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German Shepherd Dog

courageous / confident / smart
Herding Group >>

Average sizes and life
expectancy of the breed.

Height

24-26 inches (male)

22-24 inches (female)

Weight

65-90 pounds (male)

50-70 pounds (female)

Life Expectancy

7-10 years

Breed Traits & Characteristics

Affectionate With Family
  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%
How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.
Good With Young Children
  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    100% 100%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.
GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS
  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    60% 60%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    80% 80%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    40% 40%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    39% 39%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    60% 60%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    80% 80%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    100% 100%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    100% 100%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    100% 100%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    100% 100%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    60% 60%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    100% 100%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

Affectionate With Family

  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%

How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.

Good With Young Children

  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    100% 100%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.

GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS

  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    60% 60%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    80% 80%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    40% 40%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    39% 39%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    60% 60%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    80% 80%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    100% 100%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    100% 100%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    100% 100%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    100% 100%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    60% 60%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    100% 100%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

About the Breed

The German Shepherd Dog is a huge, agile, muscular dog with a noble spirit and excellent intelligence. It is generally regarded as the best all-purpose worker in the canine species. The German Shepherd is unquestionably a dog lover’s dream dog because of its loyalty, assurance, bravery, and steadiness. The form of a German Shepherd Dog, which can reach a height of 26 inches at the shoulder, shows smooth, beautiful curves rather than sharp angles. Although their normal gait is a free-and-easy trot, they can speed up and attain high speeds.

German Shepherds are among the most prestigious breeds of dogs for a variety of reasons. Still, experts agree that their most distinctive quality is their character, which includes loyalty, bravery, and confidence as well as the readiness to risk their lives to protect those they love. However, according to the breed standard, German Shepherds have a “certain aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships.” German Shepherds make loving family dogs and dependable protectors.

 

What To Expect When Caring For a German Shepherd Dog

Owning a dog is not just a privilege; it’s a responsibility. They depend on us for, at minimum, food and shelter, and deserve much more. When you take a dog into your life, you need to understand the commitment that dog ownership entails.

Health

German Shepherds often have good health. Breeding stock will be examined for diseases including degenerative myelopathy and elbow and hip dysplasia by a responsible breeder. Owners of German Shepherd Dogs should become knowledgeable about the symptoms of bloat and what to do should it happen. Bloat is a sudden, life-threatening enlargement of the abdomen that can affect German Shepherd Dogs.
Recommended Health Tests From the National Breed Club:
  • Hip Evaluation
  • Temperament Test
  • Elbow Evaluation

Grooming

A dense, rough, and closely-lying outer coat and a softer undercoat make up the German Shepherd Dog's medium-length double coat. The breed sheds sparingly most of the time, only needing a fast brushing once or twice a year to assist remove stray hairs, but they do so more frequently once or twice a year. More regular brushing will aid in reducing the amount of hair that collects on the furniture and throughout the house during these times. Only sometimes does the German Shepherd need to be bathed. If his nails are not naturally worn down, it is crucial to trim or grind them every month because excessively long nails can hurt and cause structural problems.

Exercise

The German Shepherd needs a lot of exercise for his physical and mental well-being because he is a very athletic and active breed. Lack of exercise will make a dog frustrated and more inclined to exhibit bad behaviors. With a puppy, you can begin with quick daily walks and playtime in a secure enclosure. Even the best-trained dog might become distracted and forget to obey commands, so never let your dog run free. Playful and enjoyable for both dog and owner, canine sports like agility, herding, tracking, and dock diving offer good physical and mental exercise.

Training

Puppy training lessons and early socialization are essential, and continued obedience training will help to ensure that the pup develops into a flexible and well-behaved adult. The German Shepherd is an exceptionally skilled worker and a very clever friend. Excellent results will come through consistency and training that is rewarding and enjoyable. Since he has a strong sense of attachment to his people, he is happiest when he is with his family. He should grow up with the family and be exposed to their activities. On the club's website, the German Shepherd Dog Club of America offers comprehensive training recommendations for owners.

Nutrition

All the nutrients a breed needs will be present in high-quality dog food appropriate for the dog's age (puppy, adult, or senior). Table scraps should only be given occasionally, if at all. Cooked bones and dishes with a lot of fat should especially be avoided. As rewards for training, use little pieces of biscuit or dog kibble. Vitamin and mineral supplements shouldn't be required if you are feeding a high-quality diet, but you may want to consider incorporating yogurt, cooked veggies, or eggs in tiny amounts. Discover which foods fit the bill for canine consumption and which don't. If you have any worries about your dog's weight or diet, consult your veterinarian.

History

The German Shepherd Dog (Deutsche Schäferhund) is a member of the family of German herding dogs, whose types varied from district to district up until the late 19th century.
A German cavalry officer named Captain Max von Stephanitz set out to create the ideal German herder in the closing decades of the 1800s. The forebears of the modern German Shepherd Dog (GSD) were created through the crossbreeding of several strains by Von Stephanitz and like-minded breeders in Germany’s northern and central regions.
In addition to spending 35 years advancing and perfecting the breed, Von Stephanitz co-founded the first GSD club in the world. Today, the GSD’s adaptability is used so extensively in accomplishing a variety of jobs that it is simple to forget that the breed was initially developed to herd livestock.
The intelligence, speed, agility, stealth, and a general aura of solid authority that has come to define the GSD were developed there rather than in the police academy.
In the early 1900s, GSDs gained popularity in the United States partly due to the exploits of canine movie stars Strongheart and Rin-Tin-Tin. The GSD is one of the German breeds that experienced prejudice during and after the two world wars, along with the Dachshund. The breed was known as the Alsatian in Britain during World War I, and many British dog lovers still favor this term.
Von Stephanitz cleverly marketed his breed as the ideal K-9 worker as modern livestock management took off and canine herding as a job declined. The GSD is today the preferred dog for police and military units the world over.