How to Test a Purebred German Shepherd ( Guides 2021)

Dogs are considered a best friend of a human; one loyal and caring partner is German Shepherds. German Shepherds are working dogs that are too friendly in nature. It is a dog-loving family that does not want a German Shepherd puppy in their home. However, the reports have also shown that Purebred German shepherds are the second most favorite American dog.

Being a famous breed of dogs, many dog sellers also con their customers by selling the wrong breed as the Purebred German Shepherds, which can be a loss to the buyer. The seller can use the mixed breed or any other breed and sell it to you at a purebred rate and make a huge profit out of it. People who are keenly interested in buying a pure breed German shepherd should look at the measures that will help them save their bucks.

How Much Does A Purebred German Shepherd Cost?

Purebred German Shepherds can be very expensive and can cost you a lot of bucks from your pocket. What makes it so expensive is that a purebred German Shepherd is only born when both the parent dogs are purebred. If you are willing to get a purebred, you should prepare yourself to pay from $1500 to $5000 as per the breed rate. The rate of the breed can also depend upon the color and the fitness of the dog.

However, a local breeder can give it to you from $1000 to $2000. And you can also adopt an adult purebred from an adoption center for below $1000.

Some Standards for a GSD Pure Breed

But what makes the purebred different from the normal ones? The standards that decide the breed of the German Shepherd are decided very easy to determine. One should know these standards so that they do not get cloned by the seller.

  • Color difference

Purebred German Shepherd is generally black and tan, so anyone selling you a GSD who has a somewhat different color then this it can stay in the condition of doubt. Apart from this, German Shepherd has many other colors such as Black & red, liver, sable, Gray, solid white, etc.

  • Height

American kennel club has a guideline that says purebred German Shepherd can be 60 to 65 cm in height for males and 55 to 60 cm height for females. 

  • Weight

They further also have given a guideline about 30 kg to 40 kg weight of a male and 22 kg to 33kg of a female.

These cannot be the perfect way of judging the breed, but you can make an estimate from them. If a seller shows you a Purebred German Shepherd with a mark, he is faking it because No mark is considered the standard for a Purebred German Shepherd.

Dogs That Look Like Purebred GSDs

Do you get confused between a Purebred German Shepherd and another dog? Well, many sellers try to fake it; that means they try to sell other dogs who are not Purebred German Shepherd but are the lookalike of them.

However, here is a list of specific dogs that looks as they are Purebred German Shepherds but are not:

  • When we consider it in terms of appearance, the Belgian Malinois is a variety of dog that appears to be somewhat the same as a Purebred German Shepherd. They have the same coat and style of hair but what makes a differentiation is that they are not Black and tan.
  • Another shepherd in the race is King Shepherd; it is also similar to the German Shepherd, but what makes a difference is the size and the shape. They are a little muscular and come in only sable color.
  • A fraud who sells you the Purebred German Shepherd puppies will try to sell you a Bohemian Shepherd because this breed is not so expensive and increases their profit margin, looting you.
  • One more breed that is cheaper and can be wrongly seen as a German Shepherd is a Northern Inuits. What makes the difference is that they are much larger and can also be lighter than a purebred GSD.
  • The last in the list is a Carpathian Shepherd; they are not much similar to GSD as much the other dog breed in this list are, but they can also confuse you just like others if you lack some knowledge. The difference is that they will have black markings just like the Belgian Malinois.

Many of the breeds can be so similar that you might not be able to identify them, so better is you get some proper test done to check whether you have a Purebred GSD Dog or not.

How to Test a Purebred German Shepherd

To test whether you are buying a genuine purebred or not, you need to be double sure before paying for it. What can help you out to find it down are:

  • Documents

When you ask many questions before buying it, the buyer can be alert and can even sell you the genuine puppy, but if you have a specific doubt of about even 1% on the seller, you should ask for the dog’s document. The pedigree registration certificate will have all the data of the dog, like from where the dog belongs, origin, and breed by which you can be double sure.

However, some adoption centers may not have documents, so you can try the other ways out.

  • Genetics test

Science has gone a long way ahead, and today it is possible to check the genes of a dog. In case you want to be entirely sure about the breed, you can get the genetics test done. No doubt, it will cost you some bucks but lower than the dog’s actual cost.

  • DIY testing

You can test your dog’s breed on your own by using your DNA test kit, take the sample from the cheeks of the dog, and perform it. Do not try the blood sample if you are unprofessional in this case.

Finally, you are now aware of the Purebred German Shepherds, so be aware and save yourself from the fraudsters.