The German Shepherd Dog also known as an Alsatian comes literally from the German Deutscher Schäferhund. They are a relatively new breed of large-sized dog originating in the late 19th century. They are part of the Herding group that was originally developed as a working dog for herding sheep.
The German Shepherds strength, intelligence and obedience they are often employed in police and military roles. They are also one of the most popular breeds around the world.
The breed originates from a dog called Hektor Linksrhein. Hecktor so stunned Von Stephanitz that he purchased it and changed the dogs name to Horand von Grafrath and founded Alsatian Dog Society.
Horand became the heart of the Alsatian breeding programs and was bred with many other society member dogs.
The Alsatians popularity has increased quickly through the 20th Century, though taking dives in popularity in the early days due to health problems from poor breeding and after the world wars with anti German sentiment. This caused the UK Kennel Club to rename it to “Alsatian Wolf Dog”, a while later the wolf dog appendage was dropped and in the late 70s, the Alsatian Dog was back as the official name, though it is still often known as the Alsatian. The German Shepherd popularity was helped by animal actors such as Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart. Now days it is in most countries the third most popular dog breed.
They are a large dog of between 55 and 65 centimetres (around 24 inches) at the top of the back and weigh around 30 kilograms ( 49 and 88 lb).
The Alsatian’s face has a long square cut muzzle, a doomed forehead, a long neck, strong jaws, big erect ears (that are often pulled back when on the move), black nose and brown, medium-sized eyes. With a bushy tail.
German Shepherds come in a variety of colours, the most common being the red/black and tan/black versions with black saddles and masks. Less common types include the sable, all-black, all-white, liver and blue varieties, which may not fit country breed standards. German Shepherds have a double coat. A dense close thick outer coat, which sheds continually and a thick undercoat. The long-hair variety is rarer.
Like many working dogs, Alsatians were bred for their intelligence, and are ranked as the third most intelligent breed of dog by Stanley Coren in his reference study and book “The Intelligence of Dogs”. This intelligence combined with their strength makes the German Shepherd sought after as police, guard, and search and rescue dogs, the German Shepherd rapid learning ability and ability to interpret instructions are better than other large breeds.
German Shepherds have a reputation for aggression and have been banned in areas as a result. Statistically, in the United States, they are responsible for more unprovoked indiscriminate bites than any other dog breed, and have a known tendency to attack smaller dog breeds.
Additionally research has shown that Alsatians are the third most likely dog breed to attack a person and in a different study, German Shepherds were responsible for almost fifty percent of the dog bites that needed medical attention, compared to a more typical twenty of bites needing medical treatment, not a surprise with their powerful jaws and scissor teeth.
There is no problem with the German Shepherd breed, it is the fault of the owners. As with all clever energetic dog (or child), if they are not regularly exercised and kept busy, they can become troublesome. The German Shepherd needs to have puppy socialisation and good instruction from an early stage. The Alsatian is different from the collie, which a lot of its aggressiveness has been removed by breeding for shows, the German Shepherd does not seem to have lost this character.
The Alsatian are great with the family they know, but can be over protective of their home and family – why they are a great guard dog. Due to this they may appear a bit aloof.
Alsatians learn well and are highly obedient and not easily sidetracked, but due to their tough personality, you need to be very forceful with them.
The German Shepherd will need to have two good walks a day. They are not a dog for a busy family who cannot give them the time and attention. For this reason, busy families regularly ask dog walkers to help out by walking them for several hours a day.
Poor breeding has led to common health problems, hip and elbow joint problems (dysplasia) which often causes the dog pain and often causes arthritis. The Alsatian also suffers from monorchidism (one testicle), weakness of temperament, and missing teeth, as well as folded or bent ears which never fully turn up when reaching adulthood. The Alsatian is often has ear infections due to his large and open ears.
Alsatians, like many large bodied dogs are sensitive to bloat, this is a very dangerous and often rapidly fatal problem, so if you think this may be a problem, go straight to the vet. Bloat is a build up of gas in the stomach, caused for varying reasons. The symptoms of distress for no apparent reason, a firm distension of the abdomen, general weakness, depression, problems breathing, hypersalivation, and retching without vomiting. A high rate of dogs with bloat have cardiac arrhythmias (around forty percent), loss of appetite, vomiting and weight loss.
The German Shepherd often suffers from Degenerative Myelopathy, or DM is a neurological disease and are more likely to have Von Willebrand Disease, a common inherited bleeding disorder, which shows in variable degrees of bleeding tendency, commonly in the form of easy bruising, nosebleeds and bleeding gums. .
In spite of these problems, the Alsatian is robust with simple dog care and the average lifespan of a Alsatian is seven to ten years, which is normal for a large dog breed.
The Alsatian has a great nose so is one of the often used in a wide variety of scent-work roles, including cadaver searching, search and rescue, explosives detection, narcotics detection and mine detection.
So the German Shepherd is a superb intelligent breed that will bond well with you, if you have the time and dedication for him. Not advised for busy working families.
