Dog: German shepherd - Characteristics, Personality, History, Head, Eyes, Ears, Dog Breed

Characteristics and personality of the German Shepherd dog breed

The German shepherd, always in vogue, ready and easy to train, is quite active and enjoys when he has something to do. Therefore, they need to do a lot of exercise on a daily basis; otherwise, they become nervous or highly excitable.

The German shepherd at a glance

The German Shepherd Dog Breed

To avoid aggressive and overprotective behavior, it is necessary to socialize and train German shepherds from a very young age.

Size:

Weight range:

Males: 34 - 43 kg

Females: 34 - 43 kg

Height at the withers:

Males: 64 cm

Females: 58 cm

Characteristics:

Ears upright (naturally)

Expectations:

Energy level: medium

Life expectancy: 10 - 12 years

Tendency to drool: low

Tendency to snore: low

Tendency to bark: low

Tendency to Dig: Low

Attention need / Socialization: moderate

Bred for:

Grazing, watchdog

German shepherds reach a maximum of 65 cm in height, and weigh up to approximately 41 kg.

It is a well-proportioned dog. The head is broad and gracefully tapers into a sharp snout. The ears are quite long and remain upright. The back is level and muscular, ending in a hip that curves downwards and a fairly thick tail. The hair is thick, hard and coarse, generally of medium length; however, long-haired specimens are often born. Hair color can be black, brown, black and brown or gray.

The breed lives approximately 10-12 years.

Personality

German shepherds get along well with children and other pets if they grow up together, but they tend to doubt strange people due to their guardian instincts. This breed is considered to be smart and easy to train. Some German shepherds who have not been properly bred can be very excitable and nervous. Bad socialization and inadequate training can trigger overprotective or aggressive behaviors.

Coexistence

It is important to acquire German Shepherds from reputable breeders since as good shepherds they are large, powerful and have strong guarding instincts. Dogs bred with bad practices are more likely to be nervous.

To avoid aggressive and overprotective behavior, it is necessary to carefully socialize German shepherds from a young age and train them in obedience. They must be with the family and exposed to other people and pets in the neighborhood under supervision; they should not be confined to a house or yard alone or with other dogs.

German shepherds are active and enjoy having something to do. They need to do a lot of exercise on a daily basis; otherwise, they become nervous or highly excitable.

Its molting is very intense and occurs about twice a year, and the rest of the time it molts a smaller amount continuously. To control the shedding and maintain beautiful hair, brush it at least a few times a week.

History

German shepherds are, as their name indicates, a breed native to Germany. They were developed at the end of the XIX century crossing different breeds of dogs for herding. This breed was subjected to rigorous selection and evolved rapidly. In the UK, these dogs are known as Alsatians because fans of this breed in the area wanted to protect the dog from anti-German sentiments after World War II.

German shepherds entered the United States at the hands of soldiers returning home after the First World War. The breed caught the public's attention by movie stars like Strong heart and, later, Rin Tin Tin. At the end of World War II, German shepherds were the preferred military breed, and they were also the first guide dogs. Today, they are one of the most successful dogs in the United States. In 1999, German Shepherds ranked third on the American Kennel Club's Top 50 Breeds list.

It is also a herding breed famous for its bravery, loyalty and guardian instincts. It is an excellent watchdog, police dog, military dog, guide dog, and search and rescue dog. For many families, due to his character he is a valuable member of the family.

German shepherd

The German shepherd or sheepdog (German: Deutscher Schäferhund) is a breed of dog that comes from Germany. The breed is relatively new, since its origin dates back to 1899. They are part of the herding group, because they were dogs originally developed to gather and watch sheep. Since then, however, thanks to their strength, intelligence, training capacity and obedience, German Shepherds from around the world are often the preferred breed for many other types of work, such as: Police Dog, Watchdog, guide for the blind, a rescue animal, and others, according to the use made by the forces and security forces and the army. In many countries they even have specific units called K-9s.

History

Its origins date back to the end of the 19th century, when a breeding program was started in Germany to guard and protect sheep herds against wolves. The cavalry captain of the German army, Maximilian von Stephanitz, is considered the father of the breed. Later, after the appearance of the Association of Friends of the German Shepherd in 1899, a selection of specimens was started whose crosses improved both the psychic and physical aspect of the animal.

The first inscribed specimen Horand von Grafrath was a vigorous animal, of firm character, grayish fur and wolfish appearance that proved to be a stallion with the traits that Von Stephanitz was looking for. In the first encounter these desirable traits were passed on to successor dogs, and reinforced by careful rules of selective crossbreeding between members of the same lineage as this first breeder; a practice that sought to highlight and enhance the desirable characteristics through a specific genetic management.

Von Stephanitz sought primarily the practical and working aspect of the breed. From the beginning, the form in the German shepherd should not deviate him from his zootechnical functionality. Von Stephanitz foresaw a first threat to the validity of the breed as a working animal when human society was transformed from a primarily agricultural and livestock base to an industrialized economy. In a first phase, he persuaded the German government to accept the breed in police jobs. This was the beginning of the association of the race with the forces of law and with military use. Soon the qualities of intelligence, reliability and resistance of the animal, the main aspects of its character and its existence in history, guaranteed its use in many important roles, being one of those noblest roles as a guide dog for the blind.

This breed was used as a sniffer dog during World War II by the German army and police. In fact, the services rendered during the two world wars gave him worldwide respect and admiration.

Characteristics

General appearance: robust and flexible, slightly elongated, muscular body, its jaws closed in scissors. It is a companion dog since it is a balanced dog and easy to train.

Color variants in German shepherds; black, black with brown, reddish and black edges, sable, but its black cloak is always visible — hence many called it “black cloak.

Height at the withers: between 60-65cm the male, and the female between 55-60cm

Weight: the male is around 36kg to 47kg, and the female is between 27kg and 35kg.

Life expectancy: 11 to 15 years

General

Shepherd of cows and sheep with tireless trotting and great intelligence. He has excelled in numerous jobs useful to man, such as: guardian, guide dog, police, attack dog, drug detector, etc. It is a vigorous, agile, well-muscled, awake animal. Their physical proportions must be related not only to their appearance but also to their temperament. It is usually a well-balanced dog, with a harmonious development of the fore and hind limbs. A good specimen pleases at first sight; it is also very strong. Sometimes he can be aggressive and a little overbearing depending on the way he educates himself. For all these reasons he is a dog dedicated to work.

Head

It is wedge-shaped and is in proportion to the length of the body (its length is approximately 40% of the height of the cross), without appearing either rough or elongated. In its general appearance it is usually dry and moderately broad in the middle of the ears. Viewed from the front and from the sides, the forehead is slightly arched and without or with a slightly marked medium furrow. The ratio between the cranial and facial regions should be 50% to 50%. The width of the cranial region is almost the same as its length. Viewed from above, the cranial region decreases uniformly from the ears to the nose, leaving a not very noticeable frontal-nasal depression and leaning on the snout, which is wedge-shaped. The upper and lower jaws are strongly developed. The nose is straight; any bulging or subsidence is undesirable. The lips, dark in color, are firm and well attached.

Eyes

Medium size, almondy, glancing fit and never protruding. Its color is usually as dark as possible. Penetrating light eyes are undesirable as they affect the dog's expression; that's why there are usually no dogs with this type of eyes.

The main problem is that they get dirty (especially if the dog lives in the city, due to contamination). Normally, this dirt is removed in the form of blemishes, which can be cleaned with a damp cloth. They should not be allowed to accumulate until the dog is so bothered by rubbing with her paw.

In older dogs, or due to illness or injury, there may be difficulties in maintaining moisture in the eye. In this case, it is advisable to clean regularly, after consulting the vet to indicate the appropriate product to use.

Ears

The German Shepherd Dog has medium-sized ears, erect, open forwards and carried evenly (neither turned nor carried sideways). They are pointed with canopy facing the front. Pointed or drooping ears are faulty.

If earwax accumulates, it must be carefully removed, just as it would be in the case of a person. But it is necessary to do it with much more care, since due to the shape of the dog's ears, if the wax scales are simply released, they will fall inside, potentially damaging the ear canal. If you are not sure how it is done, it is better to leave it to a professional; Anyway, a good way to clean a dog's ears (both raised and droopy ears) is with a little cotton wool moistened with liquid petroleum jelly, always from the inside out of the ear, only what you see, never reach deeper as it can damage.

The ears will start to plant around five or six months of age. In the event that this does not happen, you must put templates for a perfect planting of the ears.

Particular attention should be paid to dogs of breeds that have droopy ears, which in addition to accumulating "normal" dirt can become parasite nests, among other things, due to the lack of ventilation, a disadvantage that the German shepherd does not have due to the shape of his ears.

Three year old female.

Viewed from all sides, the forelimbs are straight; seen from the front, they are absolutely parallel. The shoulder blade and the arm are of the same length, firmly attached to the body by means of good musculature. The ideal angle between the shoulder blade and the arm is 90 °, but it is generally 110 °. The elbows are usually not turned outwards or inwards, the dog being at rest or in motion. The forearms, viewed from either side, are straight and parallel to each other, dry and well muscled. The metacarpus has a length of approximately 1/3 of the forearm and forms an angle with it of approximately 20-22 °. A metacarpus too inclined (more than 22 °) or too straight (less than 20 °) impairs the dog's ability to work, especially its resistance. The front feet are rounded, compact, with arched toes. The pads are usually firm, but not brittle. The nails are strong and strong dark in color, although there may be exceptions.

German shepherd photo :