They Are Loyal And Obedient
Loyalty is strong in the German Shepherd, which is another prime example of why they are added to the police force.
The K9 unit needs dogs who are able to stay loyal to their owner and listen to them in a time of crisis.
With a German Shepherd, you can rest assured that he will listen, obey, respect, and stay loyal to you. Again, this is why they are a top choice for families as well as in the force.
If a police officer needs their German Shepherd to do something, they will do it with pride.
Historical Reasons Why German Shepherd Are Police Dogs
German Shepherd Dogs are very powerful and intelligent Dogs. For this reason, they have been used for decades as police dogs in many countries.
German Shepherd Dog is Used For many Kinds of work . This breed is just incredible and the history has proved it.
In this article, I have given you an overview. German Shepherd We nowadays know has been developed by Von Stephanitz.
He was looking for a breed that was intelligent and able to work hard. He found these qualities in a 25 inches yellow and grey dog.
For him, German Shepherd Dog was a perfect dog to be used as a working dog and especially for police and military purposes.
Stephanitz strongly believed that the German Shepherd Dog was perfect for police works so he strongly suggested to the German police force to use it.
After some trials, they found that he was an excellent resource.
History Of German Shepherds As Police Dogs
German Shepherds has its deep roots as a police dog, right from its beginning in the 19th century when a Germany Army Veteran, Max Von Stephanitz decided to train a wolf-like dog as a working dog for military and police.
In the year 1910, Stephanitz started visiting the German Police departments to find out if they were interested in using these dogs for work as police dogs. Many of these departments tested the dogs for detection, protection, and tracking and the results were massively successful.
German Shepherd appeared as a military dog for the first time in World War 1. It worked there as a supply carrier, Red Cross dog, messenger, and guard, and the WW1 became the reason for the popularity of German Shepherd as a military and police dog in the world.
After that, many soldiers took German Shepherd along with them to their native lands and started training German Shepherds on their own. Rin Tin Tin was a famous dog that was taken home after the war, got trained, and was used in the silent movies. Later on, it became a famous police dog for movies and TV.
After WW1, in the 1920s and 1930s, the GSDs emerged on the face of the earth with stronger characteristics of a police dog.
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How To Train A German Shepherd To Be A Guard Dog
In order to have a well rounded and trained guard dog, your German Shepherd will need to be properly socialized, well mannered, manageable, and happy. You will have to expose your German Shepherd to a range of people, situations and other animals in order to train them properly.
This means having your dog properly adjusted to people of different sizes, stature, race, gender, along with dogs, cats, and other stimuli. This will ensure that you are able to control and command your dog under a range of conditions and circumstances without fail.
You also have to keep up with regular training, along with a lot of exercise and quality time with your dog. German Shepherds need a lot of attention and mental stimulation, so will need to be well exercised, and have lots of toys and things to play with. Due to their active and intelligent nature, without a lot of stimulation, they can be prone to destructive or naughty behavior.;
As the owner, you also have to be trained and prepared to care for your guard dog. You will need to be assertive, strong and confident in handling your dog, able to command them and communicate with them with ease. You will have to be the Alpha in your home if you want to keep a guard or protection dog.;
How Did German Shepherds Begin Working With Police
The history of how German Shepherds began working with the police is a short but extremely layered one. It helps to look at the history of the breed first.
For example, when looking at German Shepherds for the first time, you would be forgiven for thinking that they are closely related to wolves. However, this is not the case. Instead, they are a relatively modern breed of dog, with their origins only dating back to around 1899 much later than the majority of dog owners would imagine.
Around this time, large, industrialized cities were popping up all over Germany, causing the local populations of predators to heavily decline. As a byproduct of this, the need for sheepdogs, who had previously been used to defend flocks of livestock, began to become unnecessary.
However, this was not the end for the breed, and instead, they became highly prized as strong and intelligent working dogs.
Eventually, a German man named Von Stephanitz developed a keen interest in Germanys native sheepdogs. You can read more about him on Wikipedia.
However, although Von Stephanitz greatly admired the breeds, he was not completely satisfied, and instead set his sights on finding the perfect working dog. In 1899, he would attend a dog show wherein he was shown a remarkably intelligent canine named Hektor Linksrhein.
Von Stephanitz was so impressed with Hektor that he immediately purchased him, and from there history was made.
How did German Shepherds become police dogs?
- Airedale Terrier
- Rottweiler
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German Shepherd Police Dog Temperament
Not all German Shepherds make great police dogs. The best German Shepherd police dog usually has control over their temperament , high intelligence/obedience, and of course a high drive to learn and accomplish tasks to a high standard.
East and West German working;line GSDs usually make the most flexible GSD police dogs for their high work drive and working line pedigree.
Show Line German Shepherds can perform well in tracking and detection, but may not have the drive or temperament for protection type police work. Read more about Show Line German Shepherds.
German Shepherd Police Training Tips
German Shepherds are strong dogs that are born with hunting skills. These dogs need a lot of activity to keep them mentally and physically fit. Police work is an ideal job for these dogs. However, one must understand that police training is far different from any other type of dog training. Such type of training needs to be provided by professional trainers only. Schutzhund club is one such club which specializes in police training to German Shepherds. However, not every dog gets approved by this club, as they look for particular qualities in a dog which might give them an edge over others. Hence, before you approach any club, it is imperative that you impart basic training to your dog.
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The Official Start Of Police Dog Training
In 1920, the Germans built a training school for police dogs. With German Shepherds as their main breed of choice.
It was located in Greenheide, Germany. And in there, canines were taught to:
- Track.
Trivia time!
Have you heard about the dog named Rin Tin Tin?
Hes a German Shepherd pup who was rescued by an American soldier in WWI. And he became one of the reasons for the breeds popularity.
Plus, he also saved Warner Bros from bankruptcy.
Wow!
He first starred in a film made by the studio called The Man from Hells River ;in 1922. Then afterward, he created 2 more box office hits.
From a military dog to a movie star? Well, is there something this breed couldnt do?
Some Notable Achievement The German Shepherd Breed Has Accomplished In The Force
- Jet of IadaJet was a German Shepherd pedigree dog. Jet received the Dickin Medal and RSPCAs medallion of Valor for his brave efforts in rescuing 150 people trapped under a blitzed building.
- Crumstone Irma: was a German Shepherd who served with the Civil Defense Services of London during World War 2. She assisted in the rescue of 191 people trapped under destroyed buildings. She had a great ability to tell if buried victims were dead or alive. Like Jet of Iada, she received the Dickings Medal in 1945.;
- Thorn: Was noted by the Peoples Dispensary of sick animals for the Dickin medal. He was awarded the medal in 1945 for his bravery and service during World War 2.
- Rex: Was noted just like Thorn for the same reasons by the Peoples Dispensary. In April 1945 he received the Dickin medal.Rex performed outstanding good work finding casualties in burning buildings. Without fear, he would search in harsh environments for people that were trapped in smoldering buildings.
- Appollo: was a German Shepherd search and rescue dog born in 1992. He became part of New York Police Departments K-9 unit that served during the September 11 attack. He was the first SAR dog on the site.Appollo received the Dickin medal on behalf of all the dogs that assisted in rescue operations on the WTC site and pentagon site after the attacks.
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Why Are German Shepherds Police Dogs
German Shepherds are famous for working with police. German Shepherds are calm-under-pressure, theyre highly intelligent and trainable, and they love to work. This makes the breed well-suited for working in high-stress situations, and its no surprise theyve been used in police work for more than 100 years.
Are German Shepherds good police dogs? There are many reasons why German Shepherds are used as police dogs, but they excel in this field mainly because of the following attributes: Undeniably, some breeds are larger than the GSD, while others are better athletes. But, the combination of the two attributes in the German Shepherd is perfect for police work.
Who breeds German Shepherds? Breeder Max von Stephanitz, a German Army veteran, began selectively breeding GSDs for key traits, including intelligence, loyalty, and persistence. As such, German Shepherds were ideal candidates for police and military work.
What is the history of German Shepherds? German Shepherds have a long history in K-9 work. In fact, Shepherds were initially bred in the early 1900s to be a working dog, including for police and military service. Breeder Max von Stephanitz, a German Army veteran, began selectively breeding GSDs for key traits, including intelligence, loyalty, and persistence.
German Shepherd Breed Overview
The German shepherd as a breed originated in Germany. No surprises there. But, believe it or not, their name was changed soon after the war. Before the war this breed was commonly called the Alsatian in Great Britain and parts of Europe.
There are still parts of Europe that refer to the German shepherd as the Alsatian; however, most of the world has converted back to calling them German shepherds.
Pretty interesting, right?
As for life expectancy, German shepherds normally live for around 9-13 years.
The color of a German shepherd can range considerably from gray to black to tan, and even a silvery color.
The males grow to be approximately 24 inches at the shoulder and the females tend to be a little shorter, measuring around 22 inches at the shoulder.
As for weight, males average around 80 pounds and the females are a bit lighter at around 60 pounds. There is no denying that these are big dogs!
Now, as I mentioned earlier, German shepherds are known for their physical strength and intelligence. As working dogs, they were bred to be confident and powerfultwo traits which often scare people away from wanting anything to do with the breed.
Its this combination that makes them quite incredible beasts. They have strong muscles. Theyre obviously large, and yet, in their minds, theyre also very confident, watchful, and alert.
If you have a puppy, I encourage you to check out my Puppy Coach training program.
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German Shepherds Might Make Good Police Dogs For The Following Reasons
They bond well with their owner/handler
They are obedient
The working lines are bred to have strong nerves, and a stable temperament making them good for high risk and high tension activities
They are one of the most intelligent dog breeds and can perform difficult tasks ;detection and tracking in particular
They are loyal
They are protective
They have a high working ability
They are physically capable athletic and strong, along with good stamina able to attack, apprehend, protect and focus or patrol for long period
How Do The Police Buy Or Obtain German Shepherd Police Dogs
It depends on the country and the police departments policies as to how they obtain their German Shepherd police puppies and dogs.
Victoria Police in Australia for example have their own police dog breeding program at the Police Dog Squad Training Centre.
This enables the Victoria police to monitor the birth of the puppies, ensure their health through the first 8-12 weeks, enables the dogs to get familiar with the sights and sounds of the police department, and of course be put through police training and assigned to a handler or owner if successful.
If the dogs are deemed not suitable for training or fail training, they are re-homed with the right dog owners as determined by the department.
Other police departments in America for example sometimes do not have budgets assigned for police dogs and have to rely on public and corporate donations to buy from respected working line breeders.
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Top 10 Reasons Why German Shepherds Are The Best Dog
Top 10 Reasons Why German Shepherds Are The Best Dog: German shepherds are popular as family dogs due to their intelligence and loyalty.
There are many reasons that made the German Shepherd one of the best dog breeds ever. Often used as police and guard dogs in large numbers GSDs are getting popular as a family dog breed too. They are known for their love and devoted behavior for their owner. Here we are discussing Why German Shepherd is the best dog breed.
Matching A Dog With Their New Partner
German Shepherds are equally as important as the people that they are matched with, and due to this, police dogs are actually matched with their handlers based on their personality. The matching process is far from simple, and it can actually take several weeks for a police dog to be properly matched with its new handler.
The officers will have to go through a lengthy training process to ensure that they are able to train the dog well, and a police officer will only become eligible to transfer to a specialty K-9 unit for training after completing at least one or two years of patrol service. The exact length of time will depend on the specific department.
As well as all of this, the police officers prior career life will usually be assessed, and some of the questions that will be asked about the police officer can include:
- How familiar is the officer with canines in their day-to-day life?
- Is the officer very physically active on the job?
- Has the officer demonstrated an active role in inserting themselves immediately to handle adverse situations?
- Has the officer actively taken on people and problems?
- Is the officer generally responsible?
- Does the officer possess good communication skills?
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About The German Shepherd
German Shepherds possess many fine attributes that make them ideal working dogs. It is estimated that ranks of German Shepherds serving in United States Law Enforcement tally over 8,000. Armed with intelligence, loyalty, trainability and endurance, it is no wonder that police and military canine handlers all around the world consider their German Shepherds more than just a dog. The breed has been known for their work with law enforcement for so many years that many people automatically refer to them as police dogs.
German Shepherds utilized as working dogs is nothing new. They were purposely bred from the beginning of their origin to assist man. In the late 1800s, An ex-cavalry captain and former student of the Berlin Veterinary College, Max Von Stephanitz had a strong belief that dogs should be bred specifically for working. While attending a dog show in 1899, he witnessed a dog named Hektor Linksrhein perform. Hektor was a product of selective breeding and fulfilled the requirements of what Von Stephanitz was looking for. Impressed by the animals strength, intelligence, loyalty and beauty, he purchased Hektor immediately. After purchasing the dog, he changed his name to Horand von Grafrath and eventually Von Stephanitz founded the;Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde;. Horand became the first registered German Shepherd and became the standard of future breeding programs with other registered dogs with the same desirable traits.
How A Police Dog Is Chosen
Choosing a police dog usually requires looking for a dog that has a high natural prey drive, and breeders will sometimes begin testing and training entire litters of puppies when they are just 6 weeks old. During this time, they are looking out for puppies that display signs of this kind of drive.
Another technique that breeders can use to select dogs that will be suitable for police training involves a ball that will be rolled underneath a couch or other object. Puppies will usually attempt to get it, based on their natural instincts, but there are some puppies that will lose interest and give up on the ball if they are offered something that they find to be more interesting.
A puppy that has a natural prey drive will be very persistent in trying to get the ball, and it will not give up until it has the ball in its possession. They will be focussed on the target until they achieve the result they are hoping for. This is something that you could try at home with your puppy to see how they respond. This is a great way to gauge how much of a natural prey drive your puppy has.;
This can even become useful in the future when it comes to introducing your German Shepherd to other people and animals. If your dog does have a higher prey drive, then you will know that you may need some extra caution when you are socializing them.;
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