Intelligent To No End
Another feature that makes German Shepherds easy to train is that theyre one of the smartest dog breeds. So, you shouldnt have much trouble when potty training or crate training a new German Shepherd puppy.
A strong proof of this breeds intelligence is that the biggest percentage of police dogs all over the globe are German Shepherds. Imagine what its like having one of these unique dogs in your house!
German Shepherds Are Loyal And Protective
Loyalty is a great personality that can be found in dogs. German Shepherds have a particularly strong sense of loyalty. They would protect not only their owners, but also all their family members in the household. The strong sense of loyalty and protective instinct make German Shepherds a good guard dog. However, proper socialisation and training is required so that they wont become overprotective.
The Amazing German Shepherd
Originally, the breed was developed by a German cavalry officer in the late 19th century to be the ideal herding dog.
Today the German Shepherds supreme intelligence and trainability allow them to excel at many jobs, such as therapy work, search and rescue, and catching criminals.
With their smooth, powerful curves and alert demeanor, theyre one of the most iconic and recognizable dogs.
Male German Shepherds stand from 24 to 26 inches tall and weigh between 65 and 90 pounds.
Females are smaller, standing 22 to 24 inches tall and weighing from 50 to 70 pounds.
German Shepherds can be both gentle pets and dedicated guardians.
These versatile dogs are extremely loyal, with a devotion that knows no bounds.
Theyre willing to put their life on the line for the people they love.
This means they need you to give them plenty of attention.
A neglected German Shepherd is far more likely to behave badly.
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Gsds Are Incredibly Smart
If youre a German Shepherd owner, you have a strong suspicion your dog might actually be smarter than you are. After all, what cant your dog do? These dogs are known for their intelligence and many can learn a new behavior in only a few repetitions. In addition, they have a legendary desire to cooperate and work with us, a trait many see as a wish to please their humans. No wonder this breed excels at so many activities and is a top Obedience competitor. Because German Shepherds are one of the brightest breeds, be sure to be consistent, use positive reinforcement-based methods, provide plenty of mentally stimulating toys, and play brain-challenging games.
What Is The Definition Of A Guard Dog
Guard dogs, by definition are working dogs that are typically naturally intelligent, easily trained and protective of their owners. This means that they are willing and able to perform specific protective roles and tasks that they have been trained to do, in order to guard and protect the home or their owners.
On the other hand, personal protective dogs are generally family pets who are very loyal, willing and capable of defending themselves, or their owners and family members from danger.
The main difference between a personal protection dog and a guard dog is that a personal protection dog is a family pet, who is capable of protecting its owners, whereas a guard dog is specifically trained to protect and guard, with a range of actions to attack, defend or guard certain people, homes or family members.
As either type of dog would need to have similar characteristics, a good personal protection dog would also make a good guard dog, and so the two often go hand in hand. Due to their longing for obedience, and willingness to learn and be trained, German Shepherds can make excellent guard or personal protection dogs.
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German Shepherds Love Children
If given proper socialization training from an early age German Shepherds love to play with children if they are trained well to do so when they are young. Proper puppy training is essential along with love, care and respect towards your pooch. Also, make sure not to allow children to play with the dog when eating or trying to remain alone.
EDIT 26/8/17: Removed section about the shedding behaviours of German Shepherds. Thanks for the comments!
German Shepherds With Babies And Younger Children
One thing you have to bear in mind when choosing a German shepherd to be around babies and toddlers is the size.
German shepherds are a large breed of dog that sometimes doesnt understand their own strength. This is especially true of puppies or younger dogs who will often be clumsy and jump up in excitement.
A well-trained German shepherd will never intentionally harm a member of your family or visiting kids. However, extra care and training may be needed to teach the German shepherd the boundaries of play around smaller people. Teaching your GSD key voice commands, and not to jump, will be helpful for when toddlers are around.
If youre planning to introduce a baby into the home, you should train your GSD in anticipation of the new arrival.
Wrapping a baby doll in a blanket can teach a German shepherd how to behave around the new baby in a car or a stroller. You could also use the doll to teach the GSD not to go into the babys room or bark during sleep time.
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Are There Different Types Of German Shepherds
Officially there’s only the one breed. But I explained in the Temperament section that there are different lines of German Shepherds with different temperaments. Those lines can also LOOK very different from each other.
Show lines
Those of us who admired the strong, noble look of German Shepherds from decades ago are saddened at what has been done to the appearance of modern show dogs.
If you go to a German Shepherd specialty show in the United States or Canada, you’ll see tall narrow bodies, long narrow heads, and such excessive curvature of the rear legs that the dog’s back slopes downward from shoulders to tail. You could roll a ball down that back.
In my opinion, these are misshapen caricatures of a German Shepherd. To make matters worse, show lines produce more than their share of spooky and low-intelligence dogs, which is what happens when you over-focus on appearance rather than temperament and trainability.
In contrast, the West German show line has a more normal shape. Best of all, German Shepherds in West Germany cannot win show ring ribbons or be bred without passing a temperament/trainability test.
There are many West German bloodlines in the United States. So if you’re interested, you can look for show breeders who emphasize West German lines instead of American/Canadian.
Just be aware that these dogs aren’t couch potatoes: they do have plenty of energy and some working drives that will need to be exercised.
Working/protection lines
Pet lines?
How Much Exercise Do German Shepherds Need
German Shepherd puppies and adolescents should have moderate exercise only multiple walks, fetch games, or playing with another dog.
But the growing bones and ligaments in a young dog can be irreparably damaged by too much exercise or the wrong kind of exercise. At this age, there should be no forced running . Restrict jumping as much as possible.
Once the dog is mature, the amount of exercise needed will vary according to the dog’s energy level. But all German Shepherds, to maintain fitness, need brisk walking every day and all-out running in a safe, enclosed area as often as possible.
Dogs from working lines typically want a lot more exercise.
Mental exercise is even more important for German Shepherds. Mental exercise means the dog gets to participate in interesting activities that keep his intelligent mind stimulated.
This might be a dog sport such as agility, rally obedience, musical freestyle, tracking, flyball, herding, or schutzhund. It might be interactive dog toys, or a homemade obstacle course, or learning tricks, or playing games such as Hide ‘n Seek.
Some of these activities are included in my training book, Teach Your Dog 100 English Words.
Handsome black German Shepherd, attentively awaiting your next words.
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Are German Shepherds Good With Other Dogs And Family Pets
In most cases they are, as long as you teach them to co-exist with other animals as a puppy.
Socialisation helps with this.
There can be some instances though where individual dogs dont do well with individual pets.
It helps if youre able to introduce your existing pet to your prospective GSD before you buy to get an idea of whether there might be potential problems.
If you bring another dog or animals into the family after your get your GSD, you may have to consider isolating them from each other at first if there is some unfamiliarity and naturally territorial behavior.
A retractable indoor pet gate can isolate smaller animals, but for a German Shepherd who can jump and scale even 6-8 foot walls, a dog crate may be a better idea for isolation, as long as it is not used to punish your GSD.
Read more about the Best Dog Crates For German Shepherd Dogs and Puppies a
You can then gradually start introducing them to each other until they are able to behave in a positive way consistently under your supervision.
This may take a lot of patience and training, so its always a good idea to take your current GSD to meet any potential animal house mates beforehand to see what youre dealing with.
What Do You Need To Know Before You Get A German Shepherd
9 Things You Need To Know Before Getting A German Shepard 1. There will be fur. Everywhere. 2. Expect to buy a lot of replacement toys. 3. They require a ton of attention. 4. They tend to play rough. 5. Their bark is worse than their bite Sometimes. 6. Get ready to have an extra shadow. 7. So. Much. Whining.
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What Will The German Shepherd Rottweiler Mix Look Like
The appearance of a German Shepherd Rottie mix is going to vary and will depend greatly on genetics.
As we discussed above, crossbreed dogs can be unpredictable when it comes to certain traits, especially if they are first or second-generation crossbreeds.
But what is a first or second-generation crossbreed? Well, a first-generation crossbreed when it comes to the German Shepherd Rottweiler Mix, for example, would be a puppy that is the offspring of one purebred German Shepherd and one purebred Rottweiler. A second-generation crossbreed would be the offspring of two first-generation crossbreed dogs, and so on.
The farther down the crossbreed generation goes, the more predictable the hybrid dog becomes in terms of appearance, temperament, and health.
This means that if you have an earlier generation crossbreed, determining what he will look like for certain as an adult can be tricky.
However, there are some basic characteristics we can predict when it comes to this crossbreed, which we have listed below.
Height: 22 to 28 Inches
Weight: 75 to 115 Lbs
Coat Type: Smooth, Short, Double-Coated, Shedding
Overall Appearance:
The German Shepherd Rottweiler Mix is going to be a large breed dog with a dense, double coat that sheds heavily year-round. His head could be large and boxy, like his Rottweiler parent, or it could be more narrow like his German Shepherd parent. Or, it could even be somewhere in between.
When Eating Or Sleeping
Respecting your dog also means teaching your kids to allow him his own time away from them. If you notice your German Shepherd trying to separate himself from the kids and go lie down and rest, allow him his time without being disturbed.
Teach the family that when the dog wants to be alone, he can have that time. If the dog is already sleeping, dont allow your children to startle him awake or abruptly touch him when hes not aware of whats happening. When your dog is eating, allow him his time to eat in peace.
Teaching kids that their meal time is not to be interrupted by the dog and the dogs meal time is not to be interrupted by them is a way to keep everyones space respected and safe.
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German Shepherds Make Horrible Family Dogs Here Are 10+ Reasons Why
When you decide to adopt a dog, you have to do some research in finding a breed that will be a good fit for your family and household. And families who are considering a German Shepherd as the newest member of their family should definitely think twice. We all know that German Shepherds make great police dogs but how can that translate into a family setting.
Top 10 Reasons Why You Would Want A German Shepherd
German Shepherds are a relatively new dog breed with origins that can be traced back to 1899. Although it is a new breed, German Shepherds are now one of the most popular dog breeds worldwide. In the United states, German shepherds ranks as the second most popular dog breeds of 2016. In fact, German Shepherds have many talents and desirable traits which make them the best dogs that every household should own.
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What Is A German Shepherds Temperament
To understand a german shepherds temperament, you need to think about what theyve been bred for.
Some of the common jobs theyve always held are police dogs, guard dogs, herders, and bomb/ sniffers.
Youd think this wouldnt make them the best for a family, however, being bred this way has given them some traits that make them great for the right families.
Fortunately, though, their temperament isnt going to be the only thing that determines what kind of behavior your german shepherd will have or whether that behavior fits with your family.
Is German Shepherd A Good Family Dog
We have created a list of traits that make German shepherds a good family dog:
- They respect and protect their owners
- They are very energetic and make excellent exercise buddies
- These intelligent dogs are very smart and learn commands quickly
- They are excellent watchdogs and guards
- They make loving and friendly companions
- They can easily adapt to any lifestyle
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Will Your Gsd Respect Your Kidsand Family
Yes, but only with an adults guidance first. They are one of the most intelligent breeds and need the training to help them achieve their best behavior.
Be sure to tell your whole family to stick to the training program in order to have the most success with your dog. Post the instructions for training in an area where your kids can see them every day.
Show your kids how to perform the commands appropriately and remind them that training the dog is a family event.
Teach your kids to respect that your dog is not always available to them. Dont allow your children to take your dogs food while hes eating or to try and play with your dog when hes resting or needs a calm moment to himself.
German Shepherds Are Obedient And Love To Please
Due to their original breeding German Shepherd Dogs love taking orders and obeying. So if you are lucky enough to have one as a pet in your home, you dont have to worry about having to repeat orders. As long as they are properly trained and know the command, they will readily get into action or stop whatever action you may want them to cease doing.
When it comes to obeying orders, German Shepherds have their foot well ahead owing to their high intelligence. The fact that they are ranked 3rd for intelligence means they can learn 250 words compared to 165 words for an average dog. That further implies that they can understand most of what you ask of them, and given that they love to please, they will promptly obey.
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Your Home Will Always Be Well Protected
Due to their loyalty and protective nature, GSDs are excellent guard dogs that will keep your house and family safe. They are fiercely protective of their owners and property, and will not hesitate to put their own lives in danger to protect the ones they love.
Even with no training, a GSD possesses a natural instinct to protect. Because GSDs were originally bred as herding dogs, their instinct is to protect the herd. And the herd is your family!
So you will sleep soundly knowing that you have a very capable and intimidating guardian looking over you, your family, and your home at all times.
German Shepherd Dogs Are Protective Of Their Loved Ones
They are known for being fearless and self-confident. GSDs will assertively stand their ground and are suited to be either watchdog or guardian, whichever the situation demands. They can be aloof with strangers yet are not hostile. This natural protective instinct is reassuring to the German Shepherd owner. But it also comes with a certain responsibility. You should be committed to spending time socializing and training your dog to ensure your companion feels comfortable around strangers and other dogs. If you do, you will benefit from all this dog has to offer.
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Other Solutions And Considerations
German Shepherds can be amazing, wonderful pets, but they arentfor everyone. They need a lot of time, effort, activity, and attention.Socialization and training are extremely crucial if you want a great familydog. Smart dogs are great, easy to train, and enjoy learning. But if you dontdevote the time to giving them that basic requirement, they can develop badhabits or behavior problems. Their tendency to guard can be great if theyretrained well, but without adequate training and socialization, guarding canbecome outright aggression. Especially if you have or know any children, thattraining and socializing is paramount.