Progressive K9 Training & Kennels
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Import German Shepherd & Siberian Husky's
| Certified dog trainer for all breeds and we specialize in top blood lines in German Shepherd and Siberian Husky. |
| German Shepherd Information page |
| Progressive K9 Training & Kennels 194 Bannister Hollow Rd Macks Creek Mo 65786 573-363-9973 |
| We are striving to the top line breeder of German Shepherd and Siberian husky. We off all types of training from basic to more advanced. We sell and ship our puppies with-in the United States and that includes the states of: Alabama AL, Alaska AK, Arizona AZ, Arkansas AR, Colorado CO, Connecticut CT, Delaware DE, Florida FL, Georgia GA, Hawaii HI, Idaho ID, Illinois IL, Indiana IN, Iowa IA, Kansas KS, Kentucky KY, Louisiana LA, Maine ME, Maryland MD, Massachusetts MA, Michigan MI, Minnesota MN, Mississippi MS, Montana MT, Nebraska NE, Nevada NV, New Hampshire NH, New Jersey NJ, New Mexico NM, New York NY, North Carolina NC, North Dakota ND, Ohio OH, Oklahoma OK, Oregon OR, Pennsylvania PA, Rhode Island RI, South Carolina SC, South Dakota SD, Tennessee TN, Texas TX, Utah UT, Vermont VT, Virginia VA, Washington WA, Washington, D.C., West Virginia WV, Wisconsin WI, Wyoming WY. |
| to make it more than a 9-to-5 job. According the AKC Registration Statistics, the German Shepherd is consistently one of the United States’ most popular dog breed, and makes a loving family companion, herder and show competitor. The German Shepherd is approachable, direct and fearless, with a strong, commonly black and tan. However, in the Schutzhund world (German show for protection), the preferred color is black and red. History The German Shepherd originated in 1899 in Karlsruhe, Germany due to the efforts of Captain Max von Stephanitz and others. Derived from older breeds of herding and farm dogs, the first German Shepherd exhibited in America was in 1907. The fame associated with Rin-Tin-Tin and Strongheart, two members of the breed whose movies played on variations of the boy and his dog theme, shot the popularity of the breed sky-high. Is a German Shepherd Right for You? German Shepherds are very energetic and fun-loving and love to have a ball thrown around or have a big area to run around in. The breed is very fond of children once a relationship is established, as they have a calm and kind demeanor. German Shepherds are very loyal family pets and the ideal guard dog which is necessary for many families. German Shepherds require lots of regular exercise and grooming General Appearance The first impression of a good German Shepherd Dog is that of a strong, agile, well muscled animal, that is alert and full of life. A healthy German Shepherd is well balanced, with harmonious development of the forequarter and hindquarter. They are longer than tall, deep-bodied, and present an outline of smooth curves rather than rigid angles. They look substantial, not spindly, which gives an impression of muscular fitness and nimbleness, both at rest and in motion, without any look of clumsiness or soft living. The ideal dog is stamped with a look of quality and nobility – difficult to define, but unmistakable when present. Secondary sex characteristics are strongly marked, and every animal gives a definite impression of masculinity or femininity, according to its sex. Temperament German Shepherds have a distinct personality, marked by direct and fearless, but not hostile, expression, self-confidence and a certain aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships. The dog must be approachable, quietly standing its ground and showing confidence and a willingness to meet overtures without itself making them. They are poised, but when the occasion demands, willing to be eager and alert with no reluctance. They are always fit and willing to serve in their capacity as companion, watchdog, blind leader, herding dog, or guardian, shaping with the environment they are presently in. German Shepherds must not be timid, shrinking behind their masters or handlers, and should not be nervous, nor should be looking about or upward with an anxious expression or showing nervous reactions like tucking of the tail in response to strange sounds or sights. Exhibiting a lack of confidence under any circumstances is not typical of good character. Any of the above mentioned deficiencies of character which indicate shyness must be penalized as very serious faults and any dog exhibiting pronounced indications of these must be excused from the ring (when showing the dog). In the ring, the judge must be able to observe the teeth and to determine that both testicles are descended; any dog that attempts to bit a judge will be disqualified. The ideal dog is a working animal with an incorruptible character combined with body and gait suitable for the arduous work that constitutes its primary purpose. With all of this in mind, these dogs make amazing household companions. Size, Proportion and Substance The desired height and weight for a German Shepherd male at the top of the highest point of the shoulder blade is 24 to 26 inches, and weighs between 80 to 100 pounds; Females should be between 22 to 24 inches and 50 to 85 pounds. The German Shepherd is longer than tall, with the most desirable proportion being 10 to 8½. The length is measured from the point of the pro sternum or breastbone to the rear edge of the pelvis, the ischial tuberosity. The long and desirable proportion is not derived from a long back, but from overall length with relation to height, which is achieved by length of forequarter and length of withers and hindquarter, viewed from the side. Head The head is noble, cleanly chiseled, strong without coarseness, and in proportion to the body, but above all not fine. The head of the male is distinctly masculine, and that of the bitch distinctly feminine. The expression is keen, intelligent, and composed. Their eyes are of medium size, almond shaped, set a little obliquely and not protruding. The color is as dark as possible. Ears are moderately pointed, in proportion to the skull, open toward the front, and carried erect when at attention. The ideal carriage being one in which the center lines of the ears, viewed from the front, are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. A German Shepherd with cropped or hanging ears must be disqualified. Seen from the front, the forehead is only moderately arched, and the skull slopes into the long, wedge- shaped muzzle without abrupt stop. The muzzle is long and strong, and its top line is parallel to the top line of the skull. The nose should always be black. A dog with a nose that is not predominantly black must be disqualified when showing. The lips are firmly fitted. Jaws are strongly developed. Teeth -- 42 in number. There are 20 upper and 22 lower and all are strongly developed and meet in a scissors bite in which part of the inner surface of the upper incisors meet and engage part of the outer surface of the lower incisors. An overshot jaw or a level bite is undesirable. An undershot jaw is a disqualifying fault. Complete dentition is to be preferred. Any missing teeth other than first premolars is a serious fault. Neck, top line, Body The neck is strong and muscular, clean-cut and relatively long, proportionate in size to the head and without loose folds of skin. When the German Shepherd dog is at attention or excited, the head is raised and the neck carried high; otherwise typical carriage of the head is forward rather than up and a little higher than the top of the shoulders, particularly in motion. top line-- The withers are higher than and sloping into the level back. The back is straight, very strongly developed without sag or roach, and relatively short. The whole structure of the body gives an impression of depth and solidity without bulkiness. Chest--Commencing at the prosternum, it is well filled and carried well down between the legs. It is deep and capacious,never shallow, with ample room for lungs and heart, carried well forward, with the prosternum showing ahead of the shoulder in profile. Ribs well sprung and long, neither barrel-shaped nor too flat, and carried down to a sternum which reaches to the elbows. Correct ribbing allows the elbows to move back freely when the dog is at a trot. Too round causes interference and throws the elbows out; too flat or short causes pinched elbows. Ribbing is carried well back so that the loin is relatively short. Abdomen should be firmly held and not paunchy. The bottom line is only moderately tucked up in the loin. Loin – Viewed from the top, broad and strong. Undue length between the last rib and the thigh, when viewed from the side, is undesirable. Croup long and gradually sloping. Tail should be bushy, with the last vertebra extended at least to the hock joint. It is set smoothly into the croup and low rather than high. At rest, the tail hangs in a slight curve like a saber. A slight hook— sometimes carried to one side—is faulty only to the extent that it mars general appearance. When the dog is excited or in motion, the curve is accentuated and the tail raised, but it should never be curled forward beyond a vertical line. Tails too short, or with clumpy ends due to ankylosis, are serious faults. A dog with a docked tail must be disqualified. Forequarters The shoulder blades are long and obliquely angled, laid on flat and not placed forward. The upper arm joins the shoulder blade at about a right angle. Both the upper arm and the shoulder blade are well muscled. The forelegs, viewed from all sides, are straight and the bone is oval rather than round. The pasterns are strong and springy and angulated at approximately a 25degree angle from the vertical. Dewclaws on the forelegs may be removed, but are normally left on. The feet are short, and compact with toes well arched, pads thick and firm, nails short and dark. Hindquarters The whole assembly of the thigh, viewed from the side, is broad, with both upper and lower thighs well muscled, forming as nearly as possible a right angle. The upper thigh bone parallels the shoulder blade while the lower thigh bone parallels the upper arm. The metatarsus (the unit between the hock joint and the foot) is short, strong and tightly articulated. The dewclaws, if any, should be removed from the hind legs. Feet as in front. Coat The ideal dog has a double coat of medium length. The outer coat should be as dense as possible, hair straight, harsh and lying close to the body. A slightly wavy outer coat, often of wiry texture, is permissible. The head, including the inner ear and foreface, and the legs and paws are covered with short hair, and the neck with longer and thicker hair. The rear of the forelegs and hind legs has somewhat longer hair extending to the pastern and hock, respectively. Faults in coat include soft, silky, too long outer coat, woolly, curly, and open coat. Color The German Shepherd Dog varies in color, and most colors are permissible. Strong rich colors are preferred. Pale, washed-out colors and blues or livers are serious faults. A white dog must be disqualified. Gait A German Shepherd Dog is a trotting dog, and its structure has been developed to meet the requirements of its work. General Impression – The gait is outreaching, elastic, seemingly without effort, smooth and rhythmic, covering the maximum amount of ground with the minimum number of steps. At a walk it covers a great deal of ground, with long stride of both hind legs and forelegs. At a trot, the dog covers still more ground with even longer strides, and moves powerfully but easily, with coordination and balance so that the gait appears to be the steady motion of a well-lubricated machine. The feet travel close to the ground on both forward reach and backward push. In order to achieve ideal movement of this kind, there must be good muscular development and ligamentation. The hindquarters deliver, through the back, a powerful forward thrust which slightly lifts the whole animal and drives the body forward. Reaching far under, and passing the imprint left by the front foot, the hind foot takes hold of the ground; then hock, stifle and upper thigh come into play and sweep back, the stroke of the hind leg finishing with the foot still close to the ground in a smooth follow-through. The overreach of the hindquarter usually necessitates one hind foot passing outside and the other hind foot passing inside the track of the forefeet, and such action is not faulty unless the locomotion is crabwise with the dog’s body sideways out of the normal straight line. Transmission—The typical smooth, flowing gait is maintained with great strength and firmness of back. The whole effort of the hindquarter is transmitted to the forequarter through the loin, back and withers. At full trot, the back must remain firm and level without sway, roll, whip or roach. Un level top line with withers lower than the hip is a fault. To compensate for the forward motion imparted by the hindquarters, the shoulder should open to its full extent. The forelegs should reach out close to the ground in a long stride in harmony with that of the hindquarters. The dog does not track on widely separated parallel lines, but brings the feet inward toward the middle line of the body when trotting, in order to maintain balance. The feet track closely but do not strike or cross over. Viewed from the front, the front legs function from the shoulder joint to the pad in a straight line. Viewed from the rear, the hind legs function from the hip joint to the pad in a straight line. Faults of gait, whether from front, rear or side, are to be considered very serious faults. Disqualifications from the Ring Cropped or hanging ears Dogs with noses not predominantly black Undershot jaw Docked tail White dogs Any dog that attempts to bite the judge |