The biggest difference between East German Shepherds and West German Shepherds is the different direction in which they are bred by humans. The East German Shepherd is trained primarily as a working dog, whereas the West German Shepherd is bred primarily to be an ornamental dog. The West German Shepherd focuses primarily on the appearance of the dog and does not take into account the courage and working and athletic instincts inherited by the dog. For many people, references to West German Shepherds mean show line German Shepherds, while references to East German Shepherds mean working line German Shepherds!
