Patterns

Doerak, crochet German Shepherd pattern

After many requests for this pattern, I am excited to finally present my German Shepherd amigurumi. This is Doerak, a crocheted German Shepherd puppy!

Crochet dog outdoor

You might be wondering about the name Doerak. It comes from a German Shepherd puppy I fell in love with as a child during a holiday. In Dutch, “Doerak” affectionately means something like “little scoundrel.”

I began this pattern with full confidence but soon realised that deciding on the colouring was quite challenging. What is the most standard German Shepherd coat? I struggled to find a definitive answer because there are so many variations! For my version, cuteness was the key factor, so I experimented with different face colourings and chose the one that looked most like a German Shepherd puppy. Since I made several versions, some of which turned out really nice, I added an extra face option to the pattern. For Doerak, I chose the lighter colour around the eyes, the other version gives a darker appearance, with black around the eyes.

For the body, I used a basic colouring that makes it easier for you to customise it to match your own dog’s coat. I know many people want to create amigurumis of their own or a friend’s dog, and every dog “has its own coat.” My advice for anyone adjusting the colouring is to start with one of the existing versions as your base (you can use leftover yarn for this). Instead of a traditional stitch marker, use a contrasting coloured strand to mark the first stitch of each round, carrying it up with every round. This clearly identifies the first stitch and helps you divide your colour sections accurately. By doing this, you’ll have a clear reference point to customise the colour placement while maintaining the overall structure of the pattern. I also explain this in the pattern.

I’m already quite fond of my little crochet K9, and I hope this pattern inspires many unique dog amigurumis! Below are some more pictures of Doerak, the crocheted German Shepherd, along with all the information you need.

This crochet dog is made with Istex Lett Lopi— a 100% wool yarn known for its fuzziness. The dog is 5.5 inch /14 cm high sitting. The pattern includes clear and colour-coded instructions on how to crochet and assemble the doll, along with instructional images and notes next to the text. You’ll also find pictures of the finished doll at the end. In the pattern, you’ll discover what materials you need as well as the yarn colour numbers—in short, everything necessary to create your own realistic German Shepherd amigurumi! All the additional information you need to know about this pattern you can find in the shop listings. You can purchase it in my shop at Ravelry or Etsy.

And heads up! This pattern has a one-dollar release discount until April the 24th. Feel free to let me know if you need any additional information!

2 thoughts on “Doerak, crochet German Shepherd pattern”

  1. Doerak is perfect, Sonja! What an intelligent look he has and so very, very, cute. I like his nose! Those alert ears look as if they are listening for all the compliments which will be coming his way.

    1. Thanks Jan! I’d bought a few doggy safety noses a while ago, but never used them before because I like the ‘all crochet’ look. But for this dark snout a doggy nose seemed like a perfect solution.

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