PetzloverEast German Shepherd is originated from Germany but Santal Hound is originated from India. East German Shepherd may grow 20 cm / 8 inches higher than Santal Hound. East German Shepherd may weigh 28 kg / 62 pounds more than Santal Hound. Both East German Shepherd and Santal Hound has almost same life span. Both East German Shepherd and Santal Hound has almost same litter size. East German Shepherd requires High Maintenance. But Santal Hound requires Low Maintenance
The East German Shepherd is a line of the German Shepherd Dog breed. The German Shepherd Dog came about when the three types of “continental shepherd dogs” separated into the Dutch Shephers, German Shepherd and Belgian Shepherd. In the 1800’s it was local shepherds who bred their dogs and selected the traits they needed in their geography. The result was dogs in various local areas who all could herd and guard flocks; who were intelligent, strong, fast and had a good sense of smell, but their appearance and skills varied from town to town.
The changes in Germany from agriculture and sheep to industrial cities rendered the German Sheep Dog obsolete. But was it really? Many felt the dog could be a good working dog in the cities as well but needed some refinement in the breed according to Max von Stephanite. At a dog show in 1899, he found what he wanted – the perfect working dog.Stephanitz bought the dog and founded the Society for the German Shepherd. (Verein fur Deutsch Schaferhunde) Stephanitz is considered the developer of the German Shepherd Dog.
The East German Shepherd is a line of the same breed. There are several different lines of the German Shepherd Dog, with slight difference for the reason they were bred. For instance, the German Shepherd Dog is bred for looks while the East German Shepherd is bred to be a working dog. Often called a DDR German Shepherd, they came about from the Deutsche Democratic Republic or the Republic of East Germany. For about 40 years in East Germany these dogs were bred only within the DDR bloodline.
The East German Shepherd is stronger, heavier boned, leaner, more muscular and solid. During the time of the Berlin Wall, from 1961-1989, there were few German Shepherds for breeding stock on either side of the wall, but especially in the East. There the government controlled the development of the breed. They developed a separate registry for the DDR – East German Shepherd. With such strict standards for a perfect working dog and such little breeding stock, the only dogs allowed to reproduce were the ones that passed a rigorous test and were deemed perfect working dogs.
In West Germany they continued to breed for appearance. The West German Shepherd are the most popular ones and are usually simply called German Shepherds. The show dogs of today and the American line came from the West.
Preserving the East German Shepherd today is important and difficult. It means preserving not improving. The Strength of the East German Shepherd is their body line and style, Today’s breeder must maintain this while making sure there is enough diversity in the gene pool to keep the line healthy without losing its body style and working temperament. It is important that the East German Shepherd have a straight back rather than the sloping one of the German Shepherd Dog or the American lines of the GSD. The working dog is also more aggressive and has a much higher work drive than any of the other German Shepherd Dogs lines.
The Santal Hound has always been used for hunting and these Indian pariah dogs haven’t changed much over the years.
It is a small red Indian indigenous dog. It is named after the Santal tribe who used the dog for hunting. They sometimes refer to the dog as Seuta and Kukur.
When you do research on the Santal Hound, you will mostly find it among indigenous peoples. It isn’t only found in India but in Africa, being found among the different nomadic hunting tribes in East Africa.
What are the differences between the German Shepherd Dog (GSD) and the East German Shepherd? The East German Shepherd has a straight back and a larger bone structure. He has a very large and block shaped head with a lean, athletic build. His lips are taunt and dark, and his nose must be black. He has a scissor bite and strong teeth. His eyes are medium sized almonds that are slanted slightly. The eyes are also very dark. His ears are erect and not too big. His legs, haunches and feet must all be coordinated so that he trots rather than runs.
The Santal is considered a small to medium sized dog standing at between 40 and 45cm in height and weighing between 9 and 12 kilograms.
It is also slightly built with fine bones. The coat of the dog is reddish brown or yellow-brown, the eyes are almond shaped and brown and the muzzle is pointed. The ears of the dog are erect and point forward. The tail of this dog is usually curled over the dog’s back. The dog doesn’t really bark as such but howls instead. It has small paws and walks with a high-stepping style like a prancing horse.
These dogs are calm, independent, loving and loyal and also affectionate with their human family. He is cool with strangers.
They are alert, intelligent dogs and you certainly won’t have any trouble teaching him a few simple commands. He cleans himself like a cat. He seems to understand what you say as he always cocks his head to one side when you talk to him. He is a playful dog and will love to be involved with games with the children.
He can also get on well with other dogs in the family. He is capable of adapting to life in the city or the countryside just so long as his exercise needs are met.
The East German Shepherd is a well- balanced dog. He is sure of himself, friendly, loyal and wants to please his owner. He is intelligent, resilient and attentive. He will make a great family pet. He is aggressive with a high prey drive but that can be tempered with good socialization and training. He is easy to train.
The Santal dog is an unusual dog with some unique characteristics. He hasn’t got any particularly exceptional characteristics either, but he promises to make you a good pet.
He is capable of providing you with lots of love, and on top of that he is a low maintenance dog too.
When you bring him into your home, you’re going to get yourself a loyal, loving pet and companion.
Because the East German Shepherd line has been isolated behind the Berlin Wall, there are not many genetic health issues in the line. Most importantly the East German Shepherd shows no hip dysplasia which plagues most GSD. There are a couple of situations to look out for. They are:
A life threatening issue that must be addressed immediately for fear of death. Bloat is caused when a larger dog with a deep chest eats too large a meal before or after strenuous exercise, eats too fast, or drinks too much water. The stomach distends with air or gas and twists. Sometimes it is completely inverted. Get help fast or your dog will die.
Dogs stand a better chance of avoiding sickness if they are fed well and they get a fair amount of exercise. But our fur kids can get sick anytime really, and it pays to know about some of the dangerous diseases they can succumb to -
Your dog will have a fever, he will be lethargic and have diarrhea with vomiting. It is a contagious virus affecting dogs that come into contact with the feces of an ill dog. It attacks a dog’s internal organs, and although the vet will do everything possible to help your dog, parvo is often fatal.
Your dog will be coughing, have respiratory problems, lethargy and weight loss. These parasites are found in your dog’s heart and are spread by mosquitoes. Check with your vet about treatments to prevent this horrible illness.
Have your pet vaccinated against rabies, a deadly diseases spread by saliva and a bite from an infected animal. It is fatal and once your dog has this disease, there is no treatment.
Because these dogs were bred to work you need to feed them a high quality dry food, made for working dogs. It needs to have a good amount of calcium and glucosamine. Feed about 3-4 cups per day divided into 2 feeding times.
In addition to bloat as mentioned above, the East German Shepherd can also have both air born, and food born allergies. These are easily treated by your veterinarian.
The East German Shepherd is a high energy, high activity dog so you have some for him. He is agile and athletic. He needs serious exercise and a job is essential. If you can’t give an East German Shepherd a job, then don’t get this dog. He loves tracking and has a high prey drive. Keep him trained, challenged and working. Try tracking and herding trials, obedience, agility, fly ball and bar hunt.
Provide your Santal Hound with top quality food to ensure his health. While there are some excellent commercially manufactured foods on the market, it is important to choose the high quality ones that have natural, good ingredients in them.
Try to include some home-made food for him which can be simply mixed into the dry kibble twice a week. Boiled chicken, brown rice or pasta and spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots are super tasty and nutritious. Your dog will love such simple, good food as it doesn’t upset his stomach.
If you can, try and include a little bit of raw meat to his diet occasionally as this can go towards ensuring he doesn’t get skin diseases.
Trim your dogs nails, check his eyes and ears for infection and check his teeth too.
Provide your dog with a warm, dry place to sleep.
Don’t allow your Santal Hound to have puppies. There are so many unwanted puppies all over the world. Rather have him or her spayed or neutered to avoid puppies that nobody wants. It is beneficial for his health too.