Breed Standard
Country of origin
Germany
FCI-Standard-Nr. 166/23.03.2010/D
Breed standard German Shepherd
Diffusion
Worldwide with a majority in the mother country of the breed. Over 78 member countries across all continents are organized in the World Union of the Association for German Shepherds (WUSV).
Breed group
FCI classification
Group 1 - Guard dogs and herd dogs
Section 1 - Herd dogs with working trial
Stud book entries
About 15,000 per year.
In total, over 2 million stud book entries.
Currently, 250,000 German Shepherds live in Germany.
Colour
Black with red-brown, brown, yellow to light yellow marks. Black and grey unicoloured.
Current usage
Sport and family dog, service and guard dog, rescue and therapy dog, guide dog, herd dog.
Training
Absolutely necessary. Consistence, patience and understanding are basic requisites. Very adaptable working dog breed.
Character
Secure and self-confident, robust, natural, attentive, very resistant physically and psychically.
Compatibility
Good and secure social behaviour, gets along very well with humans and animals in the family environment after corresponding socialisation.
Feeding and care
Feeding corresponding to activity and work with high quality food. Regular grooming, deworming and vaccination.
Activity
Active dog that needs regular exercise (walks, swimming, cycling, jogging, dog sports) in order to be balanced.
Health
HD combatted through breeding evaluation and checks by the SV. Life expectancy ten to twelve years.
Size and weight
Male dogs: 60 to 65 centimetres, 30 to 40 kilograms.
Female dogs: 55 to 60 centimetres, 22 to 32 kilograms.