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As written by
Tina M. Barber
Shiloh Shepherd™ Breed Founder
Illustrations by Linda Shaw, MBA
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1) GENERAL APPEARANCE: The
Shiloh Shepherd™ portrays a distinct impression of nobility with a unique
aura of intelligence, that radiates a sense of regal wisdom and strength.
Powerfully built with unsurpassed beauty and elegance; a picture of true
balance; each part being in harmonious proportion to every other
part, and to the whole.
Being of giant size does not deter from his proud carriage or seemingly
effortless movement. His total
devotion and willingness to work can be seen in his alert eyes, and his
happy attitude.
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Timidity, frailty, sullenness, viciousness, and lack of animation,
impair the general character of this breed. A certain amount of
aloofness is acceptable as long as it is not associated with any form of
sharp-shyness.
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2) CHARACTER: Courageous and self confident,
this gentle giant possesses
superior intelligence wrapped in a heart of gold,
faithfully protecting his home and
those he loves. This extremely versatile and easily trained companion
loves to swim, carry packs for the mountain climber, endure long trail
rides, or pull heavy sleds. His excellent Air Scenting ability can be
utilized in various ways. |
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As a true, loyal Flock
Guardian descendant, he is steady and bold without undue aggression;
ready to die fighting for those in his care; yet sweet
and loving when playing with small children, animals, or comforting the
elderly.
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3) HEAD:
The head is broad and noble,
slightly domed and in proportion to the body. The width and length of the
skull are approximately equal with a gently defined stop, strong developed
cheekbones, and a gradually tapering muzzle. The muzzle should be
predominantly black, the length being equal to that of the forehead, with
the lips firmly fitted and solid black. The muzzle should not be long,
narrow, or snipey in appearance. |
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4) EARS: Ears are moderately pointed in
proportion to the skull, open toward the front and carried erect when at
attention, well rounded, triangular in shape, well cupped, stiff,
height equal to width at
base. If ear is folded forward for
measuring length, tip should not pass upper eye rim. Set high and well
apart, the base of the ear is placed above the center of the eye. A mature
dog with hanging ears must be disqualified. |
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Ideal ears |
Oversized ears |
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Correct |
5) EYES:
Shades of dark to very light brown will
be accepted (no other colors are allowed), of medium size, almond shaped,
set a little obliquely and
not protruding. The expression
should be keen, intelligent, and composed. |
Too round |
Too slanted |
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6) TEETH: 42 in number (20 upper and 22 lower)
strongly developed and meeting in a scissor bite in which part of the inner
surface of upper incisor meets and engages part of the outer surface of the
lower incisors. An overshot or undershot jaw is a DISQUALIFYING FAULT. |
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Wry bite |
Faulty: even bite |
Faulty: overshot bite |
Faulty: undershot bite |
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7) NECK: The neck is
strong and muscular,
relatively long and slightly arched.
Proportionate in size to the head and without loose skin. When the dog is at
attention with head raised and neck carried high a look of nobility should
be easily observed. |
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Correct Neck |
Faulty Short Neck |
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Correct |
Correct |
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8) FOREQUARTERS: The shoulder blades are
long and obliquely angled, laid flat and not placed forward. The upper arm
joins the shoulder blade at about a right angle. Both the upper arm and the
shoulder blade are well muscled. The forelegs, viewed from the side, are
straight but
heavy boned and oval
rather than round. The pasterns are strong and springy and angulated at
approximately a 25 degree angle from the vertical. |
East/West
(French) |
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10) PROPORTION: The Shiloh Shepherd™ should
appear longer than tall. The desired height for
males,
at the top the highest point of the shoulder blade, can be no less than 28"
with
the ideal height of 30"
or more preferred. For
females,
the desired height can be no less than 26" with
the ideal height of 28"or
more preferred. The minimum weight for dogs should
not be less than 120 pounds at maturity (three years), with the ideal being 140 to 160 pounds.
Minimal weight for bitches is 80 pounds at maturity
and the ideal being 100 to 120 pounds. |
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The length measured from the point of the prosternum or
breastbone to the rear edge of the pelvis, the ischial tuberosity, with the
most desirable proportion of 10 to 9.
ANY MALE THAT MEASURES LESS THAN 28" OR FEMALES LESS THAN 26" AT MATURITY
(36 MONTHS OF AGE) SHOULD BE DISQUALIFIED. |
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Over-angulated |
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Short-coupled |
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Lacks wither/straight rear |
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11) BODY: The entire body should appear to
be well coordinated, yet muscular and solid. The back is broad and straight,
strongly boned, and well developed. There should be good depth of brisket. A
roach back should be considered a SERIOUS FAULT, as should a soft or sway
back.
The body should not appear
spindly or extremely leggy. All
proportions must be well balanced.
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Roach back /steep croup
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Too square--leggy |
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12) CHEST: Commencing at the prosternum, it is well filled and
carried well down between the legs. It is deep and capacious,
never
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Too deep |
Too shallow |
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shallow, with ample room for lungs and heart, carried well forward, with the
sternum showing ahead of the shoulder profile. |
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Viewed from the top
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13) RIBS:
Well sprung and long, neither barrel
shaped nor too flat, and carried down to the sternum which reaches to the
elbows. Correct ribbing allows the elbows to move freely when the dog is at
a trot. Too round causes interference and throws the elbows out; too flat or
short causes pinched elbows. Ribbing is carried
well back
so that the loin is relatively short. |
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Abdomen tucked up |
14) ABDOMEN: Should be firmly held and
not paunchy.
The bottom line is only moderately tucked up in the loin. |
Abdomen too paunchy |
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15) TOPLINE:
The withers are higher than
and sloping into the lower back.
The back is straight, very strongly developed without sag or roach and
relatively short. The desirable long proportion is not derived from a long
back but achieved by width of forequarter, length of withers, width of
hindquarters, and position and length of croup viewed from the side. The
loin, viewed from the top, is broad and strong (undue length between the
last rib and thigh when viewed from the side is undesirable).
The croup should be long and gradually sloping. |
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Ideal |
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Low wither--soft back |
Too Long Bodied |
Soft Back--Overbuilt Croup |
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Front View of the Thigh
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17) HINDQUARTERS: The whole assembly of the thigh, viewed from
the side, is broad, with both upper and lower thigh well muscled,
forming as nearly as possible a right angle. The upper thighbone
parallels the shoulder blade
while the lower thighbone parallels the upper arm. The metatarsus is
short, strong, and tightly articulated. |
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Correct Rear |
Skeletal View |
Faulty: Cow Hocks |
Tall hocks, lacking thigh |
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18) GAIT:
THE GAIT SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED A VERY CRITICAL PART OF THE OVERALL PERFECTION OF THIS BREED.
This breed must be observed while the dog is on a loose lead so that the
natural gait is evident. The gait is outreaching, elastic, seemingly
tireless without effort; smooth, and rhythmic, covering the maximum
amount of ground with the minimum amount of steps. At a walk, it covers
a great deal of ground with long strides of both hind legs and forelegs.
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At a trot, it covers still more ground with even longer stride, and
moves powerfully but easily with coordination and balance, so that the
gait appears to be as the steady motion of a well-lubricated machine.
The feet travel close to the ground on both forward reach and backward
push. In order to achieve ideal movement of this kind, there must be
good muscular development and ligamentation.
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The hindquarters deliver, through the back, a powerful thrust, which
slightly lifts the whole animal and drives the body forward. Reaching
far under, and passing the imprint left by the front foot, the hind foot
takes hold of the ground; then hock, stifle, and upper thigh come into
play and sweep back, the stroke of the hind leg finishing with the foot
still close to the ground in a smooth follow through. The overreach of
the hindquarter usually necessitates one hind foot passing outside and
the other hind foot passing inside the track of the forefeet, and such
action is not faulty unless the locomotion is crab-wise with the dog’s
body sideways out of the normal straight line. As the dog increases
speed into the "flying trot', he should move fluidly, without pounding.
The forelegs should reach out well past the nose while the head is
carried forward. |
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Overbuilt--low wither |
Square body--lacks reach
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Over-angulated Show type |
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19) TRANSMISSION: The typical smooth, flowing gait
is maintained with great strength and firmness of back. The whole effort of
the hindquarter is transmitted to the forequarter through the loin, back,
and withers. At full trot, the back must remain firm and level without sway,
roll, whip, or roach. An uneven topline with withers lower than the croup is
FAULTY. To compensate for the forward motion imparted by the
hindquarters, the shoulder should open to its full extent. The forelegs
should reach out close to the ground, in a long stride in harmony with
that of the hindquarters. |
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Correct |
Elbows Out |
The dog does not track on widely separated paralleled lines, but
brings the feet inward toward the middle line of the body when
trotting, in order to maintain balance. The feet track closely but
do not strike or cross over. Viewed from the front, the front legs
function from the shoulder joint to the pad in a straight line.
Viewed from the rear, the hind legs function from the hip joint to
the pad in a straight line.
FAULTS OF GAIT, WHETHER VIEWED
FROM THE FRONT, REAR OR SIDE, ARE CONSIDERED VERY SERIOUS.
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 Correct |
 Hocking |
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For more drawings, please
visit Linda Shaw's Illustrated Standard of the German Shepherd Dog
(copyright Linda Shaw, 2003): Mechanics of Movement.
(http://www.shawlein.com/The_Standard/09_Movement_1/Movement_1.html)
20)
COLOR:
The Shiloh Shepherd™ comes in various colors. Shades of black with tan,
golden tan, reddish tan, silver, and cream are as desirable as are various
shades of richly pigmented golden, silver, red, dark brown, dark gray, or
black sables. Also solid black or solid white is acceptable as long as the
nose, eye rims, and lips are solid black. A white blaze on the chest is
acceptable as well as some white markings on the toes, as long as they are
blended in with the other shades of silver, cream, tan, etc. Any other white
markings on any other part of the body should be considered a FAULT. Any
washed out or pale colors should also be considered a FAULT. Blues, livers,
dogs with lack of proper pigmentation, or dogs with a nose that is not
predominately black must be DISQUALIFIED.
Please visit
http://www.shilohshepherds.info/issrShilohShepherdsCoatColor.pdf for
color pictures representing all acceptable variations for the ISSR
Shiloh Shepherd.
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21) COAT (TWO ACCEPTABLE
VARIETIES):
SMOOTH:
The ideal dog has a double coat of medium length. The outer coat should be
as dense as possible with hair straight, harsh, lying close to the body. The
hair around the neck area should be slightly longer and thicker. The rear of
the forelegs and hind legs has somewhat longer hair extending to the pastern
and hock respectively. The head including the inner ear and fore face, legs
and paws should be covered with shorter hair. *Even though the smooth coated
type requires less care and grooming -- the Plush coated variety seems to
shed less.
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PLUSH:
The Plush Variety has a close fitting double coat of medium coarse guard
hairs, with a softer undercoat. The head and muzzle, back of the ears and
front of the legs and paws are covered with short smooth hairs. The neck has
a distinct "mane" that extends to, and covers the chest, with slightly
shorter hair covering the remaining torso, not to exceed 5" in length. The
"feathering" inside of the ears and on the back of the forelegs should not
exceed 3" in length. *Show Grooming should include the trimming of all
excess fur from between the toes, around the pads, and the removal of all
"tufts" from among the "feathering" inside the ears. |
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Strong pastern 
