Types of GSD

The two general types of GSD are the Working lines and the Show lines. These can then be broken down further into North American Show Lines, West German Show Lines, and various working lines, although for the purposes of this discussion we will focus on the differences between the           working lines in general and their show line counterparts.

Working Line German Shepherd

As a breed that was originally created for working ability, the working line GSD adheres most closely to von Stephanitz’ vision of what the breed should represent. Working line GSDs are usually smaller and less angulated than their show line counterparts. Their colouration can vary considerably, from solid black, to sable, to black and tan, which is closest to what most people envision when they think of a GSD. Of course the reason for the variance in appearance is because working line GSDs have been bred first and foremost for  their temperament, nerve, and working ability as opposed to their looks. These dogs tend to be very high in energy and drive, which leads to an incredible willingness to work for rewards. They are expected to have a confident, thought out, and appropriate response to any situation in which they find themselves and should never be reactive to loud noises, crowds of people or unfamiliar places. Working line GSDs make very good dogs for police and military work, however with appropriate training and leadership, these same attributes (courage, mental stability, trainability, loyalty) make working line GSDs a fantastic option for active households. 

West German Show Line German SHepherd

West German Show Line GSDs are a happy medium between working line GSDs and North American Show Line GSDs. They tend to be of larger structure (bone thickness, breadth of head and height), than working line GSDs and generally carry the well-known black and red colouration. They tend to be slightly lower in drive than working line German Shepherds, however even a “low” drive West German show line GSD still possesses more working ability and drive than the average family pet.  While Western German Show Line breeders have historically bred their dogs to win in the show ring, the German Shepherd Club of Germany (SV) nevertheless requires that all German Shepherds meet strict standards for nerve and temperament before being bred and, as such, even West German show lines have retained a high degree of fidelity to the original breed standard.

North American Show Lines ("American German Shepherd")

The North American Show Line German Shepherd should be considered a breed unto itself: the American German Shepherd. Although these dogs share a common ancestry with their German Shepherd cousins, lax (non-existent) breeding standards in North America have resulted bloodlines that have strayed so far from the original standard, both physically and tempermentally, that the American German Shepherd no longer bears much resemblance to the original German Shepherd. There are no standards to be met prior to breeding a German Shepherd in North America other than registration with the AKC or CKC. Breeding purely to win in the show ring has resulted in a complete loss of the breed’s working ability, and the lack of any kind of temperament testing prior to breeding has resulted in dogs with incredible variance in temperament, with no guarantees of the courage or soundness of mind that make GSDs the dog they are meant to be. These dogs tend to carry a black and tan colouration with the traditional black saddle, however breeding for show has resulted in unfortunate changes to the dogs’ appearance such as extreme angulation of the hindquarters, thinner, daintier bone structure  and less physical differentiation between the sexes.