The standard
for the German Shepherd Dog, while annoyingly vague
in many respects, has not changed appreciably over the
years. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the
breed. From the 1940’s, when most dogs in most
countries looked pretty much the same, we now have West
German show, West German working, East German, Czechoslovakian,
English Alsatian, American show and probably others
yet in the making. Partly this is due to a natural,
genetic diversification of families, and is probably
a good thing. Related dogs tend to look alike. Partly
it’s due to legitimate differences in breeders’
preferences. Working line breeders, for instance, will
tend to put less emphasis on movements than on drive.
But in many cases it’s just ignorance of what
correct conformation is all about. The short legs and
long bodies of the Alsatian were simply not efficient.
Neither are the extreme rear angulations and sloping
top lines of American show dogs, nor the roached backlines
of West German show dogs. These faults have never been
acceptable under the standard, but somehow they became
fashionable in their respective countries and have been
promoted by “big” breeders and judges alike.
Dog A illustrates correctness, standing four squares
(with the hind feet placed under the hip joint), standing
show posed and moving at a flying trot. This dog shows
correct proportions of 10:8.75; slightly longer than
tall. This is measured from the top of the scapula (including
muscling) to the floor, and from the tip of the breast
bone to the rear projection of the pelvis. This dog
shows a strong head with parallel planes, a deep skull
(measured from the top of the head to the underline
of the jaw), and a muzzle no longer than the length
of the skull (from the back of the skull to the corner
of the eye). The neck is arched and is wide at the base,
because of the well laid back scapula. The head is carried
generally erect, at about a 45 degree angle.
The scapula is attached to a long upper arm at somewhat
more than 90 degrees. It is not necessary for the shoulder
to form a right angle, because when the dog is moving,
its centre of gravity will drop, lowering the body slightly
and causing the shoulder angle to close. Straight, upright
bones are optimal for support, but angulations is necessary
for movement. About 95 degrees is the best compromise
for both. Besides, reach is not limited by the scapular
angle, as it has no bony attachment. A very fit dog
with this lay back of shoulder can reach further than
45 degrees when necessary.
The upper arm, lower arm, femur or upper thigh, and
gaskin or lower thigh, are all equal in length. These
are the levers that provide propulsion, and the smoothest,
most efficient propulsion is provided by levers of equal
length. The scapula is generally not as long as these
bones,as it is not a true lever. It pivots on its centre
point, being pulled forwards and backwards by massive
layers of muscle across its entire surface. It is more
important that it be wide, to provide roomy attachment
for those muscles. Short forelegs are less vulnerable
to injury, but they are less effective at propelling
the body. Very long legs are a feature of racing dogs,
but are much more vulnerable, particularly in jumping.
The medium length leg is the best all around compromise
for speed, strength and propulsion.
The pastern is only slightly angled. The more angled
it is, the less absorption it has, a bit like soft shocks
on a car. A strong pastern has great absorption, but
can also generate propulsive energy. As the foot travels
back in the stride, the tendons are stretched like elastics
over the back of the joint, gathering energy for when
the foot leaves the ground when they snap back and giving
the stride an extra bit of spring.
The back is level when standing normally and slightly
sloped when posed. The withers must be long and high,
flowing up into an arched neck and back over a straight
back, as this is where the long muscles that move the
scapula are found. In a normal spine, the vertebrae
are strung together in a straight line, while the long
upper spines of each vertebra describe a high arch at
the withers, and a longer, lower arch over the lumbar
region, with a slight dip in between. In a well muscled
dog, this dip is not visible, while the lumbar arch
should only be apparent as an arching of the muscles
of the loin.
The rib cage reaches well back to the centre of the
dog, and balloons out only slightly behind the forequarters.
It should be flat relative to, say, a Pitbull or Rottweiler,
but well enough rounded to provide ample heart and lung
capacity. If the ribs are well rounded, the sternum
will only reach to a point an inch or two above the
elbows. Chest muscling will bring the brisket to the
point of elbow or slightly below, and hair will seem
to increase the chest depth even more. Maximum body
depth should be at the elbow, with the underline sloping
upwards into the belly.
The pelvis is set at about 30 t0 35 degrees, measured
from a plane laid across its top. I find this more accurate
than trying to eyeball a line through it. This angle
is common to most big predators, and is the most efficient
angle to channel the upwards energy from each stride,
forwards horizontally along the spine. The croup will
generally follow the line of the pelvis, but its length
will depend on the lay of the caudal vertebrae at the
root of the tail. Whether the tail is high or low set
has no effect on gait, so a long croup is really more
esthetic than practical. On the other hand, a pelvis
that is too steep or flat will result in a shortened
stride as well as a faulty croup. A flat pelvis hampers
reach while a steep pelvis restricts follow-through,
and a dog will tend not to reach ahead any more than
he can follow-through (this is true for the forehand
as well as the rear hand). A long, smooth croup that
flows into a beautiful saber tail is certainly the most
visually appealing finish to a fine moving dog. However,
it should be remembered that a very strong minded, dominant
dog will often carry its tail high, shortening the croup
somewhat. Given a choice between a weak minded dog with
low tail carriage and a strong dog who flags his tail,
the choice should always be the latter.
Rear angulations has been the source of a great deal
of contention in the breed. Show animals have more of
it, and working breds tend to have less. American dogs
have taken it to the extreme, to the point where no
animal who is not ridiculously over endowed will achieve
top conformation ranking. German show dogs are more
reasonably structured, but even some of those are starting
to show excessive rear. Almost as a form of rebellion,
many working breds have so little that their stride
at the trot is almost terrier-like. Correct stifle angulation
should mirror the shoulder, being somewhat greater than
90 degrees, and for the same reasons. The dog will in
all postures stand up on its toes, and its metatarsus
or hock will be parallel to its upper thigh. This is
also the typical configuration of most predatory animals,
where long term, low to medium speed and great endurance
is required, with occasional bursts of short term, extreme
speed.
In movement, Dog A shows length of stride, power and
suspension. His head is at about 45 degrees, not straining
up or down, while his neckline flows down through long,
strong, medium high withers, over a short. Straight,
level backline with no arching or dipping, and down
over a gently sloping croup. Because of the sloping
withers and croup, there is the appearance of a slight
slope to the top line, even though the spine is level.
He shows a 45 degree reach with a well opened shoulder.
In the rear, he under-reaches to his centre of gravity
with only the toes touching down, not the hocks. When
driving back, he shows a 45 degree, snapping rear follow-through
with straightened hocks, tight Achilles tendon and a
gaskin that is not parallel to the ground. There is
no flipping up to the pasterns, or dragging of the rear
toes. The effect is of a moderately low, sweeping, efficient
gait, with a period of suspension propelling the body
effortlessly through space, and making it appear to
hover. When other dogs must shift into a gallop, this
dog can just stretch out into a longer stride and a
longer period of suspension, giving a beautiful illusion
of slow motion.
Dog B is an animal that probably could not win in
any conformation arena, yet this dog could work perfectly
well at any task, and show decent speed, strength and
endurance. His proportions are 10:9.1, almost square.
His relatively short body and long legs make him athletic
and quick, but will tend to make him a galloper rather
than a trotter, and will deny him the grace and suppleness
of a longer body.
His muzzle is too short, and a bit upturned, but his
grip would be very strong. His neck does not have a
wide breadth of attachment, because of his straighter
shoulder. This is accompanied by a short, upright upper
arm, and his breastbone and fore chest are not well
developed. At a trot, this dog will not be able to reach
past his chin, and will be choppy in movement, but in
all likelihood he will still show good reach at the
gallop, as both forelegs are drawn forward in tandem
with maximum exertion. Where he may show problems is
in coming down off very high jumps, such as a French
palisade, when a straight shoulder will not absorb as
mush of the tremendous impact of landing as could a
well laid on shoulder. I say could, because fitness
is such an important component of any physical activity.
A very fit dog with straight shoulders may perform better
than a soft dog with good shoulders. The fit, correct
dog will perform the best of all. He also shows rather
upright pasterns, with very good feet. Unless the pastern
is completely straight, and risks buckling over on impact,
an upright pastern probably offers more absorptive capacity
than a technically correct pastern. The correct pastern
is sufficiently sloped so that, no matter the angle
of impact, the joint will compress and there is no risk
that the pastern will be “jammed’.
This dog also lacks in chest depth, although its capacity
is unaffected. He will be slightly barrel chested, and
as a result, will probably throw out his elbows when
gaiting. His shortness of body is reflected in a short
spine, which also shows a decided roach. His withers
are flat, reducing the area of attachment for shoulder
muscles and forcing the scapula further forward and
down. This type of spinal configuration also has the
tendency to cause the dog to carry his head down, both
standing and gaiting. His arching spine has also forced
his pelvis downward into a steep position, making a
long, driving follow-through more difficult and shortening
the rear stride. As well, his rear drive will accentuate
his roach, in effect causing the spine to buckle upwards,
wasting a huge amount of energy and making the spine
more vulnerable to injury. A roach might be an advantage
to a pack animal whose back must bear weight, but it
is of no particular advantage to a working dog. Still,
a roach is better then a sway back, and is less likely
to break down with pregnancy or age. His hindquarters
show angulation that is less than ideal, but which is
perfectly adequate for work. It is about the same amount
as one sees in wolves. His hock and upper thigh are
parallel and well articulated, and what his rear lacks
in stride length it will make up in power. The front
and rear are balanced, and in most cases his flaws err
on the side of strength. His gait at a trot will be
unimpressive, and in order to cover ground he must shift
into a flying trot at a relatively low rate of speed
to make up for his lack of stride. However, he is short
coupled, dry and tightly ligamented, and should show
a normal ability to gallop and jump. While not an outstanding
specimen of the breed, he is perfectly serviceable,
and should be judged accordingly.
Dog C is the extreme type of animal that can win top
awards in the American specialty show ring. His proportions
are 10:8, which don’t sound unreasonable, but
in actuality creates a dog of unacceptable length. He
represents an evolution of the breed away from a body
type that is athletic and strong, towards one that shows
an optically dramatic gait. The emphasis on gait has
resulted in a lack of attention to other problems and
a noticeable loss of breed type.
This dog’s head is small and weak, lacks good
depth of stop, is too long in fore face, and the skull
lacks depth and jaw strength. The head has a collie
like quality which is atypical and weak. He has a straight
front assembly and associated short upper arm, and carries
his head vertically because of the steepness of the
withers and backline. This neck also lacks breadth of
attachment, and is too long. The large prosternum and
filled forechest can give the illusion of a broad, well
set shoulder. His lower arm is a bit short, which contributes
to his low station and low, sweeping gait, but it is
less efficient for galloping and jumping. The pasterns
are down and will probably collapse into a plantar position
under the pressure of landing off a high jump. The feet
are flat. His withers are high, but more because his
hindquarters are low than because of their structure.
The chest is very deep, because it has been squashed
flat, and is slab sided and narrow when seen from the
front. A tremendously long body means a very long spine.
It’s strong enough to give the dog an elegant
topline, but is too long for agility and jumping, and
slopes unnaturally even when the dog is standing informally.
He has an underline and abdominal cavity which is long
and drooping, giving the abdominal organs far more space
than they need. The croup and tail are long and beautiful.
Augulation in the stifle is unbalanced with the angulation
of the shoulder, being considerably more acute: a full
right angle. The lower hind leg has lengthened proportionately
much longer than the lower arm, pushing the hock downward
and forming an acute angle at the hock joint, known
as sickle hocks. These are accompanied by long, loose
Achilles tendons which cannot snap the hock open for
a sharp, strong, propulsive follow-through.
In movement, Dog C gives the illusion of impressive
stride and power. He does show fine reach, because he
is so loosely ligamented. Some show an exaggerated reach,
with the foreleg actually achieving an horizontal position.
A normally muscled front wit good bone relationships
can’t do this, at least not at a trot. The exaggerated
rear augulation ostensibly increases power and drive.
What it actually does is produce an overextended length
of stride, which requires an excessively long back to
absorb it. It also gives the associated floppy, sickle
(and probably cow) hocks that are unable to completely
snap open on follow-through, and that waste a great
deal of energy. The rear is lowered as a result,sloping
not just the topline, but the spine as well. An opened
hock is achieved by speed, with the hock thrown back
and flipped open of its own momentum, but providing
no power. Hence the over fast gaiting at so many specialty
shows. Loose, excessive angles also prevent the dog
from showing any period of suspension, even at faster
speeds. The hind leg has landed almost up to the hock
(plantar) before the forefoot is anywhere near leaving
the ground. The dog can’t generate sufficient
power to lift and suspend the body. Needless to say,
this conformation is incapable of providing the power
or coordination necessary for fast galloping or athletic
jumping.
The overall effect is of a very dramatic, even elegant,
moving dog (especially if it’s in good condition),
with a racy topline, huge stride and great speed. The
speed at which he is gaited makes the details inside
the silhouette difficult to see, and an extreme dog
can appear very impressive. He can even make a correct
dog seem lacking, and will initially cover more ground,
faster and with more flash, leaving the correct dog
behind. It would take some time , longer than a few
hours in a show ring, before the correct dog’s
effortless, floating gait ran the extreme dog into the
ground. Also, the correct dog will show a normal walk,
won’t stand on its hocks, can gallop well and
will have good jumping and turning ability, things that
will be more of a problem for this extreme dog.
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