German Shepherd: Dog Breed Information and Pictures

The German Shepherd, also known as the Alsatian, is a breed of working dog that originated in Germany. It was developed from traditional herding and farm dogs to become a highly versatile and intelligent breed.

They are considered one of the finest all-purpose workers in the dog world, displaying loyalty, confidence, courage, and a steady nature. As protective dogs, they are fearless and self-confident, willing to assertively stand their ground, making them suitable as watchdogs or for guarding their loved ones. Due to their exceptional intelligence and versatility, German Shepherds have also been trained for many roles, including police and military work, search and rescue, therapy dogs, and service animals for people with disabilities.

History of German Shepherd

It originated towards the turn of the nineteenth century, 1899. This breed was primarily reared to protect the flocks of sheep of the farmers. This is also where it derives its name from.

It should be remembered that during the nineteenth century, the breed was considered a worker and not a part of the family. The original founder of this breed is credited as Max von Stephanitz, who embodied the spirit of the age, which glorified dogs that were bred to work in the time of the industrial revolution. He discovered a particular dog at a show, who he believed had every quality that a working dog should have, and renamed it Horand von Grafrath.

It is believed that all contemporary German Shepherds can trace their genetic origins back to this specific dog. By the beginning of the first World war, the breed had become extremely popular across Germany. It was used extensively during military campaigns and extermination camps during the Holocaust. After the First World War, the breed was taken across the globe. It gained popularity not only as a police dog but also as a valuable companion for the handicapped.

More about German Shepheard

German Shepherds are a breed of working dogs that were developed in Germany from traditional herding and farm dogs. They are known for their intelligence, loyalty, and courage, making them popular as police dogs, search and rescue dogs, and family pets. German Shepherds are strongly built and relatively long-bodied dogs, standing 22 to 26 inches tall at the withers and weighing 75 to 95 pounds.

Let us delve deeper into the traits of the German Shepherd breed.

Appearance

The German Shepherd is one of the world’s most easily recognizable dog breeds. The breed comes with its aura of nobility. They may range in color from brown to black to even blue and grow up to occupy a muscular framework. They have bushy and slightly curved tails with a slight hook.

German Shepherds are initially born with ears that are soft and floppy. As they age to around five months, the ears gradually become more pointy. They are usually erect when the German Shepherd stands at attention. Its eyes are dark, with an almond-like color, whereas the nose is typically black, of square shape, and in the form of a long but straight muzzle.

The dogs usually have a double coat of medium length, with the outer coat being dense and water-resistant. The colors of the coat can be of various hues.

Size

The size of a German Shepherd varies more than you might believe.

They are huge in comparison to other breeds, but not as gigantic as you might expect.

German Shepherd pups weigh about 1 pound when they are born and will weigh about 15 pounds when they are 8 weeks old. An adult German Shepherd will stand roughly 24 inches tall and weigh 80 pounds. On average, females are slightly shorter and lighter than males.

Personality

Although there are variations in the personality of various types of German Shepherds, there are some common traits that most of them share. These include:

Trainability

Remember that the German Shepherd has been historically bred to be a working dog. Subsequently, it has also been used as a police or a military dog. As a result of this historical process, trainability is something that comes naturally to the breed.

They thrive in an environment where they are trained afresh for new tasks and are given challenging exercises. They will be motivated if the owner is as committed to their training as they are. They can be trained in various activities, such as drug detection, rescue operations, service activity, etc.

Intelligence

According to researchers, the German Shepherd belongs among one of the smartest dog breeds. This is because the dog has a good grasping power, whereby it is able to obey a command with the least number of repetitions required.

Also, it has excellent adaptive as well as instinctive intelligence. The dog can give an appropriate response in the event of unexpected situations. Its instincts regarding whether to guard or to search, etc., are fairly accurate.

Athleticism

They are incredibly agile dogs, muscular, and able to sustain high speeds irrespective of their size. They come with a lot of energy. Hence they require an owner who will constantly keep them engaged with physical activities. It is believed that their athleticism is partly genetic, coming from their wolf ancestors, who also required a lot of speed and stamina to survive in the jungle.

Loyalty

This is not a dog breed that does well when left alone in the backyard. It requires much attention from the owner, with whom it forges a lifelong bond. It quickly integrates into the family setting and stays loyal to its owners. They do well with companionship and when left alone.

Temperament

German Shepherd dogs are often lively and playful. Although generalizations concerning dog breeds are well established and widely accepted, individual dogs may behave differently than others of their breed. The majority, but not all, are excellent companions for children and the elderly.

They are devoted, vigilant, and protective family members, and the breed is ideal for watchdog or protection work.

Military and police agencies frequently train German Shepherd dogs to locate fugitives, assist in search and rescue, and identify illegal narcotics.

Training

German Shepherds usually perform excellently in obedience training. With their exceptional aptitude and zeal to learn, they can be trained in various roles. These include service roles, search and rescue dogs, watchdogs, and guard dogs. They can also be trained to perform in sporting activities.

The dog enjoys performing demanding tasks. They want to progress beyond the basic instructions and want to learn further. Training challenges improve their self-confidence. It is suggested that the basis of the training should always be positive reinforcement.

The training of the pup should start at an early age. It is crucial to deal with them carefully since the dog can have a strong bite, which may be problematic during the initial teething phase. The German Shepherd should always be kept occupied; if not, it can tend to develop aggressive or unruly behaviors.

Health

In case you are planning to own a German Shepherd, there are some common hereditary problems that you should be aware of.

• Hip dysplasia: The symptoms include pain, limping, and joint degeneration. It affects the hip joints of several large breed dogs. This can eventually lead to arthritis.
• Elbow dysplasia: This is another orthopedic condition in which the front legs of the dog are affected.
• Elbow hygroma: In case of traumatic injury, this occurs in the form of a fluid swelling in the dog’s elbow.
• Anal furunculosis: This is a painful condition that causes ulcers to form around the bottom of the dog.
• Degenerative myelopathy: This is a neurological condition that affects the spinal cord. It may ultimately result in paralysis.
• Gastric dilation-volvulus: Also known as bloating, this can develop into a serious condition where the dog’s stomach expands with gas or food, and the abdominal cavities are then cut off.

Preventive care is the best recommended solution. You can take your pet regularly to the veterinarian to perform routine checkups, and to give you wellness and health-related feedback. It is advisable to make sure that the parents of the puppy have had the required health screening to determine whether the pup will get hereditary diseases.

Care

German Shepherds are born for action – they have lots of energy, which needs to be routinely burnt off through regular exercise. In case you leave them alone and without exercise, they may tend to develop other disruptive behaviors such as digging, chewing, or barking. Care should be taken about the objects that are placed around them. The dog will start picking up objects and try to chew them, thus hurting its teeth or jaws or choking. You can carefully give it some safe chewing toys or bones to keep it away from other objects.

Feeding

The diet of the German Shepherd is usually prescribed depending on its age. The routine should be to feed it two meals regularly. The usual standard is to feed it up to two cups of dry dog food. However, it would help if you refrained from giving the dog a large meal since German Shepherds are susceptible to stomach bloating. Fresh, clean water needs to be available at all times.

The proportion of treats should not be more than 10 % of the dog’s daily intake. If you are giving them treats, you should keep this in mind and reduce their intake during meals accordingly. There should be a time gap between the time of feeding and the time of exercise.

Coat Color and Grooming

The coat is for the original purpose for which the dog was built, and it also serves to protect the dog from rain and snow. The coat may be of three different sizes, i.e., a short stock coat, a medium coat, or a long one. It comes in various colors and patterns, such as black and cream, gray, white, and so on. The dog would require a brush or a comb down a few times a week. This should be sufficient to prevent the build-up of dead hair or matting.

 Loose hair may be plucked out from the overcoat by hand.

If you decide to give your dog a bath, you must do this carefully. Too many baths can irritate their skin. Hence, it makes sense to take them to professionals for the same.

Children and Other Pets

In general, a German Shepherd is considered to be a good playmate for children. However, this depends on their socialization and their personality. They can tend to be highly loyal to the kids, and they tend to look after family out of their protective instincts. Moreover, the dogs are able to handle the rough manner in which children tend to play with them. Nevertheless, they should be constantly supervised, and parents should check the dogs for signs of anxiety or unhappiness.

If the German Shepherd has grown up with another pet, it will tend to be very friendly and docile around it. This is because it has been trained to behave in this manner. However, it might be a problem in case there is a cat or some other pet that has not been socialized. The dog might tend to chase it away.

Conclusion

To conclude we must say that The German Shepherd is an extremely popular breed in the world.. They are incredibly loyal and intelligent, making them perfect for service dogs. In addition to being great companions, they are also highly protective—especially when it comes to their family members.

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