Conformation is the judgement of movement, structure and overall balance of the German Shepherd. The classes are divided by coat/gender/age and the dogs are evaluated by a certified judge with immense knowledge of the breed standard as set forth by the Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde (S.V.). Each dog in the ring is typically presented by a two person team made up of a “handler” and “caller”. This is a tactic known as “double handling”. Double handling is where you have one person in the ring handling/presenting the dog to the judge (known as “The Handler”) and the other person remains on the outside of the ring calling the attention of the dog (known as “The Caller”). The handler can (and often does) only see the dog on the day of the event. The caller is the person who the dog in bonded to most, in many cases this would be the owner or trainer. At the SV shows you may also notice the attire, handlers and callers wear fitness clothes often representing their team or associating kennel colors. The Classes are divided first by age followed by gender and coat length (Stock Coat/ long Coat). The classes offered are Baby Puppy 4-6 month, Junior Puppy 6-9 month, Senior puppy 9-12 month, Youth 12-18 month, Young 18-24 month, Open Class (dogs 2yrs and older without working title), Working Class (dog two years and older with working title, HD/ED Evaluations and breed survey), and Veterans Class (Titled dogs ages 6yrs or older). Depending on the class, your dog will be judged in the stance, slow gate, fast gate, movement in the front (i.e. walking directly towards the judge), movement from the back (i.e. walking away from the judge) and off leash healing (working class only). The Working Class is the highest level performance class in the SV Conformation shows. In this class the dogs are not only judged on their conformation, movement and character but the overall wellness of the dog is taken into high consideration as well. It’s important to note that these are “breed shows”, so, in your working class the judges are not just evaluating the conformation but the suitability for breeding as well. In order to qualify for the working class the dog must have a working title (IGP 1-3), hip & elbow evaluations (i.e. HD/ED) through either the OFA or SV, and a breed survey (for dogs over the age of 3.5 years). For Sieger Shows, your dog may also be required to have his/her DNA on file with the SV or AKC in order to be eligible for the higher ratings such as V (Excellent) or VA (Supreme). Most shows that are offered throughout the year are club level shows or regional championships. Once a year (per country) there is a National Championship called the Sieger Show. In the USA the Sieger Show is hosted in rotating years by the GSDCA and USCA. All even years are hosted by the GSDCA and odd years are hosted by the USCA. At the Sieger Show you will notice a higher attendance as kennels and teams from all across the USA will travel to compete and earn the 1st in the nation title and bragging rights. For most of the classes from Baby Puppy to One Class and Veterans the classes will run the exact same as any other show. For the Working Class, however, this is the main event. The dogs in the Working Class at a Sieger Show must perform a performance test (aka Protection Work) at the start of the show. The performance test consists of a healing exercise followed by two phases of protection work (attack out of the blind and courage test). The dogs must pass this portion with a pronounced “a” meaning that they scored at least 3 points in each in phase. From the performance section the dogs will present in front of the judge in whats known as the “stand for exam” followed by the working class which is held on the final day of the Sieger Show. Only the dogs in Working Class that have all the qualifications to enter ,and in addition to, show good performance, character and progeny would be eligible for the VA rating. The VA rating is the most coveted rating in the SV program and is typically awarded to 5-10 dogs per county, per year in each Working Class division.