AKC Gazette Gallery: German Shepherds — Canine Royalty

German Shepherd Dogs from the pages of the AKC Gazette

Generally considered dogkind’s finest all-purpose workers, German Shepherd Dogs are large, agile, muscular dogs of noble character and high intelligence. Loyal, confident, courageous, and steady, the GSD is truly a dog lover’s delight.
GSDs can stand as high as 26 inches at the shoulder and, when viewed in outline, presents a picture of smooth, graceful curves rather than angles. The natural gait is a free-and-easy trot, but GSDs can turn it up a notch or two and reach great speeds.
There are many reasons why GSDs stand in the front rank of canine royalty, but experts say their defining attribute is character: loyalty, courage, confidence, the ability to learn commands for many tasks, and the willingness to put their life on the line in defense of loved ones. GSDs will be gentle family pets and steadfast guardians but, as the breed standard says, there’s a “certain aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships.”
This AKC Gazette Gallery celebrates the remarkable versatility that enables the German Shepherd Dog to excel as a show dog, guardian, police and military K-9, athlete, service dog, herder, search-and-rescue worker, movie star, and magnificent companion.

Title image: German Shepherd Dog Ch. Argus von Schloss-Kesselweiher of Giralda, Reuben Ward Binks (English), watercolor, 1939 (AKC collection)

1. Winifred “Win” Strickland with her German Shepherd AKC Obedience champion Joll, c.1960s (AKC Gazette collection)

2. “Giralda’s Lola, with puppies,” Reuben Ward Binks, watercolor, c.1930 (courtesy Bonhams)

3. U.S. Coast Guard photo, World War II (AKC Gazette collection)

4. Kent Boyles and GCh. Lockenhaus’ Rumor Has It V Kenlyn, 2015 (courtesy In Focus by Miguel)

5. Movie lobby card, 1925 (AKC Gazette collection)

6. Ch. Tucker Hill’s Oracle, UDT, b. 1967 (AKC Gazette collection)

7. Kay Finch creating the bust aptly titled “German Shepherd,” modeled from a German Shepherd Dog named Grail, c.1949 (AKC Archives)

8. ChaChing, AKC Triple Champion (courtesy Julie Degen)

9. Ch. Covy Tucker Hill’s Manhattan, 1987 Westminster Best in Show

10. “Call to Duty,” by Charlotte Sorré, oil on canvas, 2002 (AKC collection)

11. AKC Gazette, September 2006 (Topdogsphotos.com photo)

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About the AKC Gazette:
Published since 1889, the AKC Gazette is the American Kennel Club's official journal of news and information about dog breeds, raising and training dogs, and dog events. Enjoy the latest issue and browse 14 years of back issues free of charge at https://www.akc.org/products-services.... Search the entire archive of issues going back to 1889 via the AKC Digital Library: https://library.akc.org.