Knowing the breed of a dog can sometimes be easy and other times it can be a bit complicated, but there are certain guidelines that help us to be able to discern if a dog is purebred or not and which one it can be. If you have or are thinking of taking in a dog German shepherd but you are not sure how you can tell if it is purebred you can follow some tips to find out. If this is something important to you or it is a curiosity that you want to satisfy, keep reading this oneHowTo.com article and discover how to tell if a german shepherd is pure In an easy way.
The pedigree to know if your German shepherd is pure
The most reliable way to know if a German Shepherd is authentic is through the document that certifies the purity of your line, that is to say, that it assures us that its ancestry has been of pure German shepherds. This document is known as pedigree and, specifically, it certifies that at least in the 3 previous generations all the parents have been authentic and there have been no crosses.
Normally, when a purebred puppy is acquired and its parents have these certificates, the little dog also gets the pedigree and you can ask the breeder. But, if the parents do not have this document or if you do not know where your dog comes from but you think it is a pure German shepherd breed, you can check it by going to a dog show of this breed, for example in Spain they are run by the Royal Canine Society.
Going to these dog shows and competitions You will be able to know if your dog has a pedigree, since in them the experts will be able to review and verify if your faithful friend has all the aspects that are required for a dog of this breed to be considered pure. If so and it can be considered that it has at least two previous generations of breed, your dog will be registered in the Spanish Book of Origins kept by the Royal Canine Society and, thus, have pedigree.
On the other hand, if it cannot be considered that there have already been purebred ancestors but that your dog seems to be, it can only be registered as pure when it has at least two generations of descendants without crossing with other breeds. This document is really only necessary to participate in competitions and exhibitions and to breed purebred dogs.
Check yourself if your German Shepherd is authentic
If you want to know if your German Shepherd is authentic but you don’t need the pedigreeYou can be guided by the official description of the breed that you will find in the associations and organizations specialized in this, such as, for example, in the Royal Canine Society in Spain or in the Fédération Cynologique Internationale, which is considered the World Canine Organization. Thus, you will be able to know what a German shepherd is like, guided by the official breed standards.
We advise you to ask a veterinarian for help to be sure of it and to look at the physical aspects that must be considered within certain ranges to know if your dog fits the breed standard.
To begin, you will have to measure some parts of its body and weigh it, to check if it is within the parameters of the standard. For example, pure German Shepherds must weigh between 25 and 45 kilograms and their height at the withers must be between 55 and 70 centimeters. To do these two parts of the process well you must:
- Weigh your dog on the veterinarian’s scale since it is more reliable than the one we can have at home and check that it is within the established range, bearing in mind that females tend to weigh less than males.
- To measure it correctly you must place the tape measure from the withers, that is, the part where the neck meets the trunk at shoulder height, and lower the tape measure to the ground, checking that it measures within the range and having Note that males are generally larger than females.
Other important physical aspects in German Shepherds
In addition, you should pay attention to other aspects such as the shape of the ears, the curvature of the back and the color of the coat, among others. Some of the parameters of the different physical parts in an individual considered standard by official associations and organizations are:
- Hair: from semi-long to long
- Coat color: black and tan, solid black, yellowish brown to light gray and / or in various shades
- Eyes: dark colored
- Ears: triangular, medium in size and well erect
- Curvature of the back: This is a very peculiar characteristic of the breed. If we look at the dog from the side, we will see that its back begins higher at the withers and that it decreases in height until it reaches the tail. The lower back is a characteristic of this breed but it can really be a problem since it makes them predisposed to suffer from hip dysplasia.
These are some of the traits specified by official bodies, but there are more parameters that you should check to be absolutely sure and, due to the complexity of the matter, the help of a veterinarian is recommended. Obviously, if the ancestry of the dog is not known, it can never be 100% said that it is a pure dog, but we can be convinced that if it fits the standards established for its breed, we have a German shepherd as a life partner.
If it has helped you to know how to tell if a german shepherd is pure, You may also be interested in this other article on how to know if a boxer is pure.
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