FCI Standard No. 166 — German Shepherd

OFFICIAL CLASSIFICATION

FCI Classification

BRIEF HISTORY

Brief History of the Standard

The first breed standard was drafted in 1899 by Max von Stephanitz and Arthur Meyer at the first SV members' assembly in Frankfurt am Main. Subsequent revisions took place at the assemblies of 28 July 1901, the 6th assembly of 28 September 1909, and that of 5 September 1930.

The standard was revised under WUSV oversight and adopted at the assembly of 30 August 1976. It was subsequently reformulated and catalogued on 23-24 March 1991.

The current version — FCI Standard No. 166 — was adopted in June 1997 and remains the reference document in force for breed selection and judging at the international level.

CHARACTER

Character and Temperament

Character is of paramount importance for the breed. Before evaluating morphology, the judge must verify the dog's temperament. Only psychologically balanced specimens may be admitted to selection.

The German Shepherd must be balanced, with stable nerves, self-assured, absolutely natural and good-natured (outside of provocation), alert and tractable. It must possess courage, fighting drive and hardness to be suitable as a companion, guard dog, protection dog, service dog and herding dog.

Kampftrieb (fighting drive) is an essential component of temperament. Its absence constitutes a serious character defect.

MORPHOLOGY

General Physical Characteristics

Head

The head is wedge-shaped, proportionate to the body (length approximately 40% of the height at withers), neither coarse nor excessively elongated. The overall appearance is dry, moderately broad between the ears.

Nose and Dentition

The nose must be black. Dentition strong, healthy and complete (42 teeth according to the dental formula). Scissor bite — the upper incisors overlap the lower ones like scissors.

Eyes

Medium-sized, almond-shaped, slightly oblique and not protruding. Color as dark as possible. Expression lively, intelligent and self-assured.

Ears

Medium-sized, broad at the base, set high, carried erect and symmetrical. Tips pointed, oriented forward. Folded or drooping ears are a defect.

Neck

Strong, muscular, without loose skin (no dewlap). The angle to the body is approximately 45 degrees.

BODY

Body and Structure

Topline and Back

The topline flows without interruption from the base of the neck, over the well-defined withers and straight back, to the slightly sloping croup. The back is firm, strong and well-muscled. The loin is broad, strongly developed and well-muscled.

Chest

Moderately broad, the sternum as long as possible and well-pronounced. Chest depth is approximately 45-48% of the height at withers. Ribs moderately arched — a barrel-shaped chest is as faulty as a flat one.

Tail

Reaches at least to the hock but does not extend beyond the middle of the metatarsus. Longer hair on the underside. Carried in a gently curved arc downward. In movement or excitement it is raised but does not exceed the horizontal.

LIMBS AND MOVEMENT

Limbs and Movement

Forequarters

Viewed from any angle, the forelegs are straight and perfectly parallel. The shoulder blade and upper arm are of equal length, well-muscled and firmly attached to the body. The ideal scapulo-humeral angle is 90 degrees, in practice up to 110 degrees.

Hindquarters

The hindquarters are positioned slightly set back. Viewed from behind, they are perfectly parallel. The thigh and lower leg are approximately equal in length, forming an angle of about 120 degrees. The hock is strong and firm.

Movement — the trotting dog

The German Shepherd is a trotter. The limbs must be harmonized in length and angulation so that the hindquarters push the body forward while the forequarters cover an equal distance, without essential changes to the topline. Movement is harmonious, confident, with an ample and sustained stride.

COAT, COLORS, SIZE

Skin, Coat and Colors

The normal coat with undercoat (Stockhaar) is the only variety recognized by the standard. The hair is as dense as possible, straight, harsh and close-lying. On the head, inner ears, front of the legs and paws the hair is short.

Black with reddish-brown, brown, yellow to light grey markings. Solid black and grey are also accepted, with darker shadings. Black mask and saddle are mandatory. Small white patches on the chest and inner legs are tolerated but undesirable. Nose black in all colors.

Males: 60-65 cm height at withers, weight 30-40 kg. Females: 55-60 cm height at withers, weight 22-32 kg.

DEFECTS

Defects and Disqualification Criteria

Serious defects

• •Deviations from sexual characteristics (feminine males, masculine females)
• •Folded ears, ears carried laterally or pendulous
• •Serious pigmentation defects
• •Severely reduced general stamina
• •Dental defects: absence of one P3 and another tooth, or one canine, P4, M1/M2, or 3 or more teeth in total
• •Level bite across the full length

Disqualifying defects

• ✗Aggressive or excessively fearful dogs
• ✗Dogs with documented severe hip dysplasia
• ✗Monorchidism or cryptorchidism
• ✗Deformities of the ears or tail
• ✗Malformations
• ✗Dental defects: overshot or undershot bite, wry mouth
• ✗Height over or under standard by more than 1 cm
• ✗Albinism
• ✗White color (even with dark eyes and nails)
• ✗Long coat without undercoat
• ✗Long coat with undercoat (tolerated only in the dense undercoat variant)