MyDogBreeds
East German Shepherd is originated from Germany but Chinese Shar Pei is originated from China. East German Shepherd may grow 9 cm / 4 inches higher than Chinese Shar Pei. East German Shepherd may weigh 15 kg / 34 pounds more than Chinese Shar Pei. Both East German Shepherd and Chinese Shar Pei has almost same life span. East German Shepherd may have more litter size than Chinese Shar Pei. East German Shepherd requires High maintenance. But Chinese Shar Pei requires Moderate maintenance
The East German Shepherd is a line of the German Shepherd Dog breed. The German Shepherd Dog came about when the three types of “continental shepherd dogs” separated into the Dutch Shephers, German Shepherd and Belgian Shepherd. In the 1800’s it was local shepherds who bred their dogs and selected the traits they needed in their geography. The result was dogs in various local areas who all could herd and guard flocks; who were intelligent, strong, fast and had a good sense of smell, but their appearance and skills varied from town to town.
The changes in Germany from agriculture and sheep to industrial cities rendered the German Sheep Dog obsolete. But was it really? Many felt the dog could be a good working dog in the cities as well but needed some refinement in the breed according to Max von Stephanite. At a dog show in 1899, he found what he wanted – the perfect working dog.Stephanitz bought the dog and founded the Society for the German Shepherd. (Verein fur Deutsch Schaferhunde) Stephanitz is considered the developer of the German Shepherd Dog.
The East German Shepherd is a line of the same breed. There are several different lines of the German Shepherd Dog, with slight difference for the reason they were bred. For instance, the German Shepherd Dog is bred for looks while the East German Shepherd is bred to be a working dog. Often called a DDR German Shepherd, they came about from the Deutsche Democratic Republic or the Republic of East Germany. For about 40 years in East Germany these dogs were bred only within the DDR bloodline.
The East German Shepherd is stronger, heavier boned, leaner, more muscular and solid. During the time of the Berlin Wall, from 1961-1989, there were few German Shepherds for breeding stock on either side of the wall, but especially in the East. There the government controlled the development of the breed. They developed a separate registry for the DDR – East German Shepherd. With such strict standards for a perfect working dog and such little breeding stock, the only dogs allowed to reproduce were the ones that passed a rigorous test and were deemed perfect working dogs.
In West Germany they continued to breed for appearance. The West German Shepherd are the most popular ones and are usually simply called German Shepherds. The show dogs of today and the American line came from the West.
Preserving the East German Shepherd today is important and difficult. It means preserving not improving. The Strength of the East German Shepherd is their body line and style, Today’s breeder must maintain this while making sure there is enough diversity in the gene pool to keep the line healthy without losing its body style and working temperament. It is important that the East German Shepherd have a straight back rather than the sloping one of the German Shepherd Dog or the American lines of the GSD. The working dog is also more aggressive and has a much higher work drive than any of the other German Shepherd Dogs lines.
The Chinese Shar-Pei is originally from Canton, China. The Shar-Pei has a blue-black tongue and many deep wrinkles. They have more wrinkles as a puppy than the adult dogs do. They are one of the rarest breeds in the world and are considered a basal breed – meaning their existence predates modern canines. Most canines are related to the gray wolf through genetic admixture. However, there are breeds like the Siberian Husky, the Greenland Dog, Finnish Spitz and the Shar Pei are all related to the Taymyr Wolk of North Asia through admixture. The Shar Pei is found throughout the centuries in Chinese artwork, especially found during the Han Dynasty, and are considered one of the most ancient of breeds on earth today. In this period, they were fighting dogs then became beloved pets. Today the Tibetans still use them as fighting dogs.
Following the Communist Revolution, the Char Pei was almost extinct until Margo Law saved the breed. During this time, they smuggled around 200 dogs into the United States. All the dogs in the United States today come from those 200 dogs. They were accepted in 1992 into the AKC. The dogs served as trackers, hunters, ratters, guard dogs and herders.
What are the differences between the German Shepherd Dog (GSD) and the East German Shepherd? The East German Shepherd has a straight back and a larger bone structure. He has a very large and block shaped head with a lean, athletic build. His lips are taunt and dark, and his nose must be black. He has a scissor bite and strong teeth. His eyes are medium sized almonds that are slanted slightly. The eyes are also very dark. His ears are erect and not too big. His legs, haunches and feet must all be coordinated so that he trots rather than runs.
The Chines Sar Pei has what if known as a Horse-coat which is prickly, harsh, and rough to the touch on one direction and rough to touch on the other. Western Shar Peis can be Horse, Bearcoat and Brush. The Brush is longer and smoother while the Bear coat is rare and in-between the two. The Bearcoat is not accepted by the AKC while the other two types of coats are.
The Shar Pei should have a hippo shaped head, a black-purple tongue, black mouth, deep set almond shaped dark eyes, small ears and red coats. His profile is square, and his muzzle is full and wide. Most Shar Peis only have facial and neck wrinkles left as adults.
The East German Shepherd is a well- balanced dog. He is sure of himself, friendly, loyal and wants to please his owner. He is intelligent, resilient and attentive. He will make a great family pet. He is aggressive with a high prey drive but that can be tempered with good socialization and training. He is easy to train.
The Shar Pei must be socialized early to other people, children and animals if he is to be friendly with them. He is loyal to his people and instinctively wary of strangers. He will be completed devoted to his people, but he is reserved and independent. They can be aggressive and territorial if not socialized. They are stubborn, loving and loyal. They are dominant, brave and playful. They are great watch dogs. Keep them busy because they tend to think a lot independently and if they don’t have a job they may create one.
Because the East German Shepherd line has been isolated behind the Berlin Wall, there are not many genetic health issues in the line. Most importantly the East German Shepherd shows no hip dysplasia which plagues most GSD. There are a couple of situations to look out for. They are:
A life threatening issue that must be addressed immediately for fear of death. Bloat is caused when a larger dog with a deep chest eats too large a meal before or after strenuous exercise, eats too fast, or drinks too much water. The stomach distends with air or gas and twists. Sometimes it is completely inverted. Get help fast or your dog will die.
Because of the rushed and inexperienced breeding programs in the United States due to the popularity of the breed, there are many health issues in the North American version of the Shar Pei. Their life expectancy is generally under ten years. They are prone to:
Because these dogs were bred to work you need to feed them a high quality dry food, made for working dogs. It needs to have a good amount of calcium and glucosamine. Feed about 3-4 cups per day divided into 2 feeding times.
In addition to bloat as mentioned above, the East German Shepherd can also have both air born, and food born allergies. These are easily treated by your veterinarian.
The East German Shepherd is a high energy, high activity dog so you have some for him. He is agile and athletic. He needs serious exercise and a job is essential. If you can’t give an East German Shepherd a job, then don’t get this dog. He loves tracking and has a high prey drive. Keep him trained, challenged and working. Try tracking and herding trials, obedience, agility, fly ball and bar hunt.
Feed a good quality dry dog food but do not overfeed. You should feed twice a day about one cup per six pounds for puppies. Adults should have two cups a day.
• Familial Shar Pei Fever – congenital and serious. This produces fevers that can last from 24 hours to three days. Swelling around the ankles is due to fluid retention.
• Entropion eye issues – eyelashes curl in and inflame the eye. Can cause blindness if not treated. Requires surgery.
Both as a puppy and an adult this is a pretty active dog. He needs at the very least to be walked every day or have a back yard to play in. They are sensitive to heat so bring them in when its really hot and don’t walk them in the heat. They love to play, are athletic and competitive. Try agility, tracking, rally and obedience trials.