German Shepherd a Extremely intelligent and a first-class companion, obedience worker, and guard dog. They are also known as the Alsatian, the German Shepherd is a large dog weighing between 77 and 85 pounds. The dog will measure 24 to 26 at the withers, and the bitch 22 to 24 . This dog is very energetic in work. Mainly three kinds of coated dog are found in this breed. straight-haired coarse , long straight-haired coarse, and long-haired wavy. The usual coat colors are of two colors or only black. This breed is very smart, brave and has a protective instinct. If we will trained them from childhood, they can be good and protective family dogs breeds.
They need some work to be happy because their don’t like to sit idle. Due to there intelligence and energetic they are normally used as police dogs. German Shepherd is sometimes considered to be an aggressive dog. However, German Shepherd need trainings and proper grooming. This is a very active dog that wants to work, Training for this dog should begin, in a positive manner, as soon as the puppy is brought home.
German shepherd, also known as Alsatian, is a large breeds of dog originally developed for herding sheep. The credit for development of this breed goes to Max von Stephanitz, a 19th century German ex cavalry captain. He started the breed with a dog named Hector that he bought at a dog show in 1899. Hector was one forth wolf and product of many generations of breeding for ideal shepherd dog. Von Stephanitz was impressed with the strength, intelligence and loyalty and started a breeding program with Hector, whose name was changed to Horand von Grafrath.
In the initial stages of breed’s development there was much inbreeding to keep the traits consistent. There were also records of 4 wolf crosses in the original German Shepherd stud book. Let us take a closer at some facets of modern German Sheperd.
German shepherds were developed as herding dogs and retain most of their original traits even today. They are known for their intelligence, strength and loyalty. They are a large breed of dogs and are considered the third most intelligent breed of dogs, after Border Collies and Poodles.
They can be in a variety of colors. The most common are red/black and tan/black varieties. The body markings usually include a black mask and black marking on back that can vary from a classic to a blanket. The rare variants include all black, all white, liver, sable and blue colors. The all black and sable are accepted but blue and liver are considered and all white can be a cause for disqualification from the dog breeds.
Ideal height of German Shepherd is 25 Inches or 63 cm. Typically German Shepherds are 55 to 65 centimeters at shoulders and weigh as much as 22 to 40 kilograms.
These are very intelligent and highly active dogs by nature. German Shepherds are also known to be self assured and aloof. They are loyal and form strong bonds with people but due to their somewhat aloof nature they don’t become friends with strangers easily. They are also very protective and can become territorial and aggressive toward strangers if not socialized properly.
Common diseases of German Shepherds include elbow and hip dysplasis, which consists of developmental abnormalities of joint and can later turn into arthritis. Also their big ears are prone to infection and like most big dogs they are susceptible to blot.
German Shepherds are also extensively used as working dogs by army, police, fire departments and security agencies all over the world. They are also trained as guide dogs for people with eye sight problems. Due to their intelligence, loyalty to their person, strong sense of duty, fearlessness, overall calm nature and versatility they are widely used in many varied situations and fields and known as best dog breeds.
