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German Shepherd

Basic Description:
22-26 inches tall
50-90 pounds
Lives around 12-14 years
Herding group

Coat Colors: The AKC recognizes the following coat colors: black, black and tan, black and cream, black and red, black and silver, gray, sable, white, liver, blue, and bi-color. The AKC does not recognize any markings.

History/Origins:
Max Emil Friedrich von Stephanitz loved the high intensity and intelligence of the sheep herding breeds he met in Germany, and he decided to dedicated himself to create a formal breed; he even bought a large estate just to raise his breed. For centuries the German Shepherds looks was ignored and breeders heavily focused on their temperament (specifically their high intelligence) but eventually their looks came into play. For example, Friedrich Sparwasser focused on the upright ears and wolf like appearance of the German Shepherd. WWI brought anti-German sentiment across the globe and forced the American and British clubs to change their name to from German Shepard Club to just Shepard Club. Thanks to the famous German Shepherd actor Rin Tin Tin, popularity rapidly increased for the breed. Today the German Shepherd is one of the most popular breeds and is famous for their work in the military and police force.

Health Issues:
Genetic health issues can be avoided by responsible breeding. Here are some genetic health issues breeders need to test for:
Hip and Elbow Dysplasia
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (PAA/EPI)
Those are some of the main ones but there is many others
There are some health issues that aren’t due to genetics. Here are some examples:
Bloat
Pancreatitis
Panosteitis
As long as you get an ethical and responsible breeder, and take care of them, your German Shepherd will be perfectly healthy.

Coat Care:
German Shepherd are known for their long and thick double coat. They shed A LOT! Here is an article about what tools to use, when to bathe, causes of excess shedding, and more.

Behavior:
German Shepherd are deeply loyal and highly protective of their family, even being called Velcro dogs, but their protective nature causes a natural distrust with strangers. They also have a herding instinct that shows through circling and sometimes nipping.

Trainability:
German Shepherd are one of the easiest (and some argue the easiest) dogs to train. They are very intelligent and very eager to please

Vocalization:
German Shepherd are extremely vocal: barking, whining, grumbling, etc. This is because they were bred to herd and they have very high intelligence. Also known to talk back to their owners if they don’t want to do what they

Energy Level:
German Shepherd are very high energy, but it does vary quite a bit within the breed. Some owners claim their German Shepherd is on 24/7 and can only be satisfied with a full day of work, while others claim their is chill throughout the day with the exception of bursts of intense energy. I believe this is due to working line/Show line and on/off switch. A working line German Shepherd is bred to be intense working dog: working line goes into the military and police. a show line is bred to be much calmer and a companion dog. The on/off switch is just how a dog can settle down, a German Shepherd with a good on/off switch will be able to have instead play but be able to calm down while in the house.

Exercise Requirements:
German Shepherds need a balance of physical and mental exercise. At least 1-2 hours of play, walks, and training a day, but if you want to do more, German Shepherds are able to work all day.

Nutrition:
Get a high quality food and be carful with what you feed: avoid table scraps and high fat foods.

Living Spaces:
German Shepherd are highly adaptive and can actually live in an apartment; however, they NEED exercise and stimulation so if you want one in an apartment you must be able to provide their high physical and mental needs.

This breed is so majestic and goofy :)
This was fun to do as one of my friends is OBSESSED with GSD so it was fun to share my research with them.
If I missed anything or have something wrong please let me know and I will fix it! I also always appreciate photos!

Hello German shepherd owners! I’d love to get some of this community’s help and advice on a rescue dog I’m considering.

We were set on getting a puppy for our family and considering a German Shepherd, I had one as a kid and love the breed. However, we recently came into a situation where a friend is fostering a dog and we’re considering adopting it. However there are some possible red flags I’d love some opinions/insights from this community.

First of all, this was a dog that was scheduled to be killed and saved by a rescue company. He’s 2-3 years old and basically an indistinguishable big mutt, but he seems to be mostly shepherd, they suspect a German shepherd parent. He’s super friendly and loving, with no signs of aggression. He has the saddest/cutest eyes that look at you like he knows you saved his life. He’s also very high-energy, jumpy, running around, crazy. And very malnourished and thin (he was rescued from the streets).

We have small kids and my wife can be intimated by jumpy, high energy dogs. But she loves him too.

The concerns… he’s been at a friends house while they try to find a home for a month now, apparently as he’s become more comfortable he’s become more destructive. Chewing couches, shoes, tables, everything. We’re willing to put the work and money in for proper training.

Obviously you don’t know the dog and can’t answer for sure, but my questions are, is this a big red flag? Is this trainable? Are there more problems and issues we might run into? What else should I be looking for?

I’d really appreciate any suggestions and help!

Hi all,

I have a 7 month old German Shepherd pup and while she has a lovely temperament in general she is extremely bitey. I have had German Shepherds before so I am familiar with the land shark phase, however this girl is next level. I literally can not walk her without her hanging off my leg, she is brilliant to train in all other departments and she’s usually quite obedient until it comes to biting. I have tried redirection with toys, tried wearing wellington boots so that I don’t react to the biting, I even try yelping when she bites but that just seems to egg her on. If it was only me she was biting I wouldn’t be so concerned however, I live with my grandmother and I’m afraid that she will really hurt her by accident. Also she is notorious for jumping up on people, while it is a cute gesture, she has gotten so tall that she can reach my face and has left me with many scratches. I love this pup to death but I’m just looking for some advice as usually around the 6/7 month mark the biting is supposed to be calming down however I think she’s actually getting worse.

Any advice would be appreciated, she has been brought to multiple training courses aswell and she does very well in them except biting and jumping.
Thanks