Whenever 당신 검색 for German Shepherd breeders, chances are, you'll run across some breeders claiming to breed Old Fashioned German Shepherds. 당신 might be wondering what that means. Let's get into the details.

*The majority of the info comes from German Shepherd Shop. Some info comes from some Old Fashioned German Shepherd breeders and German Shepherd Man on YouTube. There's a smidgeon of personal opinion too.

What is an Old Fashioned German Shepherd? An Old Fashioned German Shepherd is simply a German Shepherd that is larger and taller than the breed standard. They often stand up to 32 inches at the shoulder and weigh 120 to 150 pounds. From Schutzhaus German Shepherds: "Old Fashioned German Shepherds are taller, have straight backs, large bone structure, a longer life span, big heads, and generally larger than today's standards." Is that really what the original German Shepherds were? Simply put, no. They were actually smaller.

How big were the original German Shepherds? When German Shepherds were first bred 의해 Captain Max von Stephanitz, they were smaller than today's standards. Females weighed 40 to 55 pounds, and males weighed 65 to 75 pounds. That's because they were originally bred for sheepherding. I mean, it says it in the name shepHERD. After sheepherding became less common in Germany, Stephanitz bred the German Shepherd to be a bit larger in order to serve as a police 또는 military dog. Did he breed these giant, 150-pound German Shepherds? No, he bred them to be 60 to 80 pounds for females and 70 to 90 pounds for males.

What about structure? Many Old Fashioned German Shepherd breeders boast about their dogs' straight backs. They claim that because of this, their 개 are 안전한, 안전 from hip dysplasia. 개 with straighter backs are less likely to develop hip dysplasia, but it doesn't prevent hip dysplasia. Nearly every kennel club's breed standard for the German Shepherd says that the dog's back should be straight with a slight slope at the end. A good example is the Czech working line. It has a straight back with a slight slope at the end. I included a picture of Hansel, since he takes after the Czech working line, even though he's only one quarter Czech working line. Genetics are funny like that. Anyway, 당신 can see his back is straight with a slight slope at the end. The slope is not the cause of hip dysplasia. There are genetic components, but it's mostly caused 의해 environmental factors. They include: allowing a growing 강아지 to excessively run and/or jump, the wrong amount of calcium in a growing puppy's diet, allowing a growing 강아지 to climb stairs, allowing a growing 강아지 to jump into and out of high 프로필 vehicles, and allowing a growing 강아지 to jump onto and off of elevated surfaces, such your bed.

What about drive? Many Old Fashioned German Shepherd breeders boast about their 개 having low 또는 no drive. They claim that their 개 are not hyper like today's German Shepherds and make the perfect family companions like they were intended to be. That's not what the original German Shepherds were. They were bred to be working dogs, first and foremost. Working line German Shepherds like Hansel have drive, and usually lots of it. Hansel is a wonderful family companion, but if he's not given something to do throughout the day, he drives us crazy at night. If his exercise needs are met, he's content to lie on the 침상, 소파 and watch TV with us. That's what a German Shepherd should be. If 당신 want a German Shepherd with no drive, 당신 don't want a German Shepherd. 당신 want a dog that looks like a German Shepherd but behaves 더 많이 like a stuffed animal 또는 a lawn ornament. The pointy ears aren't what make the German Shepherd what it is. It's the drive, intelligence, and loyalty that make the breed what it is.

Finally, if 당신 want a German Shepherd that is larger than the breed standard, be my guest. However, it is very important to make sure 당신 choose a breeder who does not breed specifically to size. Size and 사무용 겉옷, 전반적인 appearance should be secondary to good health and a stable temperament. Only select a breeder who breeds 개 that pass their health tests and have stable temperaments. If 당신 do that, and take good care of your dog, you'll have a happy and healthy dog for many years to come.