The Verein fuer Deutsche Schaeferhunde (SV) e.V. was founded in April 1899. The SV determines the breed standard for the German Shepherd Dog and maintains the breed registry. It supports, guides and supervises the breeding of registered GSDs in Germany, through a number of means. The SV does not only support the sport of Schutzhund but the use of the GSD as a working dog in general (Police dogs, search and rescue,aso).

The SVs structure consists of regions or Landesgruppen, who in turn are made up of clubs or Ortsgruppen. For a detailed look at the statutes of the SV, from the main club to the 'Koerordnung' you can access the SV WebPages www.schaeferhunde.de and select Satzungen/Ordnungen, alas you must be able to read German. [Note a lot has been made available in English, if you go to the Schutzhund USA webpage] The WebPages also contain a list of breedwardens (Zuchtwarte), a good place to start if you are looking for a particular kennel and type of dog, conformation or working line, as the breedwarden should know about the litters born in his/her region.

Before you are allowed to breed a GSD however, the dog must pass through the minimum requirements (male: 2 years, female 20 month, title SchH 1-3 or IP or HGH, show rating of good), a dog is suitable for breeding if it achieves the minimum requirements and a breed survey class 2 and a dog is only recommended for breeding if it passes the following requirements: minimum requirements plus a breed survey class (KoerKlasse) 1. Thus Schutzhund is not only a sport but it's tests and evaluations are used to determine the breedworthiness of the dog.

In addition to the existing breed evaluations the SV is adding the Zuchtwertschaetzung (An estimation of the breedworthiness). Two scientific evaluations are used to generate a number that shows the breed worthiness of a GSD with respect to its disposition to pass on Hip dysplasia. This information will be publicized on the internet as well as through traditional means (Deck und Belegnachrichten). A breeder can use this numerical value to determine the risk for hip dysplasia. The combined value for male and female should not exceed a limit set by the SV. (See SV Zeitung p.439 number 7 1998).

Schutzhund USA is a part of the SV breed registry, and you can obtain information on how to register your GSD with the USA registry by emailing them. (http://www.germanshepherddog.com).