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von Waldhimmel Kennels, McMinnville Oregon 503-435-2803

German Shepherd Dog Glossary Of Terms

This material is made available if images and other page elements do not load properly: Use this page information to read about German Shepherd Dog characteristics so you will better understand the references to awards, titles, and other relevant facts about the German Shepherd dog. This will also assist you when choosing your German Shepherd puppy for family pet or for show, or perhaps for service work.

Compare German Shepherd breeders, and make certain your German Shepherd Dog breeder gives you all the information about pedigrees, AKC German Shepherd registration, history of the sire (male German Shepherd parent) and the dam (female German shepherd parent). Ask for veterinary records, too. Be certain, if possible, to see your German Shepherd puppy personally before buying.

The titles on this page are used by German Shepherd dog clubs and show ring organizations to assign GSD dog categories and to reward German Shepherd dog breeders and their German Shepherd.

Only a small percentage of German Shepherd dogs ever achieve the top conformation show ratings. The conformation ratings can be beneficial when choosing your German Shepherd puppy, since pedigree and breeding are a good indicator of future generations.

Working Titles

AD: Aus dauerprufing, endurance test

BH: Basic companion dog - traffic sureness.

B or BH Begleithunde: The preliminary and prerequisite test for a dog going on to get his/her Schutzhund titles. A combination temperament and obedience test. B and BH are used interchangeably.

WH: Watch Dog.

CD: Companion dog. The first of five working qualifications, each of increasing difficulty, awarded to dogs gaining a certain percentage of total marks at working trials.

CDEX: CD Excellent.

DH: Dienshund, service dog.

Gebrauchshundklasse: Working dog class-the only class available for animals over two/in Germany.

HGH: Herdengebrauchshund, herding dog- a qualification of dogs working with flocks.

TD: Tracking dog. Qualification title for nose work.

FH: Fahrtenhund, tracking qualification.

FH1: Advanced tracking.

FH2: Superior tracking qualification.

UD: Utility dog. Working Qualification.

ZH: Zollhund, dog trained to work with customs police.

SchH1: Novice Schutzhund qualification in tracking, obedience, and protection.

SchH2: Intermediate Schutzhund qualification in tracking, obedience, and protection.

SchH3: Masters level of Schutzhund tracking, obedience, and protection.

SchHA: A limited SchH title, similar to SchH I but without the tracking portion.

IPO1: International Novice Schutzhund trial qualification.

IPO2: International Intermediate Schutzhund.

IPO3: International Masters level Schutzhund.

BpDH1 2: Railroad Police Dog.

BIH: Blind Leader Dog.

LwH: Lawinen Hund-Avalanche Dog.

DH: Service Dog.

DPH: Service Police Dog.

PH Polizehund: Police Dog.

INT Internationale Prufungsklasse: International Training Degree.

BPDH I, II - Bannpolizeidiensthund I or II: Railroad Police Service Dog I or II.

GrH - Grenzen Hund: Border Patrol Dog.

PFP I, II - Polizeifaehrtenhund I, II: Police Tracking Dog I or II.

PSP I, II - Polizeischutzhundprufung I, II: Police Protection Dog I or II.

Bundeslestunggssieger: German National Working Dog Champion awarded at the Bundessiegerprufung.

Huntesieger: Herding Dog Champion at the German Herding Dog Championships. HT:  Herding Tested.

HC: Herding Champion.

M.H. militar hund: Military Dog.

S.H. sanitats hund:  Red Cross Dog.

Kr.H. kriegshund: War Dog.

If the German Shepherd photos or other images are not viewable, read this text:
The topics for this page include . . . German Shepherd Dog terms for Schutzhund and for classification for the GSD breed. Your German Shepherd breeder should supply you with information about German Shephard titles and conformation of both sire and dam for your German Shepherd puppy. German Shepherds are used for several purposes: protection, guard dogs, police dogs, family pets, herding livestock, service dogs for disabled, therapy dog, and show ring, for agility, and training, plus schutzhund also referred to as working shows. The black and red German Shepherd is the standard for the breed; also referred to as red and black German Shepherd, black & red German Shepherd dog, red & black German Shephard dog, the black & red German Shepherd, and the red & black German Shepherd.

Conformation titles:

ZB-Zuchtbewertung: Conformation Show Rating followed by:

VA -Vorzuglich Auslese: Excellent Select,the highest attainable award by a German show dog and granted only at the annual Sieger Show.

  • V - Vorzuglich: Excellent
  • SG - Sehr Gut: Very Good; an official German show grade and the highest obtainable by dogs under two.
  • G - Gut: Good.
  • A - Austreichend:  Sufficient.
  • M - Mangelhaft:  Faulty.
  • U - Ungenugend:  Insufficient.
  • Jugendklasse-ruden:  Youth class for males of twelve to eighteen months at German shows
  • Jugendklasse-hundinnen:  The corresponding class for bitches
  • Sieger or siegerin:  Title given to the top Male and Female at the German National Show, they will also receive the rating of VA-1
  • Weltsieger:  World Seiger title awarded to the top dog at the FCI All Breed Show
  • Europasieger: Conformation winner at the European All Breed Show
  • Bundeszuchtsieger: Conformation winner at the German National All Breed Show
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German Shepherds are rewarded for their abilities, not just their appearance. When choosing your German Shepherd breeder, ask about schutzund and conformation ratings. The more awards and higher the ratings, the more likely you will find a quality German Shepherd puppy.

Don't overlook a great adult German Shepherd dog as a family pet, loyal companion, or show/service GSD. An adult German Shepherd from any one of several reputable German Shepherd breeders may be a terrific way to get the dog you always wanted, without all the years of training. Your German Shepherd breeder can help you find the German Shepherd that best suits your needs.

Other

Angulations:  The angles at which bones of shoulder and upper arm meet at the shoulder joint, and those of upper and lower thigh meet at the knee joint.

AKC:  American Kennel Club.

CKC: Canadian Kennel Club.

Washed out: Marked palling of color and pigment in nose and nail.

Monorchid: A dog possessing one testicle.

Bloodline: Animals sharing a specific familly relationship over several generations.

SV: Schaferhund Verein, GSD Society of West Germany.

Sable:  A gray, brown or fawn foundation color with black- shaded guard hairs. (Wolf like colorings).

Korung: German breed survey to select animals for breeding. Class 1 animals recommended, Class 2 animals suitable.

KK1: Korklasse, survey class.

Inbreeding: Deliberate mating together of close relatives.

High withered: When the area where the neck runs into the back is definite, long and well filled in with muscle over the vertebrae between the shoulder blades, and slopes into the back, rather than being on the same horizontal with it (flat-withered).

Dew claws: Additional toes on inside of the leg above the foot and making no contact with ground. Many puppies are born without them on the rear legs.

Cow hocked: The dog stands and moves with the point of hock turned inwards.

Croup: The pelvis together with covering of muscle and coat.

Entire: Having both testicles in the scrotum.

TT: Temperament Tested.

TC: Temperament Certified.

OFA:  Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (Hip Certification in U.S.).

OVC:  Ontario Veterinary College (Hip Certification in Canada).

CGC:  The dog has a Canine Good Citizen certificate.

Penn HIP: Developed at University of Pennsylvania (USA) The procedure measures hip joint laxity; it does not grade a passing or failing score. Loose hips are more prone to developing degenerative joint disease. (See OVC, OFA, "a stamp").

SV Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde:  (German Shepherd Dog Club) The original GSD breed club and breed registry, based in Germany.

TSB Triebveranlagung: fighting drive.

ZW Zuchtwert:  ZW-value - Zuchtwert evaluation - is a Breed Value Assessment - a number assigned that gives an indication of the genotype of the dog for breeding purposes.

KKLI: Korklasse I, Breed surveyed recommended to breeding- Koer Class rating which states that the dog has been breed surveyed and found to be breeding quality.

KKLII:  Korklasse II, Breed surveyed suitable for breeding.

Lbz - Lebenszeit: Lifetime rating.

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Looking for an AKC German Shepherd breeder to help you get the German Shepherd puppy or the German Shepher dog of your dreams? von Waldhimmel is a leader among Oregon German Shepherd breeders, with several award winning male German Shepherd and female German Shepherd dogs. We feature western German Shepherds that ar hardy, friendly, and even tempered and represent the best German Shepherd Dog. We raise black and red German Shepherd colored GSD puppies. Our German Shepherd dogs are obedience trained, too. We do have German Shepherd puppy or German Shepherd puppies for sale; they do sell fast, so call today to reserve your German Shepherd puppy now. As a German Shepherd breeder we can help you find the right GSD puppy, or perhaps an German Shepherd dog. von Waldhimmel is located in McMinnville Oregon in the Pacific Northwest United States. We are among the few German Shepherd breeders to ship German Shepherd puppies to all 50 states.

German hip ratings

"a" - Zuerkannt: Certified hips that fell within the following three categories:

  • "a" -1 Normal - Certified Normal Hips
  • "a" -2 Fast Normal - Certified Near Normal Hips
  • "a" - 3 Noch Zugelassen - Certified still permissible Hips

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What you need to know about German Shepherd conformation, titles, and hip ratings. von Waldhimmel German Shepherd breeder works with you to find the best Geramn Shepherd puppy or adult German Shepherd Dog for your lifestyle and personality. Each German Shepherd puppy comes with a written AKC pedigree. We train our German Shepherd dogs for Schutzhund German Shepherd shows and our GSD dogs have many awards based on conformation, German hip ratings, agility, protection abilities.

To contact us about German Shepherd Puppies & Dogs Available

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