray and the like as exotic, rare, or expensive. They are none of the above. They are not acceptable within our standard.
Do not be duped into paying high prices for an off color that does not meet the qualifications for our standard.
If you have any questions about what is an acceptable color, please feel free to contact the author or anyone of the Board of Directors of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America.
Vicki Bemont hass been an AKC Judge of German Shepherd Dogs for 40 years. She is a breeder, exhibitor and CGC evaluator. Vicki has titled dogs in Obedience, Agility, Herding, Rally and Schutzhund. Additionally she worked as a SAR handler for many years and trained dogs for HRD, Air Scent, and Water Recovery.
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By Vicki Bemont
I started in German Shepherd Dogs in the early 1970’s and became an AKC Judge in 1983. I have bred and/or owned specialty winners, group winners, and working dogs.
During my time in the breed, I have witnessed several decades of German Shepherd Dogs. Whenever breeders and judges get together, movement seems to be the dominant topic of conversation.
So much so that many times I wonder if that is the ONLY criteria for many fanciers. It most certainly is important—but there are many other aspects of breed.
Our standard does give significant language to proper movement. This is for good reason. Our dog is a working dog first and foremost. Sound, balanced movement is critical to the dog’s ability to work long hours as a herding dog, police or military dog, search and rescue dog, etc.
In our zeal to capitalize on movement, we have seen unfortunate trends in the breed.
Rotated fore assemblies, overly angulated hindquarters, and poor proportions have led to many dogs who do not have the physical soundness to work all day. And at the end of the day
physical and MENTAL soundness are the overriding requisites for this Breed.
Our standard talks about dogs who have the look of muscular fitness and agility. He should be able to stand strongly over his feet. In motion he should be smooth and rhythmic. The motion of the hindquarter is described as smooth with good follow through. Over reaching where the
hind leg comes under and the dog actually lands on his hock is to be faulted. So is a dog whose toes drag the ground as they come under. The hock joint should fully open as does the stifle with a smooth powerful thrust from the rear.The rear legs should come forward and drive the dog forward with a smooth, powerful thrust — the rear foot passing the imprint of the front foot. The dog should resemble a well oiled machine.
The smooth flowing gait is maintained with great strength and firmness of back.
When standing in a natural, four square pose the upper thigh bone should parallel the shoulder blade while the lower thigh bone parallels the upper arm. The metatarsus should be strong
Shoulders should be long and obliquely angled. The standard specifically mentions they should not be placed forward. The powerful effort of the hindquarter is transmitted through the back.
The shoulder should open to its full extent. The feet should stay close to the ground, not lifting high.Through the years I have seen some flashy movers who “point” and “lift” in the front, giving the false illusion of extreme motion—but the footfall is a different matter altogether. This sort of motion is flashy but exhausting to the dogs
As a working dog, the German Shepherd Dog’s movement is best evaluated at a slow speed similar to the speed the dog would use in tending flocks or doing other types of work central to the breed. Excessive speed should not be used to evaluate our dogs.
It is to be remembered in all things that the German Shepherd Dog is a WORKING dog and must possess the physical and mental soundness necessary for arduous tasks.
Vicki Bemont hass been an AKC Judge of German Shepherd Dogs for 40 years. She is a breeder, exhibitor and CGC evaluator. Vicki has titled dogs in Obedience, Agility, Herding, Rally and Schutzhund. Additionally she worked as a SAR handler for many years and trained dogs for HRD, Air Scent, and Water Recovery.
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