Different Types of German Shepherds

There are mainly three different "Types" of Shepherds.  European Working Lines, European Show Lines, and American Lines.  This article will explain the difference, and will hopefully help you choose which line and "type" is going to work best for you and your goals.  I am NOT going to get into what line is superior, nor bash any certain line.  We breed the lines we do because of course we feel they are the best suited for our needs and best exemplify the breed standard and breed as it was meant to be.  Others breed the lines they do because they also have those beliefs.

European (German) Working Lines (East German Lines, Czech, DDR) - These dogs are mainly bred for the SPORT of Schutzhund and have been for many generations.  "Sport" lines would be a more correct term for them.  They are normally bred based upon the Scorebook points of their pedigrees with very little else considered.  Schutzhund scoring is objective and has many other influences besides the merit of the dog, including, but not limited to:  judges perception, trainer ability, handler ability, and conditions of the trial that day.  A good trainer, good handler, bad judge, and ideal trial conditions can make a very weak and unstable dog achieve very high scores.  On the other hand a mediocre trainer/handler with no political ties under a strict judge on a bad day with a great dog will result in lower scoring.  It happens more times than you would imagine.  Their genetic basis and foundation stem from border patrol, sentry, and guard dogs that are used to working independently, living in kennels, and are being more of a "bite first, ask questions later" type of dog.  Many dogs from these lines lack a general willingness to please and have to be trained with a lot of pressure and compulsion, prong and shock collars to maintain control.  They can be handler aggressive and quite dominant.  They also can have extreme drives and do not always do best in family/home situations.  If you are wanting a dog for competitive SPORT and Schutzhund at regional levels than these are the lines you should be looking for and the lines that Schutzhund clubs are used to training.  They are normally Sable, Bi-colored, or Solid Black.  Since there is normally little regard given to structure while breeding working lines, they come in a variety of shapes and sizes from 45lbs to 100+lbs.  Health problems and Breed Faults more commonly associated with these lines are:

European (German) Show Lines - These dogs commonly referred to as German Show lines, "High" lines, or West German Lines, are bred to adhere to the written German breed standard for both structure and temperament.  Coming from Europe, just as workinglines, they must be Schutzhund titled and hip certified prior to breeding.  They compete in the same sport of  Schutzhund and achieve the same titles under the same scoring system and judges.  However, instead of only focusing on the working aspect of the breed, these lines also concentrate on correct structure and overall breed type.  These lines are normally titled to SchH3 for males and SchH1 for females, and then the dogs go onto their "Show Careers".  Working Line dogs normally are always titled to SchH3, both genders, and normally repeat the titles many times (for example 10x's SchH3).  Since the showlines concentrate heavily on structure but are also balanced by titling their dogs as well, they seem to serve as more of a "dual purpose" type of dog that not only looks good, but are willing and happy workers as well.  They tend to have more of a "off switch" than their workingline cousins, more controllable drives, and easier temperaments to live with in the home.  They normally have good protective instincts without being a liability.  Well bred litters are normally very consistent in both look and temperament.  Health problems and Breed Faults more commonly associated with these lines are:

American Lines -  Unlike in Germany and most of Europe, the US has no breeding regulations set by the AKC other than both parents need to be pure bred and meet a minimum age requirement.  The AKC does not require any minimal standards in regard to inbreeding, temperament, health, titles, or show ratings.  So, with those lack of regulations the breed has been left in the hands of Americans who like to make up their own version of everything.  Since "beauty" and the "extreme" normally win in the show ring, and there are no other regulations maintaining other breed qualities, the American Shepherd has evolved into an extremely angulated trotting dog that is generally lacking in the trainability and workability the breed was intended to have.  If you are wanting to seriously compete in the AKC show ring, a dog from AKC Champion lines is going to be necessary.  I refer to them as the "Lawn Ornament" version of the breed.  They are pretty to look at, but not always the most functional.  Since there are no regulations you will need to do your research to make sure you are purchasing a puppy from at minimum hips certified and hopefully Champion titled parents.  Health problems and Breed Faults more commonly associated with these lines are:

European Workingline

European Showline

American Showline

 
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