German Shepherd

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The German
Shepherd
(German:
Deutscher
Schferhund,

German Shepherd Dog

German pronunciation:

[fhnt]) is a
breed of medium to
large-sized
working dog that
originated in
Germany. The
breed's officially
recognized name is
German
Shepherd Dog in
the English
language,
sometimes
abbreviated as
"GSD", and was
also formerly
known as the
Alsatian and
Alsatian Wolf Dog
in Britain.[8] The
German Shepherd
is a relatively new
breed of dog, with
their origin dating
to 1899. As part of
the Herding Group,
German Shepherds
are working dogs
developed
originally for
herding sheep.
Since that time,
however, because
of their strength,
intelligence,
trainability and

Other names

Alsatian (UK)
Alsatian Wolf Dog (UK)
Berger Allemand
Deutscher Schferhund
Schferhund

Nicknames

Alsatian, Deutscher Schferhund, DSH, GSD, Shepherd, Schferhund

Country of origin

Germany
Traits

Weight

Height

Male

3040 kg (6688 lb)[1][2]

Female

2232 kg (4971 lb)[1][3]

Male

6065 cm (2426 in)[1][4]

Female

5560 cm (2224 in)[1][5]

Coat

Double coat

Colour

Most commonly tan with black saddle

Litter size

49[6]

Life span

913 years[7]
Classification / standards

FCI

Group 1 Herding standard (http://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/166g01-en.pdf)

Dogs Section 1
Sheepdogs #166;
Long-haired
166a;
Short-haired
166b

obedience, German
Shepherds around
the world are often
the preferred breed
for many types of
work, including
assistance, searchand-rescue, police
and military roles,

AKC

Herding/guardian standard (http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/german-shepherd-dog/)

ANKC

Group 5
Working Dogs

standard (http://www.ankc.org.au/Breed_Details.aspx?bid=143)

CKC

Group 7
Herding Dogs

standard (http://www.canadasguidetodogs.com/germanshep.htm)

KC (UK) Pastoral

standard (http://www.the-kennelclub.org.uk/services/public/breed/display.aspx?id=5106)

and even acting.[9]

The German
Shepherd is the
second-most
popular breed of
dog in the United

NZKC

Working

standard (http://www.nzkc.org.nz/br528.html)

UKC

Herding Dog

standard
(http://www.ukcdogs.com/WebSite.nsf/Breeds/GermanShepherdDog)
Dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

States[10] and fourth-most popular in the United Kingdom.[11]

Contents
1 Description
1.1 Intelligence
2 Temperament
2.1 Aggression and biting
3 Modern breed
3.1 Controversy
4 Use as working dog
5 History
6 Etymology
7 Popularity
8 Health
9 In popular culture
10 See also
11 References
12 Further reading

13 External links

Description
German Shepherds are medium to large-sized dogs. The breed standard
height at the withers is 6065 cm (2426 in) for males and 5560 cm
(2224 in) for females.[1][12][13] The weight standard is 3040 kilograms

German Shepherds have black masks

and black body markings.

(6688 lb) for males and 2232 kilograms (4971 lb) for females.[1]
They have a domed forehead, a long square-cut muzzle and a black
nose. The jaws are strong, with a scissor-like bite. The eyes are mediumsized and brown with a lively, intelligent and self-assured look. The ears
are large and stand erect, open at the front and parallel, but they often
are pulled back during movement. They have a long neck, which is
raised when excited and lowered when moving at a fast pace. The tail is
bushy and reaches to the hock.[12]

German Shepherds have a variety of colors, the most common of which

are tan/black and red/black. Most color varieties have black masks and black body markings which can range
from a classic "saddle" to an over-all "blanket." Rarer colour variations include the sable, pure-black, purewhite, liver and blue varieties. The all-black and sable varieties are acceptable according to most standards;
however, the blue and liver are considered to be serious faults and the all-white is grounds for instant
disqualification from showing in conformation at All Breed and Specialty Shows.[14]
German Shepherds sport a double coat. The outer coat, which sheds all year round, is close and dense with a
thick undercoat. The coat is accepted in two variants; medium and long. The long-hair gene is recessive, making
the long-hair variety rarer. Treatment of the long-hair variation differs across standards; they are accepted but
not competed with standard coated dogs under the German and UK Kennel Clubs while they can compete with
standard coated dogs but are considered a fault in the American Kennel Club.[12][14][15] The FCI accepted the
long-haired type in 2010, listing it as the variety bwhile short-haired type is listed as the variety a.[16]

German Shepherds are medium to

large sized dogs.

Close-up of a German Shepherd's

face showing the long muzzle, black
nose and brown, medium-sized eyes

A female German Shepherd with a

The adult German Shepherd's ears
sable color scheme (note the different are large and stand erect, but 14colors of the puppies)
week-old puppies' ears are often not
completely erect yet.

A solid black German Shepherd

Intelligence
German Shepherds were bred specifically for their intelligence,[17] a
trait for which they are now famous.[9] In the book The Intelligence of
Dogs, author Stanley Coren ranked the breed third for intelligence,
behind Border Collies and Poodles.[18][19] He found that they had the
ability to learn simple tasks after only five repetitions and obeyed the
first command given 95% of the time.[9] Coupled with their strength,
this trait makes the breed desirable as police, guard and search and
rescue dogs, as they are able to quickly learn various tasks and interpret
instructions better than other large breeds.[20]

Temperament
German Shepherds are moderate active dogs and described in breed
standards as self-assured.[14] The breed is marked by a willingness to
learn and an eagerness to have a purpose. They are curious, which
makes them excellent guard dogs and suitable for search missions. They
can become over-protective of their family and territory, especially if not

A 7-year old German shepherd

displaying high levels of intelligence
when completing an obstacle course
for military working dogs at U.S.
Army Garrison Stuttgart, Germany

socialized correctly. They are not inclined to become immediate friends with strangers.[21] German Shepherds
are highly intelligent and obedient.[22]

Aggression and biting

Well-trained and socialized German Shepherds have a reputation of being very safe. However, in the United
States, one 1996 source suggested that German Shepherds are responsible for more reported bitings than any
other breed and have a tendency to attack smaller breeds of dogs.[23] An Australian report from 1999 provides

statistics showing that German Shepherds are the breed third most likely
to attack a person in some Australian locales.[24]
According to the National Geographic Channel television show
Dangerous Encounters, the bite of a German Shepherd has a force of
over 1,060 newtons (238 lbf) (compared with that of a Rottweiler, over
1,1801,460 newtons (265328 lbf), a Pit bull, 1,050 newtons (235 lbf),
a Labrador Retriever, of approximately 1,000 newtons (230 lbf), or a
human, of approximately 380 newtons (86 lbf)).[25]

Modern breed
The modern German Shepherd breed is criticized by some for straying

German Shepherds are well renowned

for their protectiveness over family
members. (Two German Shepherds
with a baby, displaying the breed's
reputation in many families as "safe".)

away from von Stephanitz's original ideology for the breed:[26] that
German Shepherds should be bred primarily as working dogs and that breeding should be strictly controlled to
eliminate defects quickly.[27] He believed that, above all else, German Shepherds should be bred for intelligence
and working ability.[28] Although the show dogs have been bred for traits that do not help or even hurt their
working abilities, and many pets have been misbred by irresponsible breeders who have caused many diseases
for the breed, the working dogs, such as the ones used by police and militaries, have maintained their
performance and stuck to the original intentions of the breed.
Some critics believe that careless breeding has promoted disease and other defects.[26] Under the breeding
programs overseen by von Stephanitz, defects were quickly bred out.

Controversy
The Kennel Club, in the United Kingdom, is involved in a dispute with
German Shepherd breed clubs about the issue of soundness in the showstrain breed.[29][30] The show-strains have been bred with an extremely
sloping topline (back) that causes poor gait in the hind legs. Workingpedigree lines, such as those in common use as service dogs, generally
retain the traditional straight back of the breed.

The show-line dogs usually have an

extremely sloping topline

The debate was catalyzed when the issue was raised in the BBC
documentary, Pedigree Dogs Exposed, which said that critics of the
breed describe it as "half dog, half frog". An orthopedic vet remarked on
footage of dogs in a show ring that they were "not normal".

The Kennel Club's position is that "this issue of soundness is not a

simple difference of opinion, it is the fundamental issue of the breed's essential conformation and
movement."[29] The Kennel Club has decided to retrain judges to penalize dogs suffering these problems.[31]
It is also insisting on more testing for hemophilia and hip dysplasia, other common problems with the breed.

Use as working dog

German Shepherds are a popular selection for use as working dogs.

They are especially well known for their police work, being used for
tracking criminals, patrolling troubled areas and detection and holding of
suspects. Additionally thousands of German Shepherds have been used
by the military. Usually trained for scout duty, they are used to warn
soldiers to the presence of enemies or of booby traps or other
hazards.[32] German Shepherds have also been trained by military
groups to parachute from aircraft[33] or as anti-tank weapons. They were
used in World War II as messenger dogs, rescue dogs and personal guard
dogs.[28] A number of these dogs were taken home by foreign
servicemen, who were impressed by their intelligence.[28]

German Shepherd at an agility

competition

The German Shepherd is one of the most widely used breeds in a wide
variety of scent-work roles. These include search and rescue, cadaver
searching, narcotics detection, explosives detection, accelerant detection
and mine detection dog, among others. They are suited for these lines of
work because of their keen sense of smell and their ability to work
regardless of distractions.[32] At one time the German Shepherd was the
breed chosen almost exclusively to be used as a guide dog for the
visually impaired. When formal guide dog training began in Switzerland
in the 1920s under the leadership of Dorothy Eustis, all of the dogs

A German Shepherd swimming

trained were German Shepherd females.[34] An experiment in

temperament testing of a group of Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds showed that the Retrievers
scored higher on average in emotional stability and ability to recover promptly from frightening situations,
cooperative behavior and friendliness; while the German Shepherds were superior in aggression and defensive
behavior. These results suggested that Labrador Retrievers were more suited to guide dog work while German
Shepherds were more suited to police work.[35] Currently, Labradors and Golden Retrievers are more widely
used for this work, although there are still German Shepherds being trained. In 2013, about 15% of the dogs
trained by Guide Dogs of America are German Shepherds, while the remainder are Labrador Retrievers and
Golden Retrievers.[36] The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in the United Kingdom states that crosses
between Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers make the best guide dogs, although they also train some
German Shepherds, as well as some other breeds.[37] Guide Dogs for the Blind in the United States trains only
Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and crosses between these breeds.[38] Guide Dogs Queensland in
Australia also trains only Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers.[39]
German Shepherds are still used for herding and tending sheep grazing in meadows next to gardens and crop
fields. They are expected to patrol the boundaries to keep sheep from trespassing and damaging the crops. In
Germany and other places these skills are tested in utility dog trials also known as HGH
(Herdengebrauchshund) herding utility dog trials.[40]

A German night-watchman from

1950 with his German Shepherd

Swedish German Shepherds during

demonstrations in Stockholm on
National Day 2007

Urban Search and Rescue Task Force

dog works to uncover survivors at the
site of the collapsed World Trade
Center after the September 11, 2001
attacks

A German Shepherd Military

Working Dog locates hidden
explosives inside a car during a
training exercise

One Mexican German Shepherd, Zuyaqui, was dissected and his body put on display at the Sedena's "Narco
Museum" in Mexico. He is regarded to be the dog who has captured the most drugs in Mexican police and
military history.[41]

History
In Europe during the 1850s, attempts were being made to standardize breeds.[42] The dogs were bred to
preserve traits that assisted in their job of herding sheep and protecting flocks from predators.[28] In Germany
this was practiced within local communities, where shepherds selected and bred dogs. It was recognized that the

breed had the necessary skills for herding sheep, such as intelligence, speed, strength and keen senses of
smell.[28] The results were dogs that were able to do such things, but that differed significantly, both in
appearance and ability, from one locality to another.[42]
To combat these differences, the Phylax Society was formed in 1891
with the intention of creating standardised development plans for native
dog breeds in Germany.[28] The society disbanded after only three years
due to ongoing internal conflicts regarding the traits in dogs that the
society should promote;[28] some members believed dogs should be bred
solely for working purposes, while others believed dogs should be bred
also for appearance.[43] While unsuccessful in their goal, the Phylax
Society had inspired people to pursue standardising dog breeds
independently.
Illustration of a German Shepherd
from 1909

With the rise of large, industrialized cities in Germany, the predator

population began to decline, rendering sheepdogs unnecessary.[28] At the
same time, the awareness of sheepdogs as a versatile, intelligent class of

canine began to rise.[28] Max von Stephanitz, an ex-cavalry captain and former student of the Berlin Veterinary
College, was an ex-member of the Phylax Society who firmly believed dogs should be bred for working.[28] He
admired the intelligence, strength and ability of Germany's native sheepdogs, but could not find any one single
breed that satisfied him as the perfect working dog.[28]
In 1899, Von Stephanitz was attending a dog show when he was shown a
dog named Hektor Linksrhein.[28] Hektor was the product of few
generations of selective breeding and completely fulfilled what Von
Stephanitz believed a working dog should be. He was pleased with the
strength of the dog and was so taken by the animal's intelligence, loyalty
and beauty, that he purchased him immediately.[42] After purchasing the
dog he changed his name to Horand von Grafrath and Von Stephanitz
founded the Verein fr Deutsche Schferhunde (Society for the German
Shepherd Dog).[42] Horand was declared to be the first German
Shepherd Dog and was the first dog added to the society's breed
register.[28]
Horand became the centre-point of the breeding programs and was bred
with dogs belonging to other society members that displayed desirable
traits and with dogs from Thuringia, Franconia and Wurttemberg.[28]
Fathering many pups, Horand's most successful was Hektor von
Schwaben.[28][44] Hektor was inbred with another of Horand's offspring
and produced Heinz von Starkenburg, Beowulf and Pilot, who later
fathered a total of eighty-four pups, mostly through being inbred with

Two male German Shepherds

Hektor's other offspring.[28] This inbreeding was deemed necessary in

order to fix the traits being sought in the breed.[28] In the original German Shepherd studbook, Zuchtbuch fr

Deutsche Schferhunde (SZ), within the two pages of entries from SZ No. 41 to SZ No. 76, there are four Wolf
Crosses.[45] Beowulf's progeny also were inbred and it is from these pups that all German Shepherds draw a
genetic link. It is believed the society accomplished its goal mostly due to Von Stephanitz's strong,
uncompromising leadership and he is therefore credited with being the creator of the German Shepherd Dog.[46]

Etymology
The breed was named Deutscher Schferhund by von Stephanitz,
literally translating to "German Shepherd Dog". The breed was so
named due to its original purpose of assisting shepherds in herding and
protecting sheep. At the time, all other herding dogs in Germany were
referred to by this name; they thus became known as Altdeutsche
Schferhunde or Old German Shepherd Dogs.
The direct translation of the name was adopted for use in the official
breed registry; however, at the conclusion of World War I, it was
believed that the inclusion of the word "German" would harm the
breed's popularity,[47] due to the anti-German sentiment of the era.[48]
The breed was officially renamed by the UK Kennel Club to "Alsatian

German Shepherd Dogs. Female

(left), Male (right).

Wolf Dog",[47] after the French-German border area of AlsaceLorraine.[28] This name was also adopted by many other international kennel clubs.
Eventually, the appendage "wolf dog" was dropped,[47] after numerous campaigns by breeders who were
worried that becoming known as a wolf-dog hybrid would affect the breed's popularity and legality.[28] The
name Alsatian remained for five decades,[47] until 1977, when successful campaigns by dog enthusiasts
pressured the British kennel clubs to allow the breed to be registered again as German Shepherds.[8] The word
"Alsatian" still appeared in parentheses as part of the formal breed name and was only removed in 2010.[49]

Popularity
When the UK Kennel first accepted registrations for the breed in 1919, fifty-four
dogs were registered and by 1926 this number had grown to over 8,000.[42] The
breed first gained international recognition after the decline of World War I;
returning soldiers spoke highly of the breed and animal actors Rin Tin Tin and
Strongheart popularised the breed further.[50] The first German Shepherd Dog
registered in the United States was Queen of Switzerland; however, her offspring
suffered from defects as the result of poor breeding, which caused the breed to
suffer a decline in popularity during the late 1920s.[50]

A German Shepherd

Popularity increased again after the German Shepherd Sieger Pfeffer von Bern
became the 1937 and 1938 Grand Victor in American Kennel club dog shows,
only to suffer another decline at the conclusion of World War II, due to antiGerman sentiment of the time.[50] As time progressed, their popularity increased

gradually until 1993, when they became the third most popular breed in the United States. As of 2012, the
German Shepherd is the second most popular in the US.[50][51] Additionally, the breed is typically among the
most popular in other registries.[50] The German Shepherd Dog's physique is very well suited to athletic
competition. They commonly compete in shows and competitions such as agility trials.

Health
Many common ailments of the German Shepherds are a result of the
inbreeding practiced early in the breed's life (although this was
necessary to preserve other traits for the breed).[52] One such common
ailment is hip and elbow dysplasia which may lead to the dog
experiencing pain in later life and may cause arthritis.[53] A study
conducted by the University of Zurich found that 45% of the police
working dogs were affected by degenerative spinal stenosis, although
the sample studied was small.[54] The Orthopedic Foundation for
Animals found that 19.1% of German Shepherd are affected by hip

A 9-week-old German Shepherd

puppy

dysplasia.[55] Due to the large and open nature of their ears, German
Shepherds are not prone to ear infections because there is no hair in the
outer ear canal to hold debris or moisture.[56] According to a recent
survey in the UK, the median life span of German Shepherds is 10.95
years,[7] which is normal for a dog of their size.
Degenerative myelopathy, a neurological disease, occurs with enough
regularity specifically in the breed to suggest that the breed is
predisposed to it. A very inexpensive DNA saliva test is now available to
screen for Degenerative Myelopathy. The test screens for the mutated
gene that has been seen in dogs with degenerative myelopathy. A small
study in the UK showed 16% of young asymptomatic GSDs to be

A German Shepherd with a football

homozygous for the mutation, with a further 38% being carriers.[57] Now that a test is available the disease can
be bred out of breeds with a high preponderance. The test is only recommended for predisposed breeds, but can
be performed on DNA from any dog on samples collected through swabbing the inside of the animal's cheek
with a sterile cotton swab. Now that there is a test available, prospective German Shepherd buyers can request
the test from the breeder or buy from a breeder known to test their dogs.[58]
Additionally, German Shepherds have a higher than normal incidence of Von Willebrand disease, a common
inherited bleeding disorder.[59] Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), a degenerative disease of the pancreas.
It is estimated that 1% of the UK GSD population suffers from this disease.[60] Treatment is usually in the form
of pancreatic supplements being given with food.

In popular culture

German Shepherds have been featured in a wide range of media.[61] In 1921 Strongheart became one of the
earliest canine film stars, and was followed in 1922 by Rin Tin Tin, who is
considered the most famous German Shepherd. Both have stars on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame.[62] German Shepherds were used in the popular
Canadian series The Littlest Hobo. Batman's dog Ace the Bat-Hound appeared
in the Batman comic books, initially in 1955,[63] through 1964.[64] Between
1964 and 2007, his appearances were sporadic. A German Shepherd called
Inspector Rex, is the star of Austrian Police procedural drama program, which
won many awards, where German Shepherd Rex assists the Vienna
Kriminalpolizei homicide unit.[65] The show was aired in many languages.[66]

See also
Czechoslovakian VlcakA breed recognized by the FCI, originating by a
crossing of 48 German Shepherd Dogs and 4 Carpathian wolves
King ShepherdA breed not recognized by any major kennel club,
originating from German Shepherd Dogs
Strongheart, one of the
Shiloh ShepherdA breed not recognized by any major kennel club,
earliest canine stars
originating from German Shepherd Dogs
White ShepherdA breed recognized by the UKC in the United States,
originating from white-coated German Shepherd Dogs
White Swiss Shepherd Dog (Berger Blanc Suisse)A breed recognised by the FCI, originating from
white-coated German Shepherd Dogs
List of dog breeds with photos

References
1. "USA German Shepherd Dog Standard". United Schutzhund Clubs of America. Archived from the original on 10 June
2008.
2. http://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/166g01-en.pdf
3. http://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/166g01-en.pdf
4. http://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/166g01-en.pdf
5. http://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/166g01-en.pdf
6. Jones, Bretaigne, "Science of breeding", Royal Canin (American Kennel Club), archived from the original on 3
September 2014, retrieved 3 September 2014
7. O'Neill et al., (2012). "Longevity of UK Dog Breeds" (PDF). Royal Veterinary College, University of London. Retrieved
18 January 2013.
8. "German Shepherd The Ultimate Service Dog". German Culture. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
9. Coren, p. 134
10. "AKC Dog Registration Statistics". Archived from the original on 24 August 2015.
11. "KC Dog Registration Statistics" (PDF).
12. "FCI Standard No 166". Australian National Kennel Council. 23 March 1991. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
13. Breed Standard For The White German Shepherd Dog, White German Shepherd Dog Club Of America, Inc., September
1997
14. "German Shepherd Dog Breed Standard". American Kennel Club. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
15. "Rasse-Lexikon Deutscher Schferhund" (in German). Verband fr das Deutsche Hundewesen. Archived from the
original on 25 August 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
16. Group 1 (http://oldfci.mediasense.fr/nomenclatures_detail.asp?lang=en&file=group1). FCI. Retrieved 1 June 2014.

17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.

28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.

55.
56.
57.

von Stephanitz, p.12

"Ranks 1 to 10 Brightest Dogs". Petrix. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
"The Top 10 Smartest Dog Breeds In The World". Pet Meds Online. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
"About the Breed". White Paws: German Shepherd. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
"Breed Standard German Shepherd". New Zealand Kennel Club. Retrieved 19 July 2008. "While the dog should be
approachable and friendly, he does not make immediate friendships with strangers."
Dogwise: The Natural way to Train your Dog (1992), John Fisher Souvenir Press Ltd. ISBN 0-285-63114-4
Ross, John; McKinney, Barbara (1996). Puppy Preschool: Raising Your Puppy Rightright from the Start. St. Martin's
Press. p. 58. ISBN 0-312-14029-0.
"Reported Dog Attack Survey" (PDF). New South Wales Department of Local Government. 1999. Archived from the
original (PDF) on 21 May 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
"Dog Bites: Information and Statistics". 26 January 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2012. Cites a National Geographic
study.
Conan, p.43
The first standard of the German Shepherd Dog Society, written by von Stephanitz said "A pleasing appearance is
desirable, but it can not put the dog's working ability into question ... German Shepherd breeding is working dog
breeding, or it is not German Shepherd breeding"Harder, Aimee. "GSD vs. WGSD It's not a black or white issue!".
White German Shepherd Dog Club of America. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
Kern, Francis G. (1990). German Shepherds. Neptune City, New Jersey: T.F.H. Publications. pp. 1121. ISBN 0-86622865-9.
"German Shepherd Dogs The Soundness Issue". The Kennel Club. 8 February 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
"KC confirms position on German Shepherds". ourdogs.co.uk. Our Dogs-UK. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
"German Shepherd Dogs Judges Training Programme". The Kennel Club. 16 February 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
Strickland, p. 1728
"It's a dog's life in the Army". The New Zealand Herald. 22 July 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
Ascarelli, Miriam (2010). Independent Vision: Dorothy Harrison Eustis and the Story of the Seeing Eye. West Lafayette,
Indiana: Purdue University Press. ISBN 978-1-55753-563-4.
Case, Linda P. (2013). The Dog: Its Behavior, Nutrition, and Health. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-70120-1.
"Breeds and Matching Process". An International Guiding Eyes Program. Guide Dogs of America. 2013. Retrieved
21 July 2013.
"Our breeds". Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
"Guide Dog Breeding and Whelping". Dog Programs. Guide Dogs for the Blind. 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
"Our Breeding Program". Guide Dogs. Guide Dogs Queensland. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
Hartnagle-Taylor, Jeanne Joy; Taylor, Ty (2010). Stockdog Savvy. Alpine Publications. ISBN 978-1-57779-106-5.
http://www.eleconomista.es/latinoamerica/noticias/1817880/01/10/Armas-de-Versace-rubies-y-diamantes-el-lujo-de-losnarcos-mexicanos.html
"History of the Breed". German Shepherds.com. Archived from the original on 1 June 2008.
Rice, p.11
Stevens, p.11
"Progency list for V Beowulf". Pedigree Database. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
Willis, p.5
Palika p.22
Rice p.12
"Change Of Name German Shepherd Dog". The Kennel Club. 19 October 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
Palika p.25
"AKC Dog Registration Statistics". American Kennel Club. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
Willis, p.31
"German Shepherd Dog Health Problems". Dog Biz. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
Steffen, F.; Hunold, K.; Scharf, G.; Roos, M.; Flckiger, M. (2007). "A follow-up study of neurologic and radiographic
findings in working German Shepherd Dogs with and without degenerative lumbosacral stenosis". Journal of the
American Veterinary Medical Association 231 (10): 15291533. doi:10.2460/javma.231.10.1529. PMID 18020994.
"Hip Dysplasia Statistics". Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. 2009. Archived from the original on 10 June 2009.
"German Shepherd". PetHealth101. July 2008.
Holder, A. L.; Price, J. A.; Adams, J. P.; Volk, H. A.; Catchpole, B. (2014). "A retrospective study of the prevalence of

58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.

64.
65.
66.

the canine degenerative myelopathy associated superoxide dismutase 1 mutation (SOD1:c.118G > A) in a referral
population of German Shepherd dogs from the UK". Canine Genetics and Epidemiology 1: 10. doi:10.1186/2052-66871-10.
"Degenerative Myelopathy German Shepherd Dogs". University of Florida 1998. Retrieved 11 April 2009.
"Von Willebrand's Disease (vWD): A Type of Hemophilia in Dogs". Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
"Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency". Genetic welfare problems of companion animals. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
"List of films with German Shepherds".
Choron, p. 40
Irvine, Alex; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1950s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley.
p. 77. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. "Batman No. 92 (July 1955) Once Superman had a dog, Batman got one too, in "Ace,
the Bat-Hound!" In the story by writer Bill Finger and artist Sheldon Moldoff, Batman and Robin found a German
Shepherd called Ace."
"Ace the Bat-Hound appearances". Retrieved 15 September 2014.
[1] (http://www.betafilm.com/rex/) Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20150714212921/http://www.betafilm.com/rex/) 14 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
rexchienfc.net (http://www.rexchienfc.net/)

Further reading

Brazil-Adelman, Dr. Mary Belle (2000). The German Shepherd Dog Handbook. Hauppauge, NY:
Barron's Educational. ISBN 0-7641-1332-1.
Cree, John (1977). Training the Alsatian, the Obedient Companion or Working Partner. Pelham. ISBN 07207-0993-8.
"Extended Breed Standard of The German Shepherd Dog" (PDF). German Shepherd Dog Council of
Australia in conjunction with Australian National Kennel Council. 26 March 2012 [3 February 2007].
Retrieved 10 February 2014.
Harder, Aimee. "GSD vs. WGSD It's not a black or white issue!". White German Shepherd Dog Club
of America. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
Hart, Ernest H. (1985). The German Shepherd Dog. New Jersey: T. F. H. ISBN 0-86622-031-3.
Rice, Dan (1999). Training Your German Shepherd Dog. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's. ISBN 0-7641-0852-2.
Stevens, Katrina (2002). The German Shepherd Dog. Willow Creek Press. ISBN 1-57223-512-8.
von Stephanitz, Max; Revised by Schwabacher, Joseph (1994). The German Shepherd Dog in Word and
Picture. Hoflin Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-99932-80-05-7.
Willis, Malcolm (1976). The German Shepherd Dog: Its History, Development and Genetics. K and R
Books. ISBN 0-903264-15-3.
"FCI Standard No 166 Translated by German Shepherd Dog Council of Australia". Australian National
Kennel Council. 20 August 2013 [23 March 1991]. Retrieved 10 February 2014.

External links
Verein fr Deutsche Schferhunde e.V.
(http://www.schaeferhunde.de/site/news/) The original registrar
of the German Shepherd Dog

Wikimedia Commons has

media related to German
Shepherd Dog.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=German_Shepherd&oldid=701324282"

Categories: German shepherds Dog breeds Dog breeds originating in Germany Herding dogs
Wolf-dog hybrids
This page was last modified on 23 January 2016, at 21:53.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.