Breed of the Week - German Shepherd Dog

by Jamie Pyatt

The German Shepherd Dog is an all around herding and working breed. These dogs excel at assisting humans in many areas including military and police work, bomb and drug detection, and its original intention, livestock herding. GSD’s are superior search and rescue dogs, guide dogs and guard dogs. When these hard working dogs aren’t working, they are agility, obedience and conformation champions!

Max von Stephanitz has been credited with creating the German Shepherd Dog. His belief that dogs should be bred to develop the skills, size and temperament required to be useful working dogs led him to start the Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde (Society for the German Shepherd Dog), or SV, in 1899. Von Stephanitz began a breeding program with the society’s first registry, Horand von Grafath, which is the basis for all modern German Shepherd Dogs.

The GSD requires a great deal of mental and physical challenges to keep it well balanced and healthy. This is a breed that needs a job, as that it was it was created for. The GSD is a quick learner and does well with all types of training.

When I was young, our dogs were either German Shepherds or some derivative of the breed. At that time dogs were kept for protection and the German Shepherd Dog had the perfect blend of intelligence and courage for the task. Once you allow one of these beauties into your family, you are forever protected by him. Your family and your home become part of his charge and he will be devoted to you for life. Many of my childhood memories involve one of our dogs as they were my constant companions. Whether we were playing dolls or sharing popsicles, they exhibited patience and tolerance as well as a canine sense of humor at all times.

GSD’s received some bad press over the years due to irresponsible breeding at the height of their popularity. If you are considering a German Shepherd Puppy, be sure to research a responsible breeder who breeds for temperament as well as health. A GSD does not need to be dominant and aggressive to protect those he loves and a great deal of thought should be put into the selection and training of the right dog for your family. He should be initially suspicious of strangers but never aggressive nor fearful.

Common health concerns include Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD), elbow dysplasia, von Willebrands Disease and Gastric torsion (bloat). Even if your puppies’ breeder bred for health, you can still give your German Shepherd Dog the best life possible by feeding healthy food, regular checkups, grooming and exercise. Because Bloat affects many large breed dogs, feed smaller meals or use a slow feed bowl to help prevent it. More information about health issues in German Shepherd Dog can be found at Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) or Canine Health Information Center (CHIC).

Gifts, apparel and home décor for German Shepherd Dog lover’s can be found on Cherrybrook.com by selecting the Shop By Breed option or CLICK HERE.