German Shepherds from Past to Present
Over the years, there has been a trend toward breeding
German Shepherds away from their classic body style. This
has been observed in both the German and North American show
circuits; and, for a GSD lover like myself, represents a sad
state of affairs in breeding and showing such a potentially
magnificent animal.
Were it not for those of us who are enamored with the
classic-build of the German Sheperd, the regal stature of
this creature would be all but lost.
Here we present a pictorial of the German Shepherd breed,
as judged and awarded high honors in the American and German
show circuits; as the foundation for our reasoning that the
classic lines of this animal should not be bred out of
existence by those who seek only trophies, acclaim, and an
opportunity to sell an animal for nothing more than its
reputation in the show circuit.
In reading through this page, you will see the
progressive changes in the body lines of the GS show dog; as
compared to those lines which we consider to be true to the
original breed--the Classic German Shepherd Dog.
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| Here you see the 'Breed Standards'
illustrations; which are supposed to be used in
judging German Shepherd show dogs.
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Additional information and images may be found
here.
The illustrations below represent the sad state
of German Shepherds (new lines) in the show ring today--both
German & American. You will be shocked when you see the
final pictures compared to those of the dogs in the 40's &
50's.
German show lines are compared first, American
show lines follow.
NOTICE:
All dogs represented by photographs or other
image rendering, below, are representative of
award-winning show chattle which conform to the
breeding and judging standards set-forth by the
GSDCA, and in effect in the year that the award was
conferred upon the animal.
No comment is offered as to any individual
breeder's competency, nor is it postulated that any
animal is not entitled to the award earned as a
result of contest judging against the standards in
effect at the time of award.
All images were derived from public domain
sources and are used illustratively, solely for the
purposes of instruction and commentary; which
constitute protected speech under The First
Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
of America, and Fair Use under United States
Copyright Law.
--Webmaster |
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Now prepare yourself for a shock!
Here's the 1947 Sieger next to both the 2003 Sieger
and the VA 2 dog!
(...and some say the Germans are doing a better job
than the Americans? Certainly not in my opinion!) |
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1947 Seiger |
2003 Sieger |
VA 2 |
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Notice the level back and smooth,
sound lines of the 1947 winner. |
Notice the roach back or banana
back, low slung hip placement and much more extreme
hock angulation of these specimens. |
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Now, prepare yourself for yet
another shock!
Here's the American 1959 Grand Victor next to the
2003 Champ!
(...it looks like the Americans are just as bad as
the Germans!) |
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1959 Champ |
2003 Champ |
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1959 American Show Grand Victor: A
BIG, beautiful dog, straight-backed, with normal
hock angulation. |
Todays standards give us nothing
more than a Roach: Notice the low-slung hips with
extreme hind angulation, chest hangs below elbows
and a much smaller dog as well. |
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The comparison is a painful one to
make for a German Shepherd lover, like myself. |
NOTICE:
All dogs represented by photographs or other
image rendering, above, are representative of
award-winning show chattle which conform to the
breeding and judging standards set-forth by the
GSDCA, and in effect in the year that the award was
conferred upon the animal.
No comment is offered as to any individual
breeder's competency, nor is it postulated that any
animal is not entitled to the award earned as a
result of contest judging against the standards in
effect at the time of award.
All images were derived from public domain
sources and are used illustratively, solely for the
purposes of instruction and commentary; which
constitute protected speech under The First
Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
of America, and Fair Use under United States
Copyright Law. |
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