German Shepherd

German Shepherds are very large and, on top of that, alert and confident dogs. Therefore, good socialisation and education from an early age are prerequisites for a well-balanced dog that can also be a companion and family dog which displays good manners everywhere.

In the puppies' first weeks, the breeder is responsible for this socialisation and education. If the puppy is kept in a kennel, it receives far too few impressions of its future environment and cannot get used to it. Are you looking for a family dog? Then the shepherd puppy should have grown up in a family. Then he will be familiar with children, cars, other people, other dogs, everyday noises like the hoover or the lawn mower.

If the future family member does not have the chance to get used to this as a puppy, insecurities can arise later. Future guard dogs also often later live in families and therefore appropriate socialisation from an early age is also very important for them.

The German Shepherd Dog - loved and feared

As an intelligent and persevering companion, protector and working dog, the German Shepherd Dog is very popular. He is also appreciated as a very loyal, sensitive and balanced family dog. At the same time, he is at least respected, if not feared, by many people, and not entirely without reason - look at the dog breed bite statistics. Like all strong, intelligent dogs with a protective instinct, German shepherds can be turned into dangerous fighting machines if they are not properly socialised and trained.

Why does the German Shepherd have a bad reputation? What does this mean for me if I keep a German Shepherd?

Unfortunately, the German Shepherd Dog has a bad reputation, especially in everyday life, and many people are afraid of an encounter with a German Shepherd Dog and behave accordingly (from cautious to aggressive). What is the reason for this?

On the one hand, it may be due to the fact that German shepherds are unfortunately almost always at the top of the bite statistics, at least in Germany. It should be said that there are no uniform statistics for Germany and that of course the number of dogs must be seen in relation to the number of biting incidents; but even if this is taken into account, the German Shepherd is almost always very far ahead in Germany. This means that there are not a few incidents and many people have heard about them.

On the other hand, many people know the German Shepherd as a fierce protection and service dog in the police, and pictures from protection service can be frightening.

Protection service is not a bad thing in itself, as long as you need a working dog, as do the police, military, customs and the like. For a family dog, this training is usually not useful at all. However, protection service is often still recommended for them.

In the past, it was often believed that a German Shepherd needed a "hard hand". Fortunately this is now outdated, but the wrong upbringing is certainly to blame for some of them reacting aggressively.

In everyday life a large, confident and alert dog like the German Shepherd simply has to be very well trained to obey. As an owner, I have to make sure that I can call my dog off at any time and that it does not pose a danger or a threat to others. Unfortunately, the environment feels more threatened by a German Shepherd than by other dog breeds, regardless of whether this is right or wrong. This is why good training that builds trust and a bond with your dog is so important. If these are lacking, a German Shepherd can quickly become a danger on four paws.

Many people approach these canines with prejudice and with fear - fear for their dogs and children or even for themselves. Many owners of German Shepherds are eyed accordingly and have to endure lots of comments. The only thing that helps here is to remain relaxed and, above all, to politely present a well-trained dog. Polite behaviour in the environment is essential to show people that they don't have to be afraid of your dog. For example, you should intervene if your dog rushes towards other smaller dogs, or call your dog when children are around.

How do I train a German Shepherd? Man-dog team instead of subjugation or laissez faire.

Such a large, intelligent and alert dog should maintain balance in all situations and listen to its owner. So far so understandable.

Drill, coercion, pressure and punishment, which were used in many a shepherd dog training for quite a long time and unfortunately can still be seen sometimes, cannot compete with the effectiveness of a joint team effort, where the owner shows the dog safely what behaviour is desired of them.

Unfortunately, German Shepherds were (and sometimes still are) ill-used in dog competitions, entered by those who see them purely as a functional sporting creature and disregard their emotional response. Of course, a German Shepherd should and must be exercised, and dog sports are very suitable for this, but false toughness and ambition are always at the expense of the dog.

I have observed in a German Shepherd club how one of these dogs, before it was to complete an exercise on the field, was made "docile" with hard jerks on the leash and knee jerks. This is very sad and hard to bear and hopefully the exception, but unfortunately not completely atypical in dealing with German Shepherds. With this sort of "education" the result is either an insecure dog that “grovels" or a dog that at some point rebels in frustration and can become aggressive.

In my family, German Shepherds were kept and loved as family dogs for decades. They received absolute top marks as protection and tracking dogs, but in everyday life they were, unfortunately, bullies on a leash who guarded the house a notch too sharply. They were very friendly and even-tempered with me as a child and I was allowed to do everything with them. However, when my mother was left alone in the house once with one of the dogs, she was not allowed to move from the spot until my uncle came back.

Laissez faire is no solution either

If you don't train and educate your German Shepherd and decide to let everything go, the dog decides how it is allowed to behave. This will not be in your interest or in the interest of those around you, even if your German Shepherd is not aggressive.

Nobody wants to see an adult German Shepherd running after a child playing with a ball. No one wants their German Shepherd barking at or even threatening other people in everyday life. Nobody wants their German Shepherd to bark at other dogs on the leash or dominate (or even bite) other dogs. And certainly no one wants their German Shepherd to threaten or snap at their children. That is exactly why the dog must learn to deal calmly with everyday situations and to listen to you. Firstly however, the "do's and don'ts" must be understood and learned by the dog.

Human-dog team best from the beginning

That is why it is so important to socialise German Shepherds with people, the environment and other animals at an early age and to train them in a consistent and loving way. You get the behaviour you reward. Puppy classes and continuous training in obedience etc. help to raise a dog with good manners. After all, German Shepherds are intelligent and quickly understand what you want them to do.

Show and working lines in German Shepherds

There are two main breeding lines in the German Shepherd: the show line and the working line. Dogs from the working line are usually somewhat lighter and more athletic. They are often also more alert; pure working dogs for police and military service also come from this line. They may be suitable for the family, but you should ask about this. The show line is usually somewhat heavier and unfortunately their appearance can be pathologically over-emphasised. This is especially manifested in the strongly sloping back, which often leads to health problems.

These health problems, especially hip dysplasia (HD), are not exclusive to the show line, but are especially prevalent here.

"Alert, courageous, strong protective instinct and lightning-fast reactions": In everyday life, these excellent working dog characteristics can be undesirable.

It can become problematic if the strong dog has not been sufficiently socialised and reacts attentively to all stimuli in its environment. The guarding and protection instinct can become a hindrance if your dog wants to guard you all the time, leaving both you and your dog under constant stress.

A child that cries or runs is eyed suspiciously and followed; people or other dogs coming towards you become a stress factor. The reaction may at first be merely attentive though later, with bad luck, it could range from alert to aggressive. If you do not get your German Shepherd under control, if he does not listen to you and learns not to react to these stimuli, it becomes problematic. Bad experiences are learned just as quickly and lastingly as good experiences, so similar situations can be problematic in the future.

Courageousness also means that your dog does not avoid conflicts but takes a solution into his own paw. This can also lead to undesirable behaviour.

The protection and guard instinct can also come through when it is completely unwanted. Visitors come and your imposing German Shepherd barks or even growls at them. Children walk past your property and are yapped at in fear. You settle down on a bench during a walk and people passing by are barked at by your German Shepherd, or you lie down on a lawn in a city park and your dog sees everyone in the park as an enemy. This can become your German Shepherd’s disposition and it is up to you to steer them in the right direction at an early stage. This often requires experience, or at least a very good trainer to assist you.

Activities and training with the German Shepherd

The German Shepherd needs daily exercise and active occupation; it is not a dog that "walks along the way" and "educates itself". The German Shepherd wants to learn and exercise. As an intelligent and athletic dog, he should be mentally as well as physically exercised.

But all within limits: physical training needs to be built up slowly. You don't want to run a marathon tomorrow if you have only jogged 2 miles today. Nowadays, puppies and young dogs in particular are exercised far too early and far too much. The basic rule for  exercising puppies and young dogs is: less is more. 

The German Shepherd's diet, as with all living creatures, has a very great influence on its health. Therefore, pay attention to an individually adapted, appropriate, balanced and, if possible, natural diet.

With large breeds of dogs especially, you should make sure that puppies and young dogs do not grow too quickly. Joints and bones can tend not to develop healthily, especially if they have a poor disposition. A slow growth curve is particularly important in dogs.

German Shepherds are no more voracious than other dog breeds, but they can tend to become overweight. The owner should act responsibly to ensure that the dog maintains a healthy weight whilst consuming all the important nutrients in optimal amounts and types. German Shepherds in particular, who do not have healthy joints, should have their weight managed strictly so that the joints do not suffer further.

Long-term studies on other dog breeds have shown that overweight dogs can lose up to 20% of their lifespan. Therefore, the amount and type of food provided should definitely be adapted to the dog's size and degree of exercise.

If a German Shepherd is affected by hyperuricosuria, it should be fed a low purine diet to prevent the formation of urinary stones and to protect the kidneys.

History

Worldwide, the German Shepherd is one of the most popular and best-known dog breeds, because of its intelligence and sportiness. In the USA, representatives of this breed made a career as movie dogs as early as the 1920s due to their intelligence and good trainability.

The German Shepherd descends from German herding dogs and, due to its intelligence, alertness and willingness to learn, quickly began a career as a police and army dog.

The breeding history of the German Shepherd can be reconstructed quite precisely

Original herding dog: independent, alert, active

The ancestors of the German Shepherd can be traced back to short-haired and stock-haired herding dogs from Germany, which were also found in the rest of Europe and from which later dog breeds developed. The Old German Shepherd Dog, for example, also developed from these German shepherd dogs, but from other breeds as well.

Similar to the Rottweiler, these herding dogs not only had the task of herding and driving the cattle, but also of guarding them and protecting the shepherds and their property from thieves. Therefore, the alert, athletic, independent and courageous behaviour of the original shepherd dogs is also firmly anchored in the German Shepherd.

Planned breeding from 1899 by Rittmeister Max von Stephanitz and Arthur Meyer

Since we know very precisely when and where the breeding of shepherd dogs was started, we can also ascertain that the breeding of these dogs was primarily established with dogs from Southern and Central Germany (Thuringia and Württemberg). The "father of the breed" is considered to be cavalry captain Max von Stephanitz (1864-1936), who together with his friend Artur Mayer started the planned breeding of German Shepherds and founded the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde on 22.04.1899, of which he was president until shortly before his death in 1935.

Progenitors: Horand and Mari von Grafrath, Lynx von Sparwasser

On 03.04.1897 he acquired the first breeding bitch "Freya v. Grafrath". On 15 January 1898 Max von Stephanitz bought the three-year-old "Hektor von Linksrhein", who was renamed "Horand von Grafrath" and who became the first German Shepherd to be entered in the stud book. His brother "Luchs von Sparwasser" and "Mari von Grafrath" are the progenitor and progenitrix of the breed respectively.

As herding dogs were no longer in such high demand at the beginning of the 20th century due to the decreasing number of sheep herds in Germany, Max von Stephanitz strongly advocated the use of the German Shepherd as a police and military dog in order to save it from extinction and did so with great success.

The image of the German Shepherd had already deteriorated by the time of the First World War.

The German Shepherd was not only considered to be a German original, but also combat-ready and courageous. During the First World War, around 48,000 German Shepherds served in the German army. The German army leaders in World War I, Hindenburg and Ludendorff, both kept German Shepherds. After the First World War, 26,000 dogs were returned to France as part of the reparations payments, intended for the inhabitants of the destroyed areas.

During World War I, the image of the German Shepherd had already become so bad that the French preferred to call this breed "Chien berger d'Alsace", which the British were only too happy to adopt very quickly.

And that is why the breed is still often called "Alsatian" in the UK today. It was not until 1977 that the name "Alsatian" was officially taken back by the British Kennel Clubs. The Americans also dropped the first part of the breed's name after World War I and called them simply "German Shepherds".

The German Shepherd and Propaganda in the Third Reich

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) owned several German Shepherds in his lifetime, which often bore the same names. Thus, three bitches were named Blondi and three males Wolf. His last bitch Blondi became most famous because she died with him. He had the bitch and her son Wolf poisoned before killing himself. Around 30,000 German Shepherds went into service in the Second World War, most of whom lost their lives there.

In the USA, the popularity of German Shepherds increases due to "Rin Tin Tin"

Rin Tin Tin (1918-1932), also known as "Rinty", was a German Shepherd who appeared in 26 films in the 1920s and contributed to the great popularity and awareness of the German Shepherd in the USA and worldwide. Rin Tin Tin was found in rubble by a soldier named Lee Duncan and taken back to the US. Film star Jean Harlow is said to have been present at his death. Even his dog's life was made into a film: "Rin Tin Tin - A Hero on Paws".

Incidentally, the name was later also the inspiration for the not-very-clever guard dog from the Lucky Luke comics: "Rantanplan" was the absolute opposite of the clever Rin Tin Tin.

The German Shepherd "Strongheart" even gets a paw print on the Walk of Fame

"Strongheart" (1917-1929) is another German Shepherd who made a film career in the US and left his paw print on the Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. He died tragically from burns sustained from a fallen film lamp during a movie shoot. A book has been published about his life: "Strongheart - Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen".

Use as a working, protection and companion dog

The German Shepherd is used in many different ways nowadays: as a rescue dog, as a police and army dog, as a guard and guide dog and, of course, as a companion and family dog.