King Shepherd

The king shepherd is cross-bred dog developed in the 1990s by blending German Shepherds with Alaskan Malamutes and Great Pyrenees.^[1]

Description

The build of this dog is slightly muscular, long, and robust; the structure is solid. The head is in good proportion with the body and moderately wide between the eyes. The forehead is slightly rounded. The cheeks are not too full and moderately curved when viewed from the top. The thick, firm ears are medium sized and moderately wide at base. The eyes are medium sized and almond shaped. The shades of the eyes can be varying shades of brown ranging from golden brown to almost black. The chest is broad and deep. Thickly feathered, the tail reaches at least to the hocks and is slightly curved. Docked tails are inadmissible. Paws are round and short with a well closed arch. The pads are very hard. The nails are short, long, and dark colored. Dewclaws are usually removed. The King Shepherd comes with a wide range of colors: Sable, black saddle with tan, gold, cream, and tan or silver markings. Pale washed out colors are serious faults. The undercoat is little colored except in solid black dogs. White, blue, or liver colored dogs or a dog with a nose that is not black are not accepted in the show ring. Puppies change color until their final coat. There are two coat varieties - plush-haired and long-haired.^[2]

Size

King Shepherds are much larger than German Shepherds. Males stand at 29-32 inches tall and 100-150 pounds while females are 25-29 inches tall and 75 to 110 pounds.

Temperament

The King Shepherd is self-confident with a well-balanced personality and healthy nervous system. They should not exhibit any shyness or nervousness. They are extremely intelligent, easy to train and eager and faithful to please their owners. This breed makes a fine sheepherder and working dog. They are also a naturally courageous guard and watchdog, showing courage, strength, and hardiness in their role of protector. They make very nice companions and are friendly to other animals and children.^[3] They are a docile obedient breed with an easy gait and plenty of stamina.

Care

King Shepherds are not recommended for apartment life. They do best with at least a large yard. The king shepherd loves strenuous activity, preferably combined with training of some sort, these dogs are very intelligent and crave a good challenge. King Shepherds need to be taken on a brisk, daily, long walk, jog, or a run alongside a bicycle. If under-exercised this breed can be restless, and destructive.

Origin

Two American dog breeders Shelly Watts-Cross, and David Turkheimer created this large breed from the Shiloh Shepherd (American and European German Shepherd dogs^[4] and Alaskan Malamutes), additional American bred German Shepherd dogs and the Great Pyrenees. An official dog breed club was started in 1995.

history

 The King Shepherd is a large-sized German Shepherd Dog. The German Shepherd Dog was bred in the late 19th and early 20th century in a concerted effort to breed the ultimate sheepdog. Contrary to popular opinion, it is no more closely related to the wolf than any other breed of dog. A consortium of German breeders worked to make a brave, intelligent dog that could herd sheep and run quickly with great stamina. They produced an agile, powerful dog which quickly showed its usefulness at police work and guarding. German Shepherd Dogs became the most popular breed in America after the rise of German Shepherd movie star Rin Tin Tin, who thrilled audiences with astounding skills such as leaping nearly 12 feet high. Rin Tin Tin was known to dine on tenderloin steaks prepared by a personal chef. While no longer the country’s number one breed, the incredibly adaptable German Shepherd Dog is today a popular guard dog, police dog, guide dog, search-and-rescue dog, drug-sniffing dog, and pet. The King Shepherd was bred by American breeders in the 1990’s by crossing the German Shepherd Dog with the Alaskan Malamute and Great Pyrenees in an effort to make a larger variant.

King Shepherd

A King Shepherd
Country of origin	United States
[hide]Traits Weight Male 90–150 pounds (41–68 kg) Female 75–110 pounds (34–50 kg) Height Male 27–32 inches (69–81 cm) Female 25–28 inches (64–71 cm) Color Sable, black saddle with tan, gold, cream, tan or silver markings Life span 10 - 11 years
[hide]Classification and standards Not recognized by any major kennel club
Notes	Recognized by numerous independent kennel clubs