Appearance...

The German Shepherd Dog is a large, strong, handsome-looking dog. The fur is a double-coat and can be either short or long haired. It varies in color, coming in many different shades, mostly cream (tan) and brown, but also solid black or white. Dogs with coats that have tricolored hair (black and white with either brown or red) are called sable or agouti. Different kennel clubs have different standards for the breed according to size, weight, coat color, and structure.

Common faults in show dogs

There are several common features that are disqualifying faults in show dogs:

Ears that never stand up completely; instead, the top 10 to 15 percent of the ear remains floppy. These are called "friendly-tipped" dogs.

A small percentage of GSDs have a tail that stands vertically, exposing their anus. This is also a disqualifying fault in all GSDs.

A muzzle that is not predominantly black is considered a disqualification only in American show GSDs.