52 The Shepherd or Police Dog 
the faults are rather intensified and prove an ineradi¬ 
cable inheritance. 
It is of utmost importance to take into careful 
consideration the character and temperament of the 
sire. We must always keep uppermost in our mind 
the fact that the Shepherd is a utility dog, and as 
such has won his spurs, so it is incumbent upon every 
breeder to so carefully select his matings that there 
may be no inherent faults of character and disposi¬ 
tion stamped upon the breed, for they are very, very 
difficult to eradicate. A shy or vicious sire will 
usually produce puppies that are like him in disposi¬ 
tion, and dogs with these defects are usually stupid 
and useless for training. The same may be said 
about the brood bitch, and should both sire and dam 
be possessed of these evils, then the result is truly 
alarming and the breeder has done an incalculable 
harm by fixing a curse that the intelligent and con- 
scientioius breeder has been trying to dispel. In the 
bitch we call for a quiet, even temperament, and 
while the dash and aggressiveness of the male need 
not prevail, still there must be no sign of fear or 
nervousness. 
Without a doubt, the best results are obtained by 
a sire and dam that are alike in their general con¬ 
formation, and while this is possible in Germany, 
where there are a great many good sires to select 
from in a rather limited territory, it is difficult in 
America on account of the great distances that sep¬ 
arate the dogs. 
After the proper selection of the individual, the 
next step would be a careful consideration of the 
