German Shepherd Dogs/ Can you tell me about them?

The German Shepherd dog or Alsatians fill many roles in the world around you, whether being a family pet, or a guide dog, police dog, guard dog, attack dog or bomb dog. German Shepherd dogs make excellent family pets and are very protective of family members and children, how ever German Shepherd dogs are also very intelligent and can be troublesome unless they're kept busy.German Shepherd dogs have inherent traits that have been passed down from generation to generation, German Shepherd dogs will often lead groups of people and check back often to make sure everyone is going the right way. Although German Shepherds are not often used for herding anymore there are some breeds of GSDs that were commonly used in Europe for herding cattle.There are some inherent problems with German Shepherd dogs however; the most common of which is Hip Dysplasia, which affects the joints of German Shepherd dogs. Many dogs are now certified by the OFA, after two years when x-rays are taken. Dog Insurance for your GSD is paramount! When picking a puppy from a litter, you can ask to see these certificates, but there are other factors to consider. You shouldn't pick the runt or the bully of the litter; the former has a higher risk of illness, with the latter being likely to have a very aggressive personality, not a good feature for a family pet. The next choice is whether to get a male or female dog, in German Shepherd dogs there are some behavioural differences. Males will tend to be a lot more protective of their territory, such as the family home and garden, whilst females will be a lot more protective of their "pack" and family or children.The best time to take a German Shepherd puppy home is around 8-10 weeks old, which is about two weeks after the puppies have been weaned. Most German Shepherd dogs grow to be around 55-90 lb's although this can vary it can be dangerous for a dog to be too far outside these limits. A characteristic of German Shepherd dogs are whether their ears stick up, or are soft ears. Traditionally soft ears have been thought of as an undesirable trait, although many people prefer dogs with soft ears now, you should be careful how ever when stroking a German Shepherd puppy on the ears as you may bend and damage the developing cartilage which may stop the ears standing up.

On the other hand, if you do not take the time to socialize and train your dog, there will be problems with self-confidence and unruliness !

just from a website i hope this helps a little good luck
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Ive got a 2 year old, the best advice I'd give you is to socialise the pup as much as possible, otherwise they become timid/submissive which can bring out aggression. They're also bad for hind end/leg problems so make sure the one you get is from a good pedigree. Contrary to popular opinion they are very affectionate, intelligent dogs.

hope this helps.

Anwen55 also giving good advice
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German Shepherds are the best dogs. My dog had to get put down last year but he lasted for almost 14 years. They are great for guarding your house and also can be big softies which mine was all the time lol It's good you've got a big garden as they like to run about.

We are thinking about getting a puppy next year and will defo be a German Shepherd again

Hope this helped
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Had 2

I have a GS dog who is 8 and we had him from a pup. We also have a mongrel dog, a JRT pup, a cat, a rabbit and a horse and they all get on well together (apart from the rabbit). Our GSD is sweet and soft and very affectionate. I have never known him bite anyone or even growl. When my grandchildren were round as tiny babies the GSD would lie by the pram, buggy etc and look after the baby and when they cried they would whine to let us know. They even sat guard whilst the nappies were changed. when said babies were crawling and starting to stand up the dog was always the one they headed for first and he was pulled and crawled on etc but never made a sound. I would recommend a GSD to anyone, but get a pup, treat it well with love and kindness and you will be re payed with a loving, gentle and loyal dog for many years.
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german shepherds have hip problem when they get older. a healthier bread is belgian malamute. they look the very similar but are lighter in weight and have a more playful side to them which makes them a better pet. i used to work with the navy military police dogs and we had fewer problems with these dogs over the length of their life in service. german shepherds are better at bringing someone large over 200 pounds down because of the weight but both get the job done or the navy and the air force wouldn't use them. i was stationed in hawaii and the navy kept 8 dogs in a shared kennel with the air force which kept another 8 - 10 dogs.
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Jeff is talking rubbish - there is no such breed as a Belgian Malamute - he means a Malinois (which can be pretty high drive & not necessarily an ideal pet).
The German Shepherd is a fantastic breed. Just make sure you take yours to a good training class from a young age - socialisation is very important as the answerer above said. Buy from a reputable breeder who hip scores, elbow grades and checks the males for haemophilia before breeding.
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GSD owner

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com
that is helpfull
i love german breeds.
doberman is my fave own 2 of them, then the rottie n im thinking about a boxer
very nice dogs.
you best look is to go on google and type in german shepherd and many links full of useful info will come up
hope this helped
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