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My name is Thomas
Schoder. I have been an SV member in Germany since
1989 and a GSDCA-WDA member since 2003! Since 2007 I am also a
member of GSSCC.
My registered
kennel name is vom Haus am Lerchenweg. I have worked
and titled more than 50 dogs to SchH3 and many to FH 1-2. Many of
these dogs have been from my own breedings. I was a teaching
Helper in Germany; and I am a certified National Helper in the USA
and Canada. I have served as a helper more than 150 times in
8 different countries. I have worked in trials, trophy
competitions, breed surveys, and Sieger Shows. I was a
helper at the national (LGA) trials in Germany, four times in
GSDCA-WDA Sieger Shows in the USA, Mexico,Canada and the
qualification trial for the World Championship in Hungary. I have
been living in Canada since 2007.
We
Don't breed dogs just to multiply them. Breed responsibly with a
goal to improve the breed. You should
not breed unless you have a goal and never breed for commercial
purposes alone. Good breeding is very time consuming and a
financially exhausting hobby. Besides all the necessary regulations
and love for the breed, most of all, knowledge and goals are
necessary for one to be considered a good breeder.
We
are Not a Mass-Breeding facility.
Our motto is quality not quantity. We
very carefully select and research every breeding through
temperament testing, health and working ability of each dog. All of
our dogs are very social and can be taken anywhere. Each puppy is
socialized with children and undergoes extensive temperament and
social skills testing to be matched perfectly with the new owner.
If
you are serious about adding a German Shepherd to your family, we
urge you to do research. There are many good breeders in the U.S,
Canada and Germany., but remember just because they are AKC or CKC
registered, does not mean that you are getting a good dog. Our goal
is to always strive to improve the breed of the German Shepherd dog.
In our Breeding Program, you can be assured that you will always
receive a top quality German Shepherd and lifetime breeder support.
As a German Shepherd breeder, we carefully
choose our world class bloodlines - based on over 22 years of
research and experience with this wonderful breed. In our kennel, we
only breed dogs with certified healthy hips, excellent health,
and great temperament. For each of our breedings we find the
best partner for our dogs - according to bloodlines, health,
structure, and working ability.
We
do Not Believe in Backyard Breeders.
Every breeding German Shepherd Dog in Germany has
to have DNA testet, certified healthy hips and elbow.
Every breeding German Shepherd Dog in Germany has
to have a Schutzhund or Herding title that assures sound
working temperament.
Prior to getting a Schutzhund title, every dog
must pass a Temperament Test (BH) - a test to verify stable
temperament among strangers and traffic, and an obedience test.
Every breeding German Shepherd Dog in Germany has
to pass an Endurance Test (AD), which includes a 20 km
marathon and obedience test.
Every breeding dog has to have a Körung
evaluation - where the dog's temperament and structure are
thoroughly examined. Körung also includes a courage test.
Every dog that is awarded a “V” (Excellent)
rating at a show must meet all of the requirements described above
and pass a courage test at the Sieger show.
To get a VA rating (Excellent Select) the dog must
meet all of the above requirements plus must have at least a SchH
2 title and posses outstanding structure. The VA rating is
only awarded at the Sieger Show (a yearly national or world
championship) where hundreds of German Shepherds compete.
All of these strict requirements have been applied
for many generations of dogs by German Shepherd breeders in
Germany.
Most of the World’s best and winning dogs are in
or from Germany.
German
Shepherd Dog (GSD) Breed Standard
General Description
The German Shepherd Dog is too high achievements inclined Working
Dog. Therefore he must be built to bring the highest possible
achievement with the slightest effort. This assumes a harmonious and
well-balanced body structure. Usefulness stands in general before
beauty. The German Shepherd Dogs belong to the medium-sized breeds.
The ideal withers height amounts with males from 60 to 65 cm ( 23,5
- 25,5 inch ), females 55 to 60 cm ( 22 - 23,5 inch ). The dog
should be easily stretched, i.e. the body a little longer than the
withers height.
1)
Angulations and Movement
The German Shepherd Dog is a trotter. His gait exhibits diagonal
movement, i.e., the hind foot and the forefoot on opposite sides
move simultaneously. The limbs, therefore, must be so similarly
proportioned to one another, i.e. angulated, that the action of the
rear as it carries through to the middle of the body and is matched
by an equally far-reaching forehand causes no essential change in
the top line. Every tendency toward over angulations of the rear
quarters diminishes soundless and endurance. The correct proportions
of height to length and corresponding length of the leg bones
results in a ground-eating gait that is low to the ground and
imparts an impression of effortless progression. With his head
thrust forward and a slightly raised tail, a balanced and even
trotter will have a top line that falls in moderate curves from the
tip of the ears over the neck and level back through the tip of the
tail.
2)
Temperament, Character and Abilities
Sound nerves, alertness, self-confidence, trainability,
watchfulness, loyalty and incorruptibility, as well as courage,
fighting drive and hardness, are the outstanding characteristics of
a purebred German Shepherd Dog. They make his suitable to be a
superior working dog in general, and in particular to be a guard,
companion, protection and herding dog. His ample scenting abilities,
added to his conformation as a trotter, make it possible for him to
quietly and surely work out a track without bodily strain and with
his nose close to the ground. This makes him highly useful as a
multipurpose track and search dog.
3) Head
The head should be in proportion to the body size (in length
approximately 40% of the height at the withers) and not coarse, over
refined or overstretched (snippy). In general appearance, it should
be dry with moderate breadth between the ears. The forehead when
viewed from the front or side is only slightly arched. It should be
without a center furrow or with only a slightly defined furrow.
The cheeks form a gentle curve laterally without protrusion toward
the front. When viewed from above, the skull (approximately 50% of
the entire head length) tapers gradually and evenly from the ears to
the tip of the nose, with a sloping rather than a sharply defined
stop and into a long, dry wedge-shaped muzzle (the upper and lower
jaws must be strongly developed.) The width of the skull should
correspond approximately to the length of the skull. Also, a slight
oversize in the case of males or undersize in the case of females is
not objectionable. The muzzle is strong; the lips are firm and dry
and close tightly. The bridge of the nose is straight and runs
nearly parallel with the plane of the forehead.
4) Dentition
Dentition must be healthy, strong and complete (42 teeth, 20 in the
upper jaw and 22 in the lower jaw). The German Shepherd Dog has a
scissors bite, e.g. the incisors must meet each other in a scissors
like fashion, with the outer surface of the incisors of the lower
jaw sliding next to the inner surface of the incisors of the upper
jaw. An undershot or overshot bite if faulty, as are large gaps
between the teeth. A level bite is faulty, as the incisors close on
a straight line. The jaws must be strongly developed so that the
teeth may be deeply rooted.
5) Ears
The ears are of medium size, wide at the base and set high. They
taper to a point and are carried facing forward and vertically (the
tips not inclined toward each other). Tipped, cropped and hanging
ears are rejected. Ears drawn toward each other greatly impair the
general appearance. The ears of puppies and young dogs sometimes
drop or pull toward each other during the teething period, which can
last until six months of age and sometimes longer. Many dogs draw
their ears back during motion or at rest. This is not faulty.
6) Eyes
The eyes are of medium size, almond shaped, somewhat slanting and
not protruding. The color of the eyes should blend with the color of
the coat. They should be as dark as possible. They should have a
lively, intelligent and self-confident expression.
7) Neck
The neck should be strong with well-developed muscles and without
looseness of the throat skin (dewlaps). The neck is carried at an
angle of about 45 degrees to the horizontal. It is carried higher
when excited and lower when trotting.
8) Body
The body length should exceed the height at the withers. It should
amount to about 110 to 117% of the height at the withers. Dogs with
a short, square or tall build are undesirable. The chest is deep
(approximately 45 to 48% of the height at the withers) but not too
wide. The under chest should be as long as possible and pronounced.
The ribs should be well formed and long, neither barrel shaped nor
too flat. They should reach the sternum, which is at the same level
as the elbows. A correctly formed rib cage allows the elbows freedom
of movement when the dogs trots. A too round rib cage disrupts the
motion of the elbows and causes them to turn out. A too flat rib
cage draws the elbows in toward one another. The rib cage extends
far back so that the loins are relatively short. The abdomen is
moderately tucked up. The back, including the loins, is straight and
strongly developed yet not too long between the withers and the
croup. The withers must be long and high, sloping slightly from
front to rear, defined against the back into which it gently blends
without breaking the top line. The loins must be wide, strong and
well muscled. The croup is long and slightly angled (approximately
23 degrees). The ileum and the sacrum are the foundation bones of
the croup. Short, steep or flat croups are undesirable.
9) Tail
The tail is bushy and should reach at least to the hock joint but
not beyond the middle of the hocks. Sometimes the tail forms a hook
to one side at its end, though this is undesirable. At rest the tail
is carried in a gentle downward curve, but when the dog is excited
or in motion, it is curved more and carried higher. The tail should
never be raised past the vertical. The tail, therefore, should not
be carried straight or curled over the back. Docked tails are
inadmissible.
10)
Forequarters
The shoulder blade should be long with an oblique placement (the
angle at 45 degrees) and lying flat against the body. The upper arm
joins the shoulder blade in an approximate right angle. The upper
arm as well as the shoulder must be strong and well muscled. The
forearm must be straight when viewed from all sides. The bones of
the upper arm and forearm are more oval than round. The pasterns
should be firm but neither too steep nor too down in pastern
(Approximately 20 degrees). The elbows must be neither turned in nor
turned out. the length of the leg bones should exceed the depth of
the chest (approximately 55%).
11)
Hindquarters
The thigh is broad and well muscled. The upper thigh bone when
viewed from the side joins the only slightly longer lower thigh bone
at an angle of approximately 120 degrees. The angulations
corresponds roughly to the forequarter angulations without being
over angulated. The hock joint is strong and firm. The hock is
strong and forms a firm joint with the lower thigh. The entire
hindquarters must be strong and well muscled to be capable of
carrying the body effortlessly forward during motion.
12) Feet
The feet are relatively round, short, tightly formed and arched. The
pads are very hard, but not chapped. The nails are short, strong and
of a dark color. Dewclaws sometime appear on the hind legs and
should be removed within the first few days of birth.
14) Color
Color should be black with regular markings in brown, tan to light
gray, also with a black saddle, dark sable (black cover on a gray or
light brown case with corresponding lighter marks), black, uniform
gray or with light or brown markings. Small white markings on the
fore chest or a very light color on the insides of the legs are
permissible though not desired. The nose must be black with all coat
colors. (Dogs with little or no masks, yellow or strikingly light
eyes, light markings on the chest and insides of the legs, white
nails and a red tip of the tail or washed out weak colors are
considered lacking in pigment.) The undercoat or base hair is always
light gray, with the exception of that on black dogs. the final
color of a puppy is only determined when the outer coat completely
develops.
15) Coat
a) The
medium smooth coated German Shepherd Dog
The outer coat should be as thick as possible. The individual hairs
are straight, coarse and lying flat against the body. The coat is
short on the head inclusive of the ears, the front of the legs, the
feet and the toes but longer and thicker on the neck. The hair grows
longer on the back of the fore- and hind legs as far down as the
pastern and the hock joint, forming moderate breeching on the
thighs. the length of the hair varies, and due to these differences
in length, there are many intermediate forms. A too short or mole
like coat is faulty.
b)
The long smooth coated German Shepherd Dog
The individual hairs are longer, not always straight and above all
not lying close to the body. The coat is considerably longer inside
and behind the ears, on the back of the forearm and usually in the
loin area. now and then there will be tufts in the ears and
feathering from elbow to pastern. The breeching along the thigh is
long and thick. The tail is bushy with slight feathering underneath.
the long-smooth-coat is not as weatherproof as the
medium-smooth-coat and is therefore undesirable; however, provided
there is sufficient undercoat, it may be passed for breeding, as
long as the breed regulations of the country allow it. With the long
smooth coated German Shepherd Dog, a narrow chest and narrow
overstretched muzzle are frequently found.
c) The
long coated German Shepherd Dog
The coat is considerably longer than that of the long-smooth-coat.
It is generally very soft and forms a parting along the back. The
undercoat will be found in the region of the loins or will not be
present at all. A long coat is greatly diminished in weatherproofing
and utility and therefore is undesirable.
Faults
Faults include anything that impairs working versatility, endurance
and working competency, especially lack of sex characteristics and
temperament traits contrary to the German Shepherd Dog such as
apathy, weak nerves or over excitability, shyness; lack of vitality
or willingness to work; monorchids and cryptorchids and testicles
too small; a soft or flabby constitution and a lack of substance;
fading pigment; blues, albinos (with complete lack of pigmentation,
e.g. pink nose, etc.) and whites (near to pure white with black
nose); over and under size; stunted growth; high-legged dogs and
those with an overloaded fore chest; a disproportionately short, too
refined or coarse build; a soft back, too steep a placement of the
limbs and anything depreciating the reach and endurance of gait; a
muzzle that is too short, blunt, weak , pointed or narrow and lacks
strength; an over-or undershot bite or any other faults of
dentition, especially weak or worn teeth; a coat that is too soft,
too short or too long; a lack of undercoat; hanging ears, a
permanently faulty ear carriage or cropped ears; a ringed, curled or
generally faulty tail set; a docked tail (stumpy) or a naturally
short tail.
The above standard was approved and put into effect for the
countries and clubs of the FCI. The name of the breed is the German
Shepherd Dog. The country of origin is Germany. |